WATER LETTUCE

Common name: Kiambang, water lettuce

Botanical name: Pistia stratiotes

Family : Araceae

Usage :

Tropical floating plant. Excellent surface cover removing excess nitrates out of the water and starving out algae. Excellent protection for small fish and wildlife.

Culinary: Young shoot can be stir fried and eaten as vegetables.

AYURVEDIC :Ayurvedic medicine found uses for water lettuce. The leaves were applied to boils, wounds, syphilitic lesions and skin infections like ringworm and other fungi. Alternately, an oil extract of the leaves was given to rid the intestines of worms, treat tuberculosis, dysentery and asthma. The oil was also applied to various skin diseases.

MALAY FOLKLORE MEDICINE :

Root: Cooked and eaten by women who want to heighten their husband's love.Boiled root water is drank to ease constipation.

Leaf: Pound to paste and place on swell, ulcer, haemorrhoids, gonorrhoea, syphilis. Leaves are mixed with cooked hot rice and coconut milk and eaten for cure of dysentery (disease caused by severe diarrhoea).Drinking boiled leaves water to cure coughing of blood, diabetes and syphilis, used as bath water to lessen problem of flatulent stomach.Leaves is at to boiled water, add sugar or rose water and drink to cure asthma and cough.Dried leaves are drushed to powder form. Add a little honey, swallow 3 times a day to cure syphilis.Leave is burned and the ash is brush over skin with mange (skin disease producing round scaly patches on the skin)

Whole plant : Pound until fine and paste onto stomach and swollen parts, boil, syphilis.Water from the braise plant is drink to ease menstrual flow, urination, digestion, cure dysentery, gonorrhoea and urinary problems.

Source: http://malaysianherbs.multiply.com/