Brief nutritional discussion: The table's quantities are not reported in a way comparable
to that of the USDA human nutrients data (Handbook #8, Composition of Foods). But some
years ago, in Stalking the Healthful Herbs, Euell Gibbons had nutrient analyses made of a
few plants' fruits and leaves to compare with what the USDA was then reporting, in the
same form (which is miligrams per 100 grams). He found that strawberry leaves contained
229 mg/100 g, of vitamin C (Ascorbic acid from the table) and this compared with 50
mg/100 g of Ascorbic acid for oranges, one of the best domestic plant sources of vitamin C,
about 4.5 times more. The leaves contain more of this than the fruits, but the fruits are
actually higher in C if you look down to their Citric Acid content -- that's another form of
this water-soluble vitamin our bodies don't store, and need a lot of.The leaves are also a very good source of potassium, a mineral for which there is no US
Recommended Daily Amount (RDA). It is third or 4th largest mineral quantity (after
calcium, magnesium, sodium) contained in our bodies, our cells contain more of it than any
other mineral. Potassium plays an important role in the transmission of nerve impules and
workings of the brain, muscles, and othr functions. Recent studies indicate it can help
control levels of sodium caused by too much salt, and helps to prevent fatty acid deposits
from clogging circulation. Good for the heart, good for high blood pressure. It's a
substantial ingredient of those athletic drinks like Gatorade.Another chemical contained in the leaves is methyl salycilate, the active ingredient (in
synthetic form) of aspirin and other mild pain-relievers and fever-reducers.`The remainder
of the chemicals have unknown effects (though many biomedical claims are listed for most
of them, these are unsourced and unreliable), but are rather interesting suggestively.TOP
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MENUWebmistress --Paula Giese.Text and graphics copyright 1996.Last Updated: Thursday, February 15, 1996 - 10:36:33 PMStrawberries-- ID, annotations
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