BASIL DRINK WITH LEMON AND HONEY

Let me share with you the recipe for a drink using basil, lemon and honey.  This drink is believed to help calm  ones nerves as basil is used in traditional medicine as an anti-depressant.

BASIL WITH LEMONADE (3 - 4 SERVINGS)
What you need to make the drink
5 Teaspoon of honey
1 cup hot water
1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves (remove the stems)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4-5 lemons)
3 teaspoons of brown sugar.

What do do
Add the honey and brown sugar to the hot water in a bowl and stir until it is dissolved. Then let it cool.
Blender the basil leaves. After that sieve to remove the blended leaves.
Fill a jug with water, add the lemon juice and the honey mixture. Stir.
Cover the jug and place inside the fridge for a few hours to let it steep.

THAI BASIL

One of the herbs that I like to buy from the market is Thai Basil (O. basilicum var. thyrsiflora). I love the unique aroma of this basil. It is also known as Asian basil. My late Aunt May used it as garnishing for steamed fish and prawns. She said that it adds to the flavour of the dish. What do I do with it? Well, I use it as one of the ingredients for a herbal bath. I also add it to the herbal concoction that I make to keep stress at bay. Thai Basil is said to be useful as an anti-depressant.

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS GRAPE-LIKE FRUIT?

Someone posted this picture of what looks like grapes in my Facebook account. He wanted to know if I had any idea what it is called. Unfortunately, I don't. Does anyone out there know? If yes, do enlighten me.

VERSI BAHASA MELAYU
Gambar pokok ini yang mempunyai buah seperti anggur dipos dalam akaun Facebook.  Orang itu ingin menanya tentang nama pokok ini.  Malangnya, saya tidak ada idea apa nama pokok ini.  Ada sesiapa yang boleh membantu?

CHECKING HOW MY FRIENDS ARE DOING

Here in Malaysia, it is the school holidays and so I need not go to school. However, I make sure that I go back and visit my Green Friends in the Herb Garden to see that they are okay. Thankfully, it is the rainy season now and the plants are thriving. See how happy and beautiful my friends have become after having their fill of Sky Juice.

VERSI BAHASA MELAYU

Cuti sekolah telah bermula di Malaysia dan ini bermakna saya tidak perlu ke sekolah.  Tetapi saya balik sekali-kala untuk melawat Kawan-kawan Hijau saya di Taman Herba untuk memastikan mereka sihat.  Mujurnya sekarang musim hujan dan pokok-pokok tumbuh dengan baik.  Tengoklah bertapa riang dan anggun kawan-kawan saya setelah disirami oleh Jus dari Langit.

SABAH SNAKE GRASS (CLINACANTHUS NUTANS L.)

 

The news vendor for our school, Mr Chong shared a herbal tip with Miss Cheah, Ustazah Roslina and Puan Asiah yesterday. He told us that his brother who is suffering from leukaemia is trying a type of herb called Sabah Snake Grass or Belalai Gajah. Mr Chong read about this wonder herb in the Chinese newspaper and managed to get hold of it for his brother. It seems that after taking the Sabah Snake Grass for a week, Mr Chong's brother is feeling better.
This morning when he came to the library to send the newspapers, Mr Chong brought along the Sabah Snake Grass for me to plant in the Herb Garden. However, he said that I need to place the plant in a container of water until roots come out before planting. Hopefully, I can grow a lot of the plants in school so that whoever needs them can get it from us.
To find out about the medicinal uses of the Sabah Snake Grass, please click here, here and here.


VERSI BAHASA MELAYU
Mr Chong yang selalu menghantar suratkhabar ke sekolah saya kongsi maklumat tentang sesuatu herba dengan saya dan rakan-rakan di sekolah.  Beliau maklumkan yang abangnya yang menghidap penyakit leukaemia diberi makan satu jenis herba bernama Berlalai Gajah atau Sabah Snake Grass.  Menurut Mr Chong, keadaan abangnya bertambah baik setelah makan herba ini selama seminggu.   Kami dapatkan pucuk pokok Berlalai Gajah dari Mr Chong untuk ditanam di Taman Herba.
Untuk maklumat lebih lanjut tentang herba ini, sila klik link here, here dan here.

BUNGA TELANG (WHITE VARIETY)

The Bunga Telang or Blue Pea Vine is a natural colouring used to give colour to rice and kuih. One needs to sun dry the blue coloured petals of the flower before boiling them in water to cook a pot of rice which is known as Nasi Kerabu. The rice would naturally turn blue.
The Bunga Telang is also referred to as Clitoria flower as it resembles the female genitals. Recently, while I was talking a walk in my housing area in Ipoh, I spotted some white coloured clitoria. This got me excited and I went to talk a closer look at the flowers. Since they are white in colour, the flowers would be of no use as a colouring agent. Still, it drew my interest.










HERE IS SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE WHITE VARIETY OF CLITORIA:

Botanical name : Clitoria ternatea Linn (White variety)
Family : Fabaceae

PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : White Clitoria flower

MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
In traditional medicine, the clitoria flower is used to treat migraine, skin diseases, bronchitis, asthma, tuberculosis, ascites, ulcers and fever, jaundice and skin diseases. The seeds are used in abdominal cramps.

Useful part : Root, leaves, seeds

LINK: http://ayurvedicmedicinalplants.com/plants/2462.html