Series and format
Plant Atlas — Shorts
The complete Longevity Biome Shorts atlas — one Asian edible plant per Short: what it is, how it is grown and eaten, with links to the studies discussed in each video.
127 videos
Turmeric and Memory: What 18 Months Showed
Ginger's Memory Boost Came From a Concentrated Form
Chili's Fat-Burning Effect Was Tiny
Makrut Lime Leaf vs Cavity Bacteria in the Lab
A Concentrated Form of Holy Basil Lowered Cortisol Once
Galangal: The Ginger Look-Alike in Tom Kha Gai
Thai Sweet Basil: The Anise-Scented Curry Herb
Lemongrass's Citral Fought Candida Biofilm in the Lab
Culantro and Cilantro Have Different Leaf Shapes
Lemon Basil Seeds Turn to Jelly in Water
Fingerroot: The Peppery Thai Root in Pad Cha
Plai: Cassumunar Ginger as a Topical Rub
Yardlong Bean: The Pod That Grows 18 Inches Long
Wild Betel: The Leaf That Wraps Miang Kham
Winter Melon: The Waxy Gourd That Soaks Up Broth
Wax Apple: The Crisp Pink Bell You Eat Whole
Watermelon Rind Cooks Into a Thai Sour Curry
Water Spinach: Why the Hollow Stems Stay Crisp
Water Chestnut Stays Crunchy After You Cook It
Yellow Velvetleaf: The Pond Green in Isan Salad
Tomato: Cook It in Oil to Absorb More Lycopene
Don't Toss Mandarin Peel — Thai Cooks Dry It
Sweet Tamarind Lowered Cholesterol in Animals
A Concentrated Form of Sweet Potato and Blood Sugar
Sweet Leaf: Always Cook It, Never Drink It Raw
Angled Luffa: The Vegetable That Becomes a Loofah
Baby Corn: The Same Ear as Sweet Corn, Picked Early
Bamboo Shoots: Why You Must Boil Them First
Namwa Banana: Green for Cooking, Ripe for Cake
Banana Blossom: Why Cooks Peel It to the Heart
Mung Bean Sprouts: More Nutrients, Less Phytate
Bitter Gourd Performed No Better Than a Sugar Pill
Why Turmeric Recipes Often Add Black Pepper
Bok Choy: Cook It With Oil for the Carotenoids
Black Ginger: The Purple Rhizome Steeped in Rice Wine
Bottle Gourd: Why You Taste a Raw Sliver First
Breadfruit: The Tree Fruit Thais Cook Like a Potato
Burmese Grape (Mafai): The Sweet-Sour Trunk Fruit
Butterfly Pea: The Blue Flower Tea That Turns Pink
Cabbage: Vitamin C, K, and Folate in One Leaf
Calamansi: The Thai Citrus Too Sour to Bite
Thai Cardamom: The Pod That Perfumes Massaman Curry
Cassava Can Release Cyanide If Eaten Raw
Cempedak: The Jackfruit Cousin Thai Cooks Deep-Fry
Cha-om: Thailand's Thorny Omelette Herb
Chayote: Fruit, Shoots, Leaves and Root Are Edible
Chinese Celery: The Skinny Stalk That Lifts Thai Soup
Chinese Chives: The Garlic Green In Kui-Chai Dumplings
Cinnamon: Cassia Can Exceed the Coumarin Limit
Clove Oil Was Compared With Dental Gel
Coconut: The Aromatic Kind With a Pandan Scent
Coriander Root: The Part Thai Cooks Prize
Cowslip Creeper: The Thai Flower Stir-Fried With Egg
Cucumber Peel Holds Most of Its Vitamin K
Sugar Apple Flesh Is Edible; Its Seeds Are Toxic
Fermented Daikon Cut Liver Fat in Mice
Thai Dill Was Linked to Lower Cholesterol
Djenkol Bean: The Pungent Seed With a Kidney Warning
Dragon Fruit Grows on a Night-Blooming Cactus
Durian Seeds: Boil or Roast Them Before Eating
Chinese Broccoli: Same Species as Kale & Cabbage
