Pennywort anyone?

One night last week I was at a Vietnamese restaurant at the Eden Center and came across a green drink called nuoc rau ma (with the word “Pennywort” next to it)… Since we like to try green drinks, we were kind of excited. How could I have not seen this before? The waitress couldn’t explain what it was in english, so we ordered and then Googled it. Fortunately I came across this great post by Wandering Chopsticks explaining the drink, the plant and how to make a pitcher of the juice. The drink at the restaurant was ok but way too sugary for my taste, so I got motivated to find some pennywort and make my own!

Of course, there was a market right next door to the restaurant, so we picked up a big round bag of the stuff. The next day I made fresh mint & pennywort tea (pouring steaming water over fresh, clean mint & pennywort leaves, letting it steep and then straining. I made so much that I put the rest in the fridge and had it as iced tea the next day - it darkened overnight and had a richer flavor. I also took a big bunch of the well-washed leaves and added them to some smoothies this past weekend. I’m loving the taste and will add them to a big green smoothie tomorrow too (the bag of pennywort I purchased was huge!). Given this will be a big salad week for me, I’ll be adding them to my mixed greens too. 

A bit more info about pennywort…

Also known as “gotu kola”, it is mildly antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcerogenic, a circulatory stimulant, a diuretic and more. When eaten raw it is thought to help maintain youthfulness and was known to be part of Li Ching-Yun’s diet, who purportedly lived to be 256 years old. A decoction of juice from the leaves is thought to relieve hypertension. This juice is also used as a general tonic for good health. A poultice of the leaves can be used to treat open sores.

The Edible Library also has a fun blog post about making fresh, raw juice from the leaves. Enjoy!