The Utilization of Cassava Leaves as a Functional Food Based on Local Wisdom

The global functional food market was valued at approximately USD 280.7 billion in 2021, with a projected growth rate of 8.5% from 2022 to 2030. Functional foods are attractive to a diverse global population due to their potential to improve and maintain human health. Plant-based diets contain numerous secondary metabolites that may influence health and disease prevention, with a primary focus on the potential bioactivity and nutritional relevance of several classes of phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carotenoids, phytoestrogens, and fructooligosaccharides, many of which are found in cassava leaves (Manihot esculenta Crantz). The purpose of this chapter is to provide an in-depth overview of the potential use of cassava leaves as functional foods, with an emphasis on traditional knowledge and practices. Evidence from various regions in Indonesia indicates that cassava leaves have long been utilized, both as food and as conventional medicine. Its widespread use is due to its rich composition of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals, including carbohydrates, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, β-carotene, phenolics, anthocyanins, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins, which are widely associated with its various beneficial properties for health such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-obesity effects.