Plant atlas Short
Pea Eggplant Protected Kidneys in Rats
Pea Eggplant · มะเขือพวง · Solanum torvum
Pea Eggplant — มะเขือพวง (ma-khuea phuang) — Solanum torvum.
Pea eggplant — mah-kue-ah puang — those tiny bitter berries bobbing in Thai green curry are the whole edible fruit, and here's how to eat them and what one study measured. The edible part is the fruit, and in rats, pea eggplant extract kept kidney markers closer to normal after drug-induced kidney injury. As food, these berries are a source of vitamin C and fiber. Vitamin C helps your body build collagen for skin and supports normal immune function, and it works as an antioxidant that helps protect your cells. Fiber adds bulk that keeps digestion regular and helps the berries fill you up. In Thai Green Curry, the whole berries simmer in coconut milk until tender, then pop when you bite them, served over steamed jasmine rice. In Nam Phrik Kapi, a shrimp-paste chili dip, cooks bruise the berries in a mortar to crack them open and stir them through, serving them with fried mackerel and raw vegetables. The plant is a thorny shrub that keeps fruiting for years once it takes hold, which is why the berries turn up in so many Thai kitchens.
Green Curry — แกงเขียวหวาน (gaeng-kiao-wan)
Nam Phrik Kapi — น้ำพริกกะปิ (nam-prik-ga-pi)
Food and nutrients
Rich in: vitamin C, fiber
Research context
Pea eggplant protected kidney markers in a rat nephrotoxicity model — Food and Chemical Toxicology, 2010
Sources
Source: Mohan M et al. (2010). Protective effect of Solanum torvum on doxorubicin-induced nephrotoxicity in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 48(1):436-440. DOI:10.1016/j.fct.2009.10.042 (PMID 19883716)
Narration transcript
Opening
These are the tiny, pea-sized green berries bobbing in your Thai green curry — bite down and they pop, releasing a quick, bitter, grassy hit. Pea eggplant — มะเขือพวง, ma-kua-puang. You eat the whole clustered berries, simmered soft in curry or bruised raw into a shrimp-paste chili dip.
Green Curry (Kaeng Khiao Wan) (แกงเขียวหวาน)
In Thai green curry — kaeng khiao wan, gaeng-kiao-wan — the whole berries simmer in coconut milk until tender, then pop when you bite them, served over steamed jasmine rice.
Nam Phrik Kapi (น้ำพริกกะปิ)
In nam phrik kapi, a shrimp-paste chili dip, the berries are bruised in a mortar to crack them open and stirred through, then eaten with fried mackerel and raw vegetables.
Nutrition summary
Those tiny curry berries carry a real hit of iron and fiber, with a bit of calcium along for the ride.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
Fiber
Fiber adds bulk to meals and can help with fullness.
Closing
The plant is a thorny, weedy shrub that, once it takes hold, keeps throwing out berries for years — which is exactly why they turn up in so many Thai kitchens, always within reach out the back door. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.
Related playlists
Keep watching
