KESOM

I was walking out from bank after withdrawing some money from the ATM when I saw this healthy looking Kesom Plant or Laksa Leaf growing in front of the premise. Someone must have planted it there intentionally as I noticed water dripping down from the air conditioning unit from the second floor. For your information, planting this herb is very simple indeed. All you need to do is to get a few stalks of fresh daun kesum from the wet market and just stick them into damp earth and you will have them growing in no time.The scientific name of this herb is Persicaria odorata. It is also known as Vietnamese coriander. Here in Malaysia, daun kesom is one of the ingredients used to make Laksa.
I found an interesting fact about daun kesom. It seems that it is used traditionally in Vietnam to repress sexual urges. There is a saying in Vietnamese, "rau răm, giá sống" ("Vietnamese coriander, raw bean sprouts") meaning that Vietnamese coriander has the ability to reduce sexual desires, while bean sprouts have the opposite effect. Many Buddhist monks grow coriander in their private gardens and eat it frequently as a helpful step in their celibate life.
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VERSI BAHASA MELAYU

Saya terjumpa pokok kesom tumbuh subur di tempat yang disediakan untuk tanaman hiasan di luar satu bank. Saya agak pokok ini ditanam oleh seorang kerana ianya ditanam dibawah satu unit penghawa dingin.  Air dari penghawa dingin akan memastikan tanah sentiasa basah.  Sebenarnya menanam daun kesom sangat mudah.  Hanya perlu dapatkan beberapa batang daun kesom dari pasar dan cucuk dalam tanah basah.  

Nama saintifik untuk Keosm adalah Persicaria odorata.  Ia juga dikenali sebagai Vietnamese coriander.  Di Malaysia, daun kesom merupakan salah satu bahan untuk membuat laksa.

Di negara Vietnam, daun kesom digunakan untuk menahan keinginan seks.  Ramai sami Buddha menanam pokok ini di kebun dan makannya supaya dapat mengamalkan kehidupan tanpa seks.