PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES

The two young men above came to see me yesterday morning with the purpose of obtaining the prickly pear cactus. The boys, Adib and Tso Koon (I think that is how his name is spelt) are students at the Sabak Bernam Polytechnic. For their final project, they are researching the feasibility of producing fuel (if I am not mistaken) from this particular species of cactus.

As a matter of fact, Adib had been trying to source for this cactus for sometime and he googled the Li Na Herbs blog that I also maintain. Luckily for the boys, the prickly pear cactus can be found in the cactus garden of the college. Adib contacted me through email and told me that he wanted to buy the cactus from me. I told him that the plant was not for sale but I would gladly give it to him if he were to come to the college. 

In the above pictures, you can see Puan Kamariah and me with the two boys at the Cactus Garden. They were hesitant to take more of the cactus as they were afraid that not much of the plant would be left. I assured them that the more they take, the more will grow back.
I am so glad that the boys managed to get the cactus for their research. They told me that they were even contemplating on importing the Prickly Pear Cactus from China in order to carry out their project. So here is one happy ending!

IN SEARCH OF KUNYIT HITAM (BLACK TURMERIC PLANT)

A couple of weeks before the Chinese New Year, I had a visitor who came all the way from Teluk Intan to the college to get some Kunyit Hitam (Curcuma Caesia) from the Herb Garden. His name was Mr Chew. He needed the plant for spiritual healing purposes. According to him, he became unwell as a result of something mystical and a Siamese Sifu whom he consulted told him to get hold of the Kunyit Hitam as a cure. He happened to visit my Li Na Herbs blog and saw the post on the Black Turmeric and contacted me. He came to get the herb from me after giving me a call in the morning.

According to information that I sourced from the Internet, the Kunyit Hitam is said to have mystical properties. This type of Kunyit can be used to 'seal' a house against negative elements. One plant each has to be planted in each of the four corners of the house in order to ward off evil. The Kunyit Hitam is said to be able to cure santau (hexes).

HERBAL REMEDY FOR CLEANSING KIDNEYS

My friend, Steven, sent this herbal remedy for cleansing ones kidneys using parsley. I am not too sure if it works but then there is not much harm trying as it only involves drinking boiled parsley.

CLEAN YOUR KIDNEYS IN RM 1.00 OR EVEN LESS

Years pass by and our kidneys are filtering the blood by removing salt, poison and any unwanted entering our body. With time, the salt accumulates and this needs to undergo cleaning treatments and how are we going to overcome this?

It is very easy, first take a bunch of parsley (MALLI Leaves) KOTHIMBIR (DHANIYA)and wash it clean

Then cut it in small pieces and put it in a pot and pour clean water and boil it for ten minutes and let it cool down and then filter it and pour in a clean bottle and keep it inside refrigerator to cool.

Drink one glass daily and you will notice all salt and other accumulated poison coming out of your kidney by urination also you will be able to notice the difference which you never felt before.

Parsley is known as best cleaning treatment for kidneys and it is natural!

A BLOG CALLED LI NA HERBS

Dear Readers,

I changed the title of the blog from Taman Herba Vokasma to Li Na Herbs.  Why?  This is because my school will be transformed to a college in 2012.  Hence, Taman Herba Vokasma will no longer be in use.  The new name of the college is Kolej Vokasional Seri Manjung or KVSM for short.  Actually, this blog was initially known as Taman Herba STESMA when my school was a technical school but then it was changed to a vocational school in 2009.  Two years later, it is undergoing another change.
Hmm ... I get dizzy with all the name changes and so decided that the best thing is the just call the blog Li Na Herbs as the URL for the blog is already www.linaherbs.blogspot.com.
Please keep supporting my blog and I promise to work harder to bring information about more herbs to you.

Sincerely yours,
Li Na a.ka. The Herb Fairy

DRAGON'S TAIL FOR DRAGON YEAR

I am pictured with the Dragon's Tail Creeper Epipremnum pinnatum that I planted in the school Herb Garden in 2009. It has taken a while but the plant is now growing healthily. The Chinese use this herb for a number of medicinal purposes. It is said to be anti-inflammatory, febrifuge, cooling, swell reducing and for detoxification.
So how to go about preparing the leaves to be used as medication? Fear not I have the prescription. If you are brave enough, do give it a try.

THE PRESCRIPTION
2 leaves of the dragon tail leaf
10 grammes of black beans
5 red dates
5 glasses of water

METHOD
Wash the dragon tail leaves and cook it in a pot of water. If you want it to be thicker than reduce the amount of water.
Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat and then slowly heat the water until the leaves are disintegrated. This is when the concoction is ready. The end product is a green in colour and tastes a bit like Wheat Grass. You can add rock sugar or brown sugar for tasted.

UGLI FRUIT

The fruit above does not look pretty. In fact it looks ugly and that is why it is so named.

INFO ABOUT UGLI

Ugli is a citrus hybrid between grapefruit and tangerine that grows in Jamaica. Its weird name may be spelled wrong but it really comes from “ugly” in reference to its unappealing, wrinkled skin. But the looks of the Ugli have nothing to do with the taste, it is incredibly delicious and juicy, it takes more from the sweet tangerine and less from the sour grapefruit.
As a curiosity, you should know Ugli is the only fruit in the world that starts with the letter U.

Source: http://blog.hotelclub.com/10-more-must-try-exotic-fruits/

TONG SUI

During the holidays, I would brush up on my cooking skills by making some dishes for my friends. A few days ago, I prepared Wanton Mee and a couple of days ago, it was Laksa Singapore. However, I must say that my speciality is preparing fruit dessert. The dish above is the Sang Kor Tong Sui (translated to mean Fruit. As I am a Cantonese, I learnt to make Tong Sui from young. For your information, Tong sui, also known as tim tong, is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. Tong sui is a Cantonese specialty and is rarely found in other regional cuisines of China.

It is actually very easy to prepare. Just boil a pot of water, then add in diced Ya Pears, dried longan, wolfberries, red dates and attap chee (Nypa fruticans). After boiling for about half and hour, add brown sugar. Then it is ready to be served.

GOLDEN PENDA

I was told by the trader at the market that the spike like flowers are from an ornamental Jambu plant. He said that this species does not bear fruits only flowers. It is quite expensive. The ones in the polybags shown in the pictures were priced at RM35. I was told by the trader that the bigger plants sell for more than RM100 as they are prized for their beautiful flowers which looks like a burst of sunshine.

The actual name for this flowering plant is Golden Penda. In close-up, the long protruding stamens of the Golden Penda ( Xanthosemon chrysanthus) resembles fireworks in the night sky. The Golden Penda belongs to the genus Eugenia and they have the characteristic powder puff-like flowers. The "Jambu" ( Eugenia jambos) and Eugenia oleina flowers also have similar masses of flowers. 

Reference: http://mysarawak2.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html

Here is how a full grown Penda Tree looks like. It has masses of flowers. Beautiful, isn't it? LINK

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