For centuries, folk remedies have used Japanese sweet potato for many medicinal purposes, including asthma, insect bites, burns, fish poisoning, nausea, fever, stomach disorders and tumors. Low in fat and calories, Japanese sweet potatoes provide valuable health benefits from their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Identification
The Ipomoea batatas, better known as the Japanese sweet potato or satsuma-imo, originated from the regions of Mexico and Guatemala. It is an herbaceous perennial vine with edible heart-shaped, lobed leaves. The long and tapered tuber root does not have eyes or scars as found on some other root vegetables. It has white, red or purple skin; the flesh may be red, purple or brown and white in color.
Nutrition
Baked in its skin, 100 grams of sweet potato contains 90 calories with no cholesterol and minimal fat. Japanese sweet potatoes contain 11,509 micrograms of beta-carotene, which is especially important to the health of your eyes. An excellent source of vitamin A, sweet potatoes fulfil almost 12 times the daily amount recommended by the Institute of Medicine to maintain a low risk of chronic diseases. The vitamin C content in sweet potatoes is comparable to grapefruit and supplies 30 percent DV, or daily value. One medium Japanese sweet potato contains 4 percent DV for calcium and iron and contains significant amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. Sweet potatoes contain B vitamins -- thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate and B-6. In addition, Japanese sweet potatoes contain essential amino acids.
Digestion
Japanese sweet potato is a good source of dietary fiber that may help digestion and relieve constipation. Additionally, when Japanese sweet potato is cut, a slimy white substance appears called jalapin. Jalapin is a resin component that has an energetic influence on the bowels. Powdered jalapin is used to produce strong laxative drugs.
Immune System
Antioxidants help rid the body of free radicals that attack and damage healthy cells and tissue. They assist the immune system to ward off disease. The antioxidant capacity in Japanese sweet potatoes comes partly from the vitamins A and E content in the tubers and shoots as well as phenolic components. Polphenols in purple sweet potato leaves may provide protection against oxidative stress and the immune system, as published in the “Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2007. Fifteen basketball players, who consumed a sweet potato leaf-supplemented diet for two weeks, improved their immune response during a training period.
Cancer
Beta-carotene and vitamin A in Japanese sweet potato may lower the risk of many types of cancer. Certain acids that are derivatives of a substance called caffeoylquinic, protect the root of the sweet potato from fungal diseases and have potential chemo-protective effects against cancer, according to Drugs.com. In addition, the edible leaves of the sweet potato may also reduce the risk of lung cancer, according to researchers at the Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan. They found that, among 13 food items tested, the intake of vitamin A, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene reduced the risk for lung cancer. Conclusions, published in “Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” stated sweet potato leaves were among the best source of food for protection from lung cancer.
References
- Purdue University; Handbook of Energy Crops; James A. Duke; 1983
- GOCHISO: Ultimate Japanese Gourmet Magazine; Satsuma-Imo-The Japanese Sweet Potato
- Oregon State University College of Health and Human Sciences: Potato-Sweet, Sweet Potato, Ipomoea Batatas, Faan Sue, Shakarkandi, Ubi Jalar, Ubi Manis, Satsuma-Imo, Keleked, Camotes
- USDA National Nutrient Database
- Office of Dietary Supplements – National Institutes of Health: Vitamin A and Carotenoids; What are Recommended Intakes of Vitamin A?
- “Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology”; Phenolic Compounds Have Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Anti-clotting Properties that may Benefit Cardiovascular Health; Antioxidative Components of Sweet Potatoes; F Hayase et al.; 1984
- “Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition”; Effect of Purple Sweet Potato Leaves Consumption on the Modulation of the Immune Response in Basketball Players During the Training Period; Wen-Hsin Chang et al.; 2007
- Drugs.com: Sweet Potato; Chemistry
- “Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition”; Intake of Vitamin A-Rich Foods and Lung Cancer Risk in Taiwan: with Special Reference to Garland Chrysanthemum and Sweet Potato Leaf Consumption; YR Jin et al.; 2007
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