Sida veronicaefolia (Heartwort)

Harm score: 1 (Natural substances)

Heartwort, or Sida veronicaefolia, is a species of plant that is characterized by its high content of vitamin B9, or folate. This vitamin is absolutely essential for the human body for the proper functioning of cells, and for pregnant women it is even vital for the proper development of the fetus. The leaves of the heart-leaved fibre are particularly rich in this vitamin, thanks to which the plant is widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of food supplements.

Vitamin B9, or folate, is also widely used in the food industry. Since it is a water-soluble vitamin, it can be added to a wide variety of beverages or foods without any problems. One of the newer applications is, for example, adding this vitamin to bread or pasta, which are thus enriched with this vital substance. In addition, folate is added to some types of dairy products and bakery foods, serving as an important source of vitamin B9 for people who have problems with its natural intake. Recently, it has also begun to be added to some types of baby food to ensure that children are supplied with this nutritionally important vitamin from an early age.