Jute

Scientific Name: Corchorus olitorius (Mithapat) Corchorus capsularis (Titapat).

Jute is one of the staple crops. However, its leaves, especially sweet-jute leaves, are eaten as vegetables. Its leaves are nutritious and laxative.

Medicinal Properties of Jute leaves:

(a) Sweet Jute (Corchorus olitorius) :

(1) Sweet jute leaves act as antidote for some diseases. Namely:-

(•) Dysentry, (•) Fever, (•) Enteritis,

(•) Chest pain (Pectoral pain), (•) Gonorrhea.

(2) Dry jute leaf tea acts as a strengthening tonic in children suffering from dysentery and colds.

(3) Use of jute seed oil to cure skin diseases.

(b) Corchorus capsularis

The juice of Titapat leaves is bitter in taste, emollient, appetizing, laxative, carminative of the stomach, intestinal and, if necessary, helpful in secretion of astringent juices and saliva in the mouth.

The herbal properties of Titapat are given below. Namely:

(1) Burdock leaf juice cures anorexia. In this case, a teaspoon of jute leaf juice mixed with 1 cup of water and heated a little twice a day will relieve the disease.

(2) Beetroot juice cures constipation. In this case, the juice of green leaves or dry leaves should be soaked in water, crushed a little and soaked in half a cup of water. The next morning the water should be warmed a little and consumed on an empty stomach. It cleans the toilet. It also benefits stomach air.

(3) For stomach ache, 40 grams of jute leaves mixed with hot water relieves stomach ache within 10-15 minutes.

(4) In case of blood dysentery, one and a half grams of dried leaves should be mixed with crushed rice. It cures dysentery of blood and fever is also good by swallowing.

(5) Jute leaves work well in bladder diseases. Ten grams of jute leaves should be soaked in one cup of hot water for 10-12 hours. Later straining the water relieves bladder disease.

(6) Liver causes blackness of urine and leprosy, and heart disease arises from these two causes. Soak 10 grams of jute overnight in one cup of hot water. The next morning the water is strained and eaten by the liver  cure the disease.