Plant atlas Short
Wild Betel: The Leaf That Wraps Miang Kham
Wild Betel Leaf · ชะพลู · Piper sarmentosum
Wild Betel Leaf — ชะพลู (cha-phloo) — Piper sarmentosum.
It wraps miang kham across Thailand, and the edible part is the leaf. In rats, a water extract lowered glucose markers, and a separate animal study points to bone formation. The leaves also carry vitamin C, calcium, vitamin A, and potassium. Vitamin C helps the body build collagen and supports normal immune function. Calcium supports normal bones and teeth and helps muscles and nerves work normally. Vitamin A, from plant carotenoids, supports normal vision and skin. Potassium helps keep blood pressure and fluid balance in a normal range. In the kitchen: for miang kham you wrap roasted coconut, lime, ginger, and peanuts in a raw leaf and eat it in one bite with palm-sugar sauce; in the south, cooks shred the leaves into gaeng poo, a turmeric-and-coconut crab curry served over thin rice vermicelli. Eat the leaves with a little fat, since the carotenoids that become vitamin A absorb better that way. In the garden, it grows as a tough evergreen ground cover with edible leaves. Follow Longevity Biome for a new Thai plant every day.
Miang Kham — เมี่ยงคำ (miang-kam)
Gaeng Poo Bai Cha Phlu — แกงปูใบชะพลู (gaeng-poo-bai-cha-ploo)
Source: Peungvicha P et al. (1998). Hypoglycemic effect of Piper sarmentosum water extract in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. PMID 9533429. Bone: PMC7589271
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
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Food and nutrients
Rich in: vitamin C, calcium, vitamin A, potassium
Research context
Wild betel lowered glucose in rats and improved bone formation in animal studies — J. Ethnopharmacology, 1998 (animal)