PEGAGA: INDIAN PENNYWORT

NAMA HERBA : Pegaga
NAMA SAINTIFIK : Hydrocotyle Asiatica/Centella Asiatica/Hydrocotyle verticillata

BOTANI :
Pokok herba yang merayap. Terdapat di semua kawasan tropika yang terbuka. Tumbuh melata di padang rumput, kebun, ladang, tepi jalan dan sebagainya. Tumbuhan menjalar yang tumbuh di kawasan redup dan lembap. Daunnya kecil, lekuk di bahagian tangkai dan bercuping antara tujuh dan lapan cuping serta bergigi-gigi. Cepat membiak dan ditanam menggunakan akarnya. Mempunyai batang yang panjang, lembut serta hijau muda. Ada juga pegaga besar seperti sireh yang dipanggil pegaga gajah. Ia tidak bercuping dan berbentuk bulat dan bergigi-gigi.Ia mempunyai buah bergugus-gugus.

KEGUNAAN:
Daunnya boleh dimakan sebagai ulam atau dibuat kerabu. Seluruh bahagian pokok dimakan, dibuat jus minuman atau direbus untuk diminum sebagai penawar alahan, antikanser, menghentikan pendarahan dan menyembuhkan luka, melawaskan buang air kecil, merangsang peredaran darah, merawat cirit-birit, merawat sakit kerongkong, penawar kencing berdarah, penawar batu karang, penawar demam panas, penawar ulser, sebagai minuman tonik dan menurunkan tekanan darah tinggi. Juga boleh menambah selera makan, mengurangkan symptom disebabkan oleh tekanan, meningkatkan kecerdasan, menguatkan saluran darah, merawat kejang kaki, mengeluarkan toksid, melegakan sakit kulit. Herba menganjal kulit, menyejukkan badan, mengelakkan demam, mengeringkan keputihan dan memberi keselesaan pada rahim. Ada orang percaya bahawa amalan kerap memakan pegaga menjadikan awet muda dan tubuh badan tidak gemuk.

PECAH KACA/THE BLACK FACE GENERAL 黑面將軍

NAMA HERBA : PECAH KACA/BATU KARANG
NAMA SAINTIFIK : Strobilanthes Crispus
NAMA CINA: 脆叶马兰 ，黑面将军

BOTANI :
Sejenis pokok renek berdaun bujur berwarna hijau kehitaman dan berkilat serta berkedut-kedut . Boleh ditanam di dalam pasu atau di halaman rumah tetapi perlu kepada perlindungan.

KEGUNAAN :
Boleh digunakan untuk penyakit darah tinggi, kencing manis , batu karang . Untuk penyakit batu karang, ambil semua bahagian termasuk batang dan akar. Bersihkan dan rebus bersama 3 gelas air. Tinggal 1/3 gelas dan biarkan suam . Minum setiap malam sehingga lega.

ENGLISH WRITE-UP

THE BLACK FACE GENERAL
The above plant is called the Black Face General in English which is a literal translation from the Chinese version, Hei Mian Jian Chun 黑面將軍. In Malay it is referred to as Pecah Kaca. Its scientific name is Strobilanthes crispus.
Believe me, it is quite easy to grow and is really hardy. I grow it in my house here in Sitiawan and also in my mum's house in Ipoh. Quite a number of my Chinese neighbours also grow it in their gardens. Of course, I have it in my school's herb garden.
For a person who is very interested in herbs, this plant has a lot of medicinal values. The leaves of the Black Face General are the part of the plant that is used. They are used in either the fresh or dried form. The latter form offers a longer shelf life if dried leaves are kept in sealed bag, away from sunlight, heat and moisture. You can boil the leaves of the plant in water and drink the concoction. The effect is that it helps reduce body heatiness and detoxifies the body of toxins. My colleague tells me that he just takes two leaves, puts it in a glass, pour hot water over it, let it brew and then drink it. For him, he and his family drinks it if they have trouble urinating, meaning it can be used as a diuretic.
A lot of publicity have been given to the Black Face General in recent years for its anti-cancer and anti-AIDs properties. Our neighbours in Indonesia have used it for treatment of snakebites, kidney stones and diabetes. However, pregnant ladies are advised to use this herb with caution as it might cause them to miscarry.When fresh leaves of the plant are used, they can either be made into a puree or juiced which is then consumed directly. The leaves can also be boiled to yield an infusion. The leaves can be dried and then crushed prior to simmering them in hot water. The resulting yellow-tinged infusion can be flavoured with sugar and drunk as a tea.
References:
http://www.geocities.com/n_s_wong/06121102.htm
http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/jan06/blackfacegeneral.htm
http://www.freewebs.com/strobilanthescrispus/

