Sweet leaf
Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr.
Sweet leaf (Sauropus androgynus) is a tropical shrub leaf vegetable from India to Southeast Asia; leaves are rich in provitamin A and vitamin C, used in soups — raw juice should not be over-consumed.
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A multi-stemmed shrub up to 2.5 m tall with smooth green young branches; leaves are glossy, oval, about 5–6 cm long, alternately arranged. Tiny flowers cluster in leaf axils (greenish, dark-red forms also recorded) and small purplish berries follow. POWO also treats it as Phyllanthus androgynus (L.) Chakrab. & N.P.Balakr.; common names include katuk, sweet leaf and star gooseberry.
Shoot tips and leaves are a familiar vegetable in Vietnam — cooked in soup with minced pork, crab or dried shrimp, or stir-fried with egg. Fresh leaves are rich in provitamin A carotenoids, vitamins B and C, protein and minerals (calcium, iron, phosphorus). Important caution: outbreaks of bronchiolitis obliterans in Taiwan (1996, The Lancet) and Japan (2005) were linked to heavy consumption of raw leaves or juice, associated with the alkaloid papaverine; pregnant women and people with kidney problems should use caution.
Life cycle
From seed to productYoung shoots (edible)
Shoot tips and young leaves are picked year-round; the tender shoots are cooked in soups and stir-fries.
Flowering
Very small flowers in leaf axils, easily overlooked among the foliage; dark-red flower forms are also recorded.
Fruiting
Small round berries turning purple when ripe, containing seeds; plants are grown mainly for leaves, so fruit is rarely left to mature.
Harvest
Tops are snapped off repeatedly through the year; the plant resprouts readily and yields generously.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- India · Bangladesh30%
- Southeast Asia (incl. Vietnam)35%
- Southern China · Hainan15%
- Cultivated elsewhere in the tropics20%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- PapaverineMain alkaloid — raw-juice overuse linked to lung injury30%
- β-Carotene (provitamin A)High in freshly picked leaves, supports vision and immunity30%
- Vitamin C239 mg per 100 g fresh leaves25%
- Flavonoids & phenolicsAntioxidant, anti-inflammatory (Zhang et al., 2020)15%
Uses
- Cooked in soup with minced pork, crab or dried shrimp — an everyday Vietnamese leaf soup
- Stir-fried with egg or dried anchovy (Malaysia, Indonesia); shoots sold as Sabah vegetable
- Traditional jamu drink in Indonesia to support breastfeeding mothers
Properties
- Habit
- Multi-stemmed shrub, smooth green twigs
- Leaf
- Glossy oval, 5–6 cm, alternate
- Flower
- Tiny in leaf axils, greenish to dark red
- Taste
- Sweet, tender, mild
Habitat & conservation
Tropical and subtropical humid forests — brushy slopes and sunny forest margins at 100–400 m elevation; now widespread both wild and cultivated as a leaf vegetable across the tropics.
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2021). Native from India, Bangladesh and southern China to Southeast Asia; abundant in the wild and widely cultivated as a vegetable, with stable populations.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr. — Kew Science, 2025
- 2IUCN Red List — Breynia androgyna (LC, 2021) — IUCN, 2021
- 3Phyllanthus androgynus — phân bố, dinh dưỡng, cảnh báo an toàn — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 4Outbreak of bronchiolitis obliterans associated with consumption of Sauropus androgynus in Taiwan — The Lancet, 1996
- 5Sauropus androgynus — a phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological review — Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2020
- 6Nutritive value of Sauropus androgynus leaves — Plant Foods for Human Nutrition, 1990
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Lê Huỳnh Bộ (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: Bùi Thụy Đào Nguyên (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 9Nguồn ảnh: Vinayaraj (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 10Nguồn ảnh: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 11Nguồn ảnh: Jeevan Jose (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 12Nguồn ảnh: Vibitha vijay (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,