Hello Steemit friends, I hope you are feeling great today, I want to share with you the medicinal properties of "Ocumo" and doing some research on this vegetable (tuber) I found many healthy treasures that I know will be very helpful for you.

The ocumo is the tuber of a plant called colocasia esculenta, native to Polynesia and also cultivated in the Caribbean or in the Antilles of Central America, forming part of its gastronomy. The tuber, which is hidden under the soil of these plants with large leaves, has a white or yellow flesh.

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Our ocumo is native to South America and has been cultivated since pre-Columbian times; from there it spread to the Antilles and Mesoamerica and after the 15th to 16th centuries it reached West Africa; while the "Chinese" comes from Asia. Nevertheless, both species are called by the same name in many places and used in similar dishes or as a substitute for each other.

Among the most notable characteristics of the ocumo are:

They are herbs divided into several segments.

• Its leaves are long, with a length of between 40 to 200 centimeters long.
• The root is very thick and fleshy, rich in starch. The outside is dark brown and the inside is white, yellow or purplish.
• It grows in a cycle of 9 to 11 months.
• The maturity of the plant is established when the leaves take on a yellowish tone and young shoots appear around it.
• It is cultivated in humid, warm and shaded soils.
• It is important to emphasize that there are two varieties of ocumo. One is known as xanthosoma sagittifolium (white ocumo) and the other as colocasia esculenta (Chinese or purple ocumo). The main difference between the two is that the white ocumo comes from America while the Chinese ocumo comes from Asia.

In addition to the name by which it is known in Venezuela, it is also called
yautía, malanga (Antilles), macal (México, Yucatán), quiscamote (Honduras), tiquisque (Costa Rica), otó (Panamá), uncucha (Perú), gualusa (Bolivia), malangay (Colombia); Portuguese: taioba, mangareto, mangarito, mangarás (Brazil); French: chou Caribe (Antilles); English: cocoyam;
other languages: quequexque (México),
tannia, taniera (Antilles).
What do they call this tuber in your country?

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Medicinal properties and nutritional value of ocumo:

Ocumo is, along with potato and cassava, one of the most cultivated and consumed tubers in Venezuela; however, not all people know the benefits that this food can bring to health.
This tuber has little protein, unlike yucca, but it is rich in carbohydrates and minerals, such as phosphorus and iron, which are essential for the well-being of bones and blood.

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Nutricionalmente, 100 g de ocumo contienen 140 Kilocalorías con un mínimo contenido de Grasa: 0.1 g, no tiene Colesterol, muy poco sodio, 0,15 mg, siendo fundamentalmente Carbohidratos (34.6 g), fibra, (5,1g) y algo de proteína y azúcar (0,5 g de cada una)

• Powders of the root or its decoction are applied in asthma and chronic colds.

• The poultice made with fresh root and bee honey is used in gout and corrosive ulcers; its juice with bee honey is prescribed in cases of fistulas, ulcerative polyp and cancer of the nose, in albarazos (a kind of leprosy).

• The juice, applied to the eyes, cures clouding and corneal opacities.

• The leaves cooked in wine are recommended for chilblains, applied as a poultice.

• It is believed that the leaves of the ocumo fight the effects of snake bites by rubbing with them the feet and hand.

Other uses

Children and special needs: Although it has a similar amount of carbohydrates as other farinacea, some experts consider that okra is recommended for young children and people with food allergies, because its starch particles, being very small, are more digestible. And although its protein content is relatively low, it has more than other tubers. It also has a high amount of minerals.

Curious fact
Although its leaves are not usually consumed, they have more vitamins C, A, iron and calcium than other plants such as chard and spinach.

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Ocumo as a food in Venezuelan cuisine:

Just like the potato, this tuber has to be very versatile when integrating it into our dishes, here are some small suggestions to incorporate it into your diet.

To substitute boiled potatoes for octopus and prepare the dough for gnocchi criollos, just mix the mashed potatoes with a little wheat flour, grated cheese, melted butter and egg.

If you want another presentation, try finely chopping the ocumo and fry in plenty of oil, the result will be delicious and original crunchy chips, which you can offer to your guests by simply seasoning with a little salt, pepper and garlic, you can also cut them into sticks and fry them as well.

Is denser in consistency, making it a good base for making fritters and cakes, as is done in recipes from countries such as Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico and others.

If you want to experiment with a different puree, to accompany stews, marinades, ceviches or a roast, boil and mash with butter, milk or cream and a little cheese. This puree can be a good base for a meat or tuna roll or a stuffed pie.

If fresh and in good condition, can be kept in the lower part of the refrigerator for about a month. Its texture has a certain resemblance to that of potatoes and sweet potatoes, however it is neutral in flavor like the potato.

This was all for today I love to share with you all this information, I hope you like it ❤️ ❤️.

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