Malabar spinach (Basella alba) , also known as Basella rubra Basella oleracea Basella lucida, is scientifically classified as Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Order: Caryophyllales Family: Basellaceae Genus: Basella Species: B. alba.
Basella alba is an edible perennial vine in the family Basellaceae. It is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. Malabar spinach (Basella alba or Basella rubra) is not a true spinach, but rather a climbing vine in a class by itself. Other common names include Vine Spinach, Red Vine Spinach, Creeping Spinach, and Ceylon Spinach. Even though it’s not a true spinach, it has the same taste.
Malabar spinach is high in Vitamin A (100 grams contains roughly 8,000 units), Vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It has a high amount of protein for a plant and is also a good source of magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium. Another good reason to eat malabar spinach is that it has a good amount of antioxidants, particularly beta carotene and lutein, those naturally occurring chemicals that help keep your cells from aging. Rubra seems to be slightly higher in antioxidants, probably due to the purple color.
Energy | 79kj | |
Dietary fiber | N/A | |
Carbohydrates | 3.4g | |
Sugars | N/A | |
Fat | 0.3g | |
Protein | 1.8g | |
Minerals | ||
Calcium | 11% | 109mg |
Copper | 0% | 0mg |
Iron | 9% | 1.2mg |
Magnesium | 18% | 65mg |
Manganese | 35% | 0.735mg |
Phosphorus | 7% | 52mg |
Potassium | 11% | 510mg |
Sodium | 0% | 0mg |
Zinc | 5% | 0.43mg |
Vitamins | ||
Vitamin A IU | % | 0mg |
Vitamin A equivalent | 50% | 400mg |
Beta-Carotene | 0% | 0mg |
B1 - Thiamine | 4% | 0.05mg |
B2 - Riboflavin | 13% | 0.155mg |
B3 - Niacin | 3% | 0.5mg |
B5 - Pantothenic acid | 0% | 0mg |
B6 - Vitamin | 18% | 0.24mg |
B9 - Folate | 35% | 140mg |
Vitamin C | 123% | 102mg |
Vitamin E | 0% | 0mg |
Vitamin K | 0% | 0mg |
Choline | 0% | 0mg |
Betaine | 0mg |
Other constituents | ||
Water | 0 | |
Fluoride | 0 |
Cycles per Year | 2.32 |
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