MISAI KUCING/CAT'S WHISKERS

NAMA HERBA : Misai Kucing
NAMA SAINTIFIK : Orthosiphon stamineus/Orthosiphon aristatus

BOTANI :
Pokok sederhana tinggi dan bunga berbentuk jambak bertingkat-tingkat dan menarik. Boleh di dapati di tanah terbiar. Ditanam sebagai pokok hiasan. Bunganya putih atau ungu dengan filamen yang panjang seperti misai kucing. Daunnya berbentuk tirus di hujung dan tepi daunnya bergerigi.

KEGUNAAN:
Melawaskan pembuangan air kecil, rawatan batu ginjal, reumatisme, sakit pinggang, masuk angin, kencing manis dan demam.

ENGLISH WRITE-UP

A male colleague mentioned to me that he managed to lose some weight around his tummy thanks to a herb called Misai Kucing in Malay. In English it is commonly known as Java Tea and Cat's Whiskers. He bought the ones that had been processed into pills and not the fresh ones from the garden. The herb can be found in the Herb Garden in my school but not enough for consumption on a daily basis. It is planted more for information purposes and not on a large scale. Anyway, you can try growing it as it is relatively easy to grow. You just need to boil the leaves and drink the water. Besides helping one to lose weight, the misai kucing or cat's whiskers is also said to help treat diabeties and high blood pressure. It is also useful for flushing the kidney and urinary tract. It is also said to help relieve spasms of the smooth muscle in the walls of the internal organs.

PLANT INFO

Family: Lamiaceae

Genus: Orthosiphon

Species: aristatus

ZZ PLANT

The Zamioculcas Zamifolia which is a native of Africa is grown as an ornamental plant in Malaysia. It is more commonly known as ZZ plant. It is a very popular plant in Asian countries, especially with the Chinese, who regard it as lucky (i.e., bringing in money) by the way it can regenerate by the leaflets. And that is why feng shui enthusiasts have said that it is an auspicious plant to have at home. In Taiwan, its name is jing qian shu (金錢樹) or gold tree. Why? Because the Taiwanese say that the shiny, angular leaves of the plant remind one of Chinese-style gold ingots. One must remember not to eat any part of the plant as all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.

VERSI BAHASA MELAYU
Zamioculcas Zamifolia berasal dari benua Afrika dan ditanam sebagai sebagai tanaman hiasan di Malaysia.  Ia lebih dikenali sebagai ZZ Plant atau Pokok ZZ.  Ia merupakan pokok yang sangat popular di benua Asia, terutamanya di kalangan orang Cina yang menganggapnya bertuah kerana caranya tumbuh semula daun-daun.  Itulah sebab pengemar Feng Shui berkata pokok ini adalah pokok 'ong' untuk rumah.  Di Taiwan nama pokok ini ialah jing qian shu atau pokok emas.  Mengapa?  Ini adalah kerana orang Taiwan menganggap daun yang berkilat dan berbentuk seperti duit Cina yang dulu.  Sebagai peringatan, pokok ini tidak boleh dimakan kerana semua bahagian adalah beracun.

PLANT INFO/INFO POKOK

COMMON NAMES: ZZ Plant, Aroid Palm, Fat Boy, Eternity Plant

SCIENTIFIC NAME/NAMA SAINTIFIK: Zamioculcas zamiifolia

SPECIES/SPESIS: Z. zamiifolia
FAMILY/FAMILI: ARACEAE

SEMULUH

I had been looking for the scientific name of this plant for a while. It was given to me by my neighbour to plant in our herb garden last year but neither my colleague nor I knew its name. Today I happened to find the information I wanted when I was looking at images of herbs posted on the Internet. In Chinese it is referred to as Bird's Nest Grass.

