Eating few raw leaves gives you the most antioxidants, vitamins and minerals needed for good health. You will likely enjoy improved vision, better hair and skin health, improved digestion, more energy and a reduced risk of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease when you make them a part of your daily diet.

Here is the list of plant leaves which are the healthiest to eat raw:

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Holy basil

Eating the leaves of this plant in their raw form is considered as a tonic for body, mind and soul. The nutritional value of these leaves is quite high being a rich source of vitamin A and C, calcium, zinc, iron and chlorophyll. Eating few leaves raw can reduce stress and anxiety, protect body against toxic chemicals, reduce the risk of cancer, protect against infection, treat wounds, lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, ease inflammation and joint pain, decrease stomach acid, increase mucus secretion, cure diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.

Mint leaves

Being loaded with vitamin A, iron, folate, manganese and fibre, these leaves are considered nutrient-rich. Eating mint leaves in raw form helps protect your body from oxidative stress caused by free radicals, improve brain function, soothe digestive disorders, prevent and cure cold symptoms and reduce bacteria that cause bad breath.

Cilantro

Cilantro is jam-packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, provitamin A and K and trace amounts of folate, manganese, potassium, beta-carotene, choline, lutein and zeaxanthin. Besides adding flavour to the food, eating raw cilantro, also known as coriander leaves, protects skin against UVB radiation damage, reduces frequency of migraines, soothes inflammation, inhibits damage to cells due to oxidative stress, promotes heart health, aids digestion, promotes brain function, helps lower blood sugar and combats breast and prostate cancer.

Curry leaves

Curry leaves are a rich source of vitamin A, B and C, amino acids, calcium, fibre, protein, phosphorus and iron. Eating raw curry leaves helps reduce weight, fight cancer, improve vision, strengthen hair, improve their quality and growth, lower sugar level, combat anaemia, improve skin health, cure diarrhoea, increase digestive secretion and reduce morning sickness.

Neem leaves

Although bitter in taste, neem leaves contain amazing health doles. The leaves contain chemicals that might help reduce blood sugar level, heal ulcers in the stomach, treat headaches, nourish hair, improve skin, remove toxins from blood and enhance the activity of free radical scavenging.

There are many ways to incorporate these leaves into your daily life. You can cook them, take them in supplements or eat them raw. Cooking may actually upset the natural structure of these leaves, robbing them of their essential nutritional value. These leaves are good to be eaten raw due to their nutrient profile than their cooked form. These leaves have a history within Indian medicine as a treatment for many conditions from heart disease to hair and skin issues. You may also optimise the amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that your body absorbs by fitting them into your meal plan.

You really cannot go wrong adding these leaves to your diet. However, consuming these leaves in large doses is possibly unsafe. If you are on some medication or suffer some illness or allergy, consult your doctor before consuming these leaves. Just chewing leaves freshly plucked from these plants and trees has reaped multiple benefits for people since time immemorial.