Abstract: Vernonia amygdalina (VA), a dark green leafy vegetable, is a rich source of chemicals and bioactive compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, resins, essential oils and some vitamins. These compounds are reported to have diverse health benefits including antimicrobial and metabolism regulatory properties. Most of the compounds are found mainly in the leaves of VA and the juice extracted therefrom. The leaves are commonly consumed as fresh vegetable or the fresh juice drank as tonic/medicine. In addition, the extracts are used in breweries as a substitute for hops. The concentration and stability of these bioactive compounds are nonetheless affected by pre-harvest factors such as phase of development, cultivar, fertilizer application, agro-climatic conditions, on the one hand and postharvest factors such as processing, solvent extraction treatments and storage, on the other hand. This review discusses the pre-harvest and post-harvest factors that influence the functional properties of VA.