What Are the Differences Between Purple and Green Kamote Tops?

Maturity of Foliage

• The Vardaman variety of sweet potato has green and purple foliage. They differ from one another in maturity. The foliage is purple when young but turns green as it matures. However, other varieties of sweet potatoes have either green or purple leaves all their lives.

Use as Ornamentals

• Sweet potatoes serve as ornamental plants. Connoisseurs consider varieties with purple foliage especially attractive. Popular purple cultivars are Sweet Caroline Bewitched Purple, Blackie and Black Heart. Cultivars with green leaves also serve as ornamentals, but they differ from the common green-leaved variety grown for food. For example, the leaves of Margarita have a bright, yellowish-green color.

Folk Medicine

• In Philippine folk medicine, crushed kamote tops serve as a poultice to treat acne and boils. Kamote tops are also ingested as a folk remedy in the treatment of diabetes and dengue. In the case of diabetes, purple kamote tops are preferred to green kamote tops, according to Stuartxchange.

Subjects for Research

• Researchers, such as Dr. F. Garcia, have examined the medicinal value of kamote tops, including a study of their efficacy in the treatment of dengue and diabetes. In their research, they preferred to use purple kamote tops rather than the green variety, according to the Department of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines.

Polyphenols

• Green and purple kamote tops are rich in polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidants, substances which counteract chemicals in the human body that damage such important components as cell membranes and DNA. A quantitative analysis comparing the polyphenol content of purple kamote tops and green kamote tops is not available.