Know2eat

Taro leaves

Colocasia esculenta

What taro leaves has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About taro leaves

The large heart-shaped leaves of the taro plant, central to Polynesian, Caribbean and West African cooking. They are always cooked and never eaten raw, because the raw leaf is acrid enough to be inedible.

Also known as Lu’au leaves, Callaloo, Gabi leaves, Dasheen leaves

Women's Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Iron status

Women's Health
Insufficient evidence

Taro leaves appear in dietary guidance in several Pacific and West African countries as a plant iron source. No trial has measured haemoglobin or ferritin in people eating them, and the oxalate present binds a share of the iron in the gut.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Taro leaves

Ask about Taro leaves

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories42 kcal2%
Protein4.98 g10%
Total fat0.74 g1%
Carbohydrate6.7 g2%
Fibre3.7 g13%
Total sugars3.01 g—
Water85.7 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.151 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.06 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.307 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.214 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A241 µg27%
Vitamin C52 mg58%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E2.02 mg13%
Vitamin K109 µg90%
Thiamin (B1)0.209 mg17%
Riboflavin (B2)0.456 mg35%
Niacin (B3)1.51 mg9%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.084 mg2%
Vitamin B60.146 mg9%
Folate126 µg32%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline12.8 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium107 mg8%
Iron2.25 mg13%
Magnesium45 mg11%
Phosphorus60 mg5%
Potassium648 mg14%
Sodium3 mg0%
Zinc0.41 mg4%
Copper0.27 mg30%
Manganese0.714 mg31%
Selenium0.9 µg2%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene2895 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin1932 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash1.92 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Taro leaves, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 168487).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • boiledReduces soluble oxalate and raphide acridity

    Prolonged boiling with the water discarded reduces soluble oxalate substantially and is what makes the leaf edible. Cooking with coconut milk, as in lu’au and Caribbean callaloo, also supplies calcium that binds oxalate in the gut.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Avoid

    Raw leaves are acrid and must be cooked thoroughly

    Raw taro leaves carry needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that produce immediate burning and swelling of the mouth and throat. Traditional practice is long cooking — typically 45 minutes or more of boiling or steaming — and shorter cooking leaves a detectable itch at the back of the throat.

  • Worth knowing

    Oxalate load and kidney stones

    Even properly cooked, taro leaves remain a high-oxalate food. People who form calcium oxalate stones are usually advised to limit high-oxalate greens and to take calcium in the same meal.

  • Interaction

    Vitamin K and warfarin

    Cooked taro leaf is a concentrated dark green and contributes meaningful vitamin K. Anyone on warfarin should keep intake steady rather than variable.