What is okra water and is it good for your health?

In the wellness world, it seems there’s always a new infused water promising to make us better. Lemon water is a familiar example: perhaps not transformative, but at least refreshing. Artichoke water, essentially the leftover liquid from boiling artichokes, is touted by “French girls” (them again!) as an antioxidant-packed debloating potion. Asparagus water – infamously sold for $6 at Whole Foods – was more likely an employee error than an elixir.

Now, okra water is having its moment. Searches for the beverage have spiked by 470% on Pinterest, according to the company’s fall trend report. Across TikTok and Instagram, users claim okra water can improve digestion, regulate blood sugar, boost female fertility, increase vaginal lubrication and even ease labor for those expecting.

Here’s what you need to know about the trend.

What is okra water?

Okra is a vegetable high in plant mucilage, which is a specific, slimy form of soluble fiber that’s also present in chia seeds, cacti and many seaweeds. When steeped in water, mucilage “absorbs the liquid and forms a gel-like substance, just like it would in your digestive tract”, explains Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, a registered dietitian and nutritionist based on the Gulf coast.

Okra water is made by cold-steeping raw, sliced okra pods overnight and then straining out the solids. I made okra water myself while reporting this article, and can confirm that it’s a gooey liquid that tastes of grassy, slightly bitter raw okra. I found it tolerable, but not enjoyable like cooked okra. The idea of using okra just for the slime feels like eating celery just for the string. Is there any real reason to do this?

Does okra water contain nutrients?

“Okra is packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and folate,” says Bourgeois. It also contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds like flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which help reduce intestinal inflammation and support digestive health. Additionally, because soluble fiber slows down digestion, it can help prevent blood sugar spikes. Some studies have found evidence that okra helps control blood sugar in prediabetics; however, one animal study also found that okra reduces the effectiveness of metformin, a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes.

The wellness influencer Ella Henry, who posted a TikTok video of herself making okra water, says she believes okra water provides health benefits because of its “thick and slimy” texture, which she interprets as a concentration of nutrients.

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Okra water becomes thick because some soluble fiber does seep out of the plant, giving the water a gel-like texture. Since soluble fiber works the same way whether consumed in whole okra or in okra water, the claim that okra water aids digestion is plausible.

However, while some nutrients from okra probably do transfer into the water, the concentration is lower than when consuming the whole vegetable. “If you’re not actually eating the okra slices from your water, you’re missing out on a chunk of those nutrients,” says Bourgeois, including insoluble fiber from the pod and protein from the seeds. You can technically eat the okra slices after steeping, but I drained and pan-fried mine and they were still very wet, so I can’t particularly recommend it.

Is okra water good for childbirth and fertility?

Okra contains folate, an essential vitamin for pregnant people. However, you would need to eat about 2lb of whole okra to get the 600 micrograms of folate daily that doctors recommend during pregnancy. Again, only a fraction of that folate is likely to transfer into okra water. Prenatal vitamins or higher-folate foods like spinach and lentils are better bets.

Some animal studies suggest flavonoids benefit female fertility. Okra does contain these compounds, but is not as rich in them as other vegetables, such as kale and red onions – though I hope onion water doesn’t become a TikTok trend.

Social media posts about okra water’s sexual benefits and effects on labor may be drawing on the idea that drinking something slippery will enhance vaginal lubrication and make labor easier.

The notion that eating foods with certain qualities will create a similar effect in the body dates back to the late 1400s, and is more of a folkloric concept than a scientifically grounded one.

“There really is no scientific data to prove that drinking okra water or other mucilaginous foods will affect your labor … [or] cause better lubrication in the vagina for a smoother birth,” says Lauran Saunders, a Utah-based registered dietician specializing in prenatal health. “But it won’t hurt if someone feels inclined to drink okra water,” she adds. It’s still hydrating.

“There is no evidence that okra water has any impact on childbirth,” says Dr Maureen Slattery, a board-certified OB-GYN and certified sexual health counselor at Rochester Regional Health.

“There isn’t any real good data to improve vaginal health or sexual function by altering your diet,” she says. “The research into the vaginal microbiome is ongoing and we don’t have any solid evidence yet linked to best dietary practices,” says Slattery.

For patients experiencing vaginal dryness, Slattery recommends over-the-counter vaginal lubricators containing hyaluronic acid or prescription topical estrogen for postmenopausal patients.

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Where did the okra water trend come from?

Unlike many traditional foods that are appropriated into western wellness, like matcha or ashwagandha, the okra water trend seems to have been primarily popularized by Black content creators in eastern and western Africa and the African diaspora, where okra has deep cultural roots. Several stories covered the trend earlier this year, reporting that it had “spread like wildfire among Kenyan women” and caused a surge in local okra prices.

Dr Kéra Nyemb-Diop, a nutritionist who specializes in Black cultural food heritage, told me she had never encountered okra water before its recent surge in popularity, and suggests that it may be more of a recent “innovation or invention” than a historical practice.

The herbalist Lucretia VanDyke, author of African American Herbalism: A Practical Guide to Healing Plants and Folk Traditions, notes that while cooked okra is the more common preparation, she has occasionally heard of okra water from elders in African and African American traditions. They view it as a bath ingredient, believing that, like its laxative effect on the body, it purges the soul.

VanDyke does sometimes suggest a combination of okra water and marshmallow root to clients experiencing dry skin or vaginal dryness. But “modern trends have blown it up to something way bigger than I think my ancestors would have ever utilized”, she says.