Common name:  Semuluh, Bird's Nest Fern
Scientific name: Polygonum chinense
Family: Polygonaceae

USES
to treat dysentery, stomach ache, sores and venereal diseases

VERSI BAHASA MELAYU
Saya dah lama mencari nama saintifik pokok herba ini.  Saya mendapatkannya dari jiran saya tahun lepas tetapi saya dan rakan sekerja saya tidak mengenali namanya.  Hari ini saya mendapatkan maklumat yang dicari selepas melayari laman web.  Dalam Bahasa Cina ia dikenali sebagai Bird's Nest Fern.

BELIMBI (Averrhoa bilimbi)

Belimbi??? What is that you may ask? Well, in Malaysia we refer to it as Belimbing Buluh or Belimbing Assam. Like many fruits, the belimbi also has medicinal properties. For instance, in the Philippines, the leaves are pounded into a paste for itches, swelling, rheumatism, mumps or skin eruptions. In other Asian countries, they are used for bites of poisonous creatures. A leaf infusion is efficient against or as an after-birth tonic, while the flower infusion is used for thrush, cold, and cough. Malaysians use fermented or fresh bilimbi leaves to cure venereal diseases. The young belimbi fruit can be made into a juice which can be drunk to help lower high blood pressure, diabetes and prevent dizziness. As an aside, in Malaysia very acid bilimbis is used to clean the kris blade.

REFERENCES:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilimbi
Tumbuhan Herba untuk mengatasi Penyakit Jantung, Darah Tinggi dan Kolesterol by Drs Sudjaswadi Wiryowidagdo et al.

CEKUR

NAMA HERBA : Cekur
NAMA SAINTIFIK : Kaempferia galanga Linn

BOTANI :
Tumbuhan kecil yang tumbuh melebar di atas tanah dan mempunyai hanya dua hingga tujuh helai daun sahaja. Daunnya licin, bujur dan hujung daunnya runcing. Bunganya berwarna putih-ungu . Membiak melalui rizomnya. Ada dua jenis iaitu cekur biasa dan cekur merah. Cekur merah mempunyai daun berwarna perang dan mengeluarkan bunga berwarna merah jambu atau ungu.

KEGUNAAN:
Sebagai bahan perisa, tonik dan merawat kentut berlebihan. Boleh menghilangkan angin dalam perut kanak-kanak, membantu masalah penghadaman, terseliuh, sakit gigi. Ubinya baik untuk memecahkan lemak dan memanaskan badan. Melembutkan kulit, menghilangkan gatal, menghilangkan daki. Seperti cekur biasa cekur merah juga sesuai bagi wanita bersalin, awet muda. Boleh mencegah keguguran bagi wanita bermasalah, menghilangkan gatal tekak.

My love for herbs

From a young age, it had been drilled into me that herbs can be used to cure a myriad of illnesses. One place that my mum frequents is the Chinese Medicine Shop. This is sort of an emporium for all sorts of medicine made from herbs. My godmother who is a traditional herbalist has been teaching me how to use herbs to treat a lot of ailments, from boiling the herbs to using them as ointment. Hence, I thought I would do a blog on the herbs to share what I know and have learnt about the use of herbs for our wellbeing. Do support me by visiting this blog frequently and trying out the herbs.

For your information, most of the herbs that I am posting here can be found in the Herb Garden of my school, Sekolah Menengah Teknik Seri Manjung.

MALAY TRANSLATION

Semenjak kecil, saya telah diajar bahawa herba boleh digunakan untuk mengubati pelbagai jenis penyakit. Salah satu tempat yang emak saya sering kunjungi adalah kedai sinseh. Ini merupakan satu jenis pasaraya di mana berbagai jenis herba dijual. Ibu angkat saya adalah seorang pakar herba dan beliau telah mengajar saya untuk menggunakan herba untuk mengubati penyakit dengan pelbagai cara, seperti merebus herba dan menyapu dengan minyak yang diperbuat daripada herba. Oleh kerana itu, saya memulakan blog ini untuk berkongsi pengetahuan tentang herba untuk kesihatan dengan semua pelawat blog ini. Saya amat berharap para pelawat dapat sering kunjungi blog ini.

Untuk makluman para pelawat blog, kebanyakkan herba yang dicatat di sini ditanam di Taman Herba Sekolah Menengah Teknik Seri Manjung.