Garlic's Memory Claim Rests on Just 20 People
Gotu Kola's Memory Claim Fell Apart on a Second Look
Guava Was Linked to Lower Cholesterol Over 12 Weeks
Indian Gooseberry (Amla) Was Linked to Lower LDL
A Concentrated Form of Ivy Gourd Lowered Glucose Once
Jackfruit Fiber Fed Gut Bacteria in Lab Tests
Jujube Seed Calmed Mice — Only Mice, So Far
Langsat Seed Limonoids Fought Malaria Parasites, in the Lab
Long Eggplant Peel: The Nasunin Pigment Inside
Long Pepper Alkaloids Curbed Weight Gain in Mice
Longan Improved Memory Scores in Mice
Lotus Root: Lace Holes in Thai Soup
Lychee Polyphenols Were Linked to Less Liver Fat
Madan: The Thai Fruit Too Sour to Eat Raw
Mango: A Sweet Cousin of Poison Ivy
Mangosteen's Real Benefit Is in the Rind You Throw Away
A Maprang Seed Compound Slowed Bacteria in the Lab
The Mint in Your Kitchen Isn't the IBS Mint
Moringa in Pregnancy: Skip Root, Bark, Flowers
Thai Round Eggplant: Same Species as Purple
Pea Eggplant Protected Kidneys in Rats
White Leadtree Shoots Must Be Cooked
Hummingbird Tree: The Flower Thais Eat at Dawn
Thai Pumpkin Packs Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Purple Yam Raised Antioxidant Defenses in Mice
Taro: Cook It Well, or the Crystals Sting
Jicama: The Crunchy Tuber That Feeds Gut Bacteria
Papaya Carries Its Own Meat-Tenderizing Enzyme
Rambutan: Eat the Flesh, Skip the Raw Seed
Pineapple's Bromelain Was Given to People With Pain
Pomelo Peel Packs the Citrus Flavonoids
Mulberry Leaf Softened a Post-Meal Sugar Spike
Pomegranate Juice Was Linked to Lower Blood Pressure
Sugar Palm: The Jelly Seeds Behind Palm Sugar
Otaheite Gooseberry Leaf Slowed a Carb Enzyme
Nutmeg: A Spoonful Can Land You in the ER
Star Anise: Japanese Is Toxic, Chinese Is Edible
Gymnema: The Leaf That Mutes the Taste of Sugar
A Concentrated Form of Pandan Lowered Post-Meal Glucose Once
Spring Onion Regrows From the Root You Toss
Thai Shallots: More Antioxidants Than Onions
Spur Chili: The Long Red Pod Bred for Color
Lime's Citrate May Lower Kidney-Stone Risk
Okra Mucilage Slowed Glucose Uptake in Rats
Napa Cabbage Raised Defense Enzymes in Animals
Neem Shoots: Why Thais Blanch This Bitter Green
Drinking Roselle Tea Lowered Blood Pressure
Straw Mushroom: Cook It, and Its Deadly Twin
Sapodilla: The Fruit That Gave Us Chewing Gum
Santol: Sour Thai Fruit Pounded With Chili
Salak: Snake-Skin Fruit With Sweet-Tart Cloves
Star Fruit & Kidney Disease: A Real Danger
Passion Fruit Peel Studied for Insulin
Sugarcane: Chew the Sweet Stalk, Spit the Fiber
Thai Hog Plum: The Sour Fruit In Som Tam
Java Plum: The Fruit That Stains Your Tongue Purple
Pak Liang: The Southern Thai Green In Kaeng Liang
Sator: The Stink Bean Fried With Shrimp Paste
Snake Gourd: The Five-Foot Thai Vine Vegetable
Soursop: Spiny Green Skin, Custardy White Flesh
Thai Muskmelon: The Melon Chilled In Coconut Milk
Vegetable Fern: The Fiddlehead in Yam Phak Kut
Vietnamese Coriander: The Laksa Leaf Eaten Raw
Water Mimosa: Thailand's Crunchy Floating Green
Winged Bean: The Four-Cornered Pod in Yam Thua Phu
Wood Ear Mushroom: The Crunchy Cap in Yam Woon Sen