By Henry Mang’eni
Researchers have found the bitter lettuce weed, known as Mchunga in Swahili, can stop the growth of cervical cancer, the leading cause of cancer deaths in Kenya.
Cervical cancer has been declared a public health problem in Kenya. It is the second most common cancer after breast cancer and the country’s top cancer killer, causing the deaths of around 3,200 women every year, due to the difficulty of treating it.
Used as a traditional medicine by the Pokot, Embu, and other tribes, bitter lettuce is gaining new popularity as a vegetable due to its ease of growth and reputed health benefits.
A 2024 study published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) found the bitter lettuce, L. cornuta, also called Mtsunga wa Utsungu by market women in Kilifi, stopped the growth of cancer cells by eliminating cancer-causing genes.
The study found the weed, which is also used to treat swollen testicles, ear aches, and joint pains, blocks harmful proteins, and activates the ones that protect the body from cervical cancer.
As FarmBizAfrica reported last month, Mchunga or Muthunga grows naturally in Coast, Central and Western Kenya, maturing in just three weeks.
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Unlike regular lettuce, it contains a milky latex that gives it a slightly bitter taste. It is often cooked with other vegetables to reduce its bitterness. or boiled and the water drained. Boiling and draining , however, reduces its nutrients.
FarmBizAfrica reporter Henry Mang’eni met Giriamas who have used the vegetable for decades, to gather some of their recipes.
Furaha Ngumbao ,who lives in Kwa Chokwe Village, approximately 10 kilometers from Kilifi Town, has grown Mchunga since she was a small girl. “We mostly pick Mtsunga wa Utsungu from fallow land or bushes and put them in a kikapu (basket). If they are still attached to the stem we pluck out the leaves and then wash them thoroughly.”.
The plant does not grow very high so leaves are usually splashed with soil during the rains.
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“I then put the vegetables in a sufuria, add water, and boil till they are soft. I let all the liquid dry up and add coconut milk which I prepare beforehand and mix and continue stirring as it boils thoroughly without adding any oil. It is then ready to serve,” said Furaha.
Mchunga is usually served with sima/ugali.
“Before I was born, as narrated by my parents and grandparents, Mchunga was seen as much a herb as a vegetable, used to treat stomach upsets and malaria. Because of its bitterness, you just boil it in a dish and drain out the water and a person with either ailment drinks the liquid. Some still use this traditional treatment method to date,” she said.
Kahunda Mlewa, a mother in Kilifi’s Shingila area plucks and cuts the leaves into two before she cooks them.
“When I buy the leaves at the market, I also buy amaranthus ‘mchicha at the same ratio, since Mchunga remains bitter when cooked alone. I cut Mchunga into two and then boil it till it softens and add amaranthus shortly after and salt before I serve.
Infonet Biovision, a farmer communication website also provides Muthunga recipes by the Mbeere.
This first involves cooking bitter lettuce whole or chopping it and then boiling it for five minutes, twice pouring out the water from the vegetables . Lightly salted onions are fried in a sufuria before tomatoes are added once the onions brown. Cut amaranth leaves are added to the sufuria, which is covered and simmered for a minute.
The previously boiled bitter lettuce is then added and the two vegetables are left to simmer for one minute.
This is served hot with sorghum and millet stiff porridge.
According to Ms.Yvonne Mumbi, the secretary of Kagirimu African culture preservers, Muthunga can also be eaten with cowpea, amaranth, and Jute mallow to reduce its bitterness.
“The vegetable is loved by the elderly and is believed to cure stomach aches,” she said.
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Infonet also recommends making bitter lettuce with cream or butter to tone down its bitterness.
This is first done by boiling salted water before soaking mchunga for two minutes. It’s then drained before cold water is run through the blanched vegetables.
In a sufuria, butter is melted and used to fry onions. Before they brown, Mtsunga is added and cooked for two minutes. Tomatoes are added and fried for a bit before pouring in fresh cream, salt, and any seasoning .
This is served with ugali or any other pairing dish you wish.
Pic Courtesy: © Muia J, 2023 (Bitter lettuce harvested for vegetable in the coast)