Herbs And Their Medicinal Values And Uses (Part 1)

A Visit To The Herbal Garden in Perak.

One Sunday after church, as my friends and I were having our lunch, we happened to be talking about garden plants and in the course of our conversation we found out that we have not been to the Herbal Garden near Batu Gajah in Perak. We decided to make a trip there since we share the same interest in garden plants.

We reached this place about ten in the morning and the LORD blessed us with nice, cooling weather. The entrance fee is RM2.00 per adult and RM1.00 per child.  We took our time moving around the park, learning about the medicinal values of the plants and their uses from the information displayed and we were busying snapping photographs for our knowledge and references.

I will share with you some of the plants and their medicinal values and uses that are found in the Herbal Garden.  After reading all the write-ups of the plants' medicinal values and uses, I no longer look at or treat my garden plants lightly.  In fact, I have discarded many of these plants from my garden because I did not know of their usefulness.

Use these herbs with caution as they may have side effects.

Red Button Ginger (Scientific name: Costus Woodsonii) (Top left pic.)

• To treat high blood pressure and bladder disorder: Decoction of whole plant in water and drink.
• To treat ear infection: Roast the small plant, then squeeze to extract a few drops of sap and put on affected area.
• The plant juice are acidic and used to relieve fever and cough.

Mata Itek (Scientific name: Ardisia Crispa) (Top right pic.)

• To treat inflammation of male organ: Pound the roots to a paste and apply onto it.
• To treat diarrhea, high fever, cough, dysentery, sore breast: Use the roots to make herbal tea and drink.
• To treat itches, sore skin (caused by parasites): Crush the leaves, mix with sulphur and apply onto affected area.
• To treat ear ache: Drip the leaf juice into the ear.
• To treat sore throat: Use the leaves and stem to make tea and drink.

Krisia Ungu (Scientific name: Setcreasea Purpurea) (Bottom left pic.)

• To treat high fever: Boil the whole plant in water and drink.

Penjarang Anak (Scientific name: Ficus Variegata) (Bottom right pic.)

• As a form of birth control: Eat the fruit as salad.

 Lidah Kucing/Kuning (Scientific name: Turnera Ulmifolia) (Top left pic.)

• To treat scabies and sores: Roast the leaves, crush and apply.
• To treat piles: Boil plant in water and drink.
• For fitful sleep: Boil the leaves and flowers in water and drink.
• To ease bowel movement: Boil the flowers in water and drink.

Ulam Raja (Scientific name: Cosmos Caudatus Kunth) (Top right pic.)

• To improve appetite, purify the blood, strengthen bones, refresh the body and firm up the skin (maintain youthful complexion): Eat the shoots as salad.

Jari Lipan (Scientific name: Pedilanthus Tithym) (Bottom left pic.)

• To treat poisonous centipede and scorpion bites: Use slime/sap of plant and paste onto the affected area.
• To treat scabies and warts: Use sap and apply onto affected area.

Keembung (Scientific name: Imperata Balsamania Linn.) (Bottom right pic.)

• To reduce swelling caused by sores, joint pains, poisonous insect bites and inflamed skin: Crush whole plant and apply onto the affected area.
• To treat cracked nails: Crush leaves and apply onto nails. 

Terung Pipit (Scientific name: Solanum Torvum) (Top Left and right pic.)

• To enlarge breasts: Eat fruit and leaves as a salad, or cook in curry.
• To treat mouth sores: Squeeze juice to use as mouth gargle.
• To treat high blood pressure: Eat fruit as salad.
• To treat catarrh: Scrape the roots and rub it on the face.

Nyonya Makan Sireh (Scientific name: Clerodendrum Thomsoniae)
(Bottom left pic)

• To treat ear ache: Pound the leaves and drip the juice into ear.
• To eliminate toxins in body: Boil leaves in water to drink.

Penawar Bisa (Clinacanthus Nutans) (Bottom right pic.)

• Antidote for poison from insect bites: Crush the leaves and apply onto the affected area.

Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing

plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,

according to their various kinds. And it was so.

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed

according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it

according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

(Genesis 1:11-12, New International Version-NIV)

* All the above information are obtained from Taman Herba Negeri Perak.

For more information:
Taman Herba Negeri Perak
Batu 1, Jalan Batu Gajah,
Simpang Sindu, Mukim Sg. Raia,
31300 Kampung Kepayang,
Perak Darul Ridzuan.

Operating Hours:
Mon - Fri:  8.30 am - 4.30 pm
Sat - Sun:  Visitation (by appointment)

Stay with me....more herbs coming up in the next post!

Chinese Honeysuckles Flowers

Sweet Scented Chinese Honeysuckle Flowers

If you want to have a decorative plant climb over the arch or trellis in your garden or over your gate, Chinese Honeysuckle or Akar Dani (in Malay) will be a good choice.

It blooms all the year round and the flowers are a mixture of white, pink and dark pink to red colours, and will give you sweet fragrance day and night.

My garden is too small to have a trellis or an arch, so I let them climb over the awning of my side window. Whenever the fresh flowers blossom, the sweet fragrance will fill my whole house.

Chinese Honeysuckle grows well in tropical climate with well-drained soil and blooms well in full sunlight or at least a few hours of sunlight. It is a twining climber, blooming all the year round. Some Honeysuckle are used for their medicinal value but not all Honeysuckle are edible.

The flowers are in clusters, producing sweet edible nectar. The sweet scent and nectar from the flowers attract birds, bees and butterflies.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;

they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

(Psalm 19:9-10, New International Version-NIV)

The seeds are found inside the oval-shaped, reddish to black berries. It has woody stems or vines. Propagation is from seeds or cuttings.

How sweet are Your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

(Psalm 119:103, New International Version-NIV)

Rose Of Sharon - White In The Morning, Pink In The Afternoon

It was love at first sight! My Beloved, the Rose of Sharon.

I am a Rose of Sharon, a Lily of the valleys.

(Song of Songs 2:1)

This picture was taken in the morning.

We were visiting a friend and her husband in Taiping and they were showing us around their garden and as we turned a corner, this big, beautiful flower was right before my eyes.

This picture was taken in the afternoon.

I have not seen such beautiful flower before. It was pure white in colour with yellow centre. My friend told me that she got the cutting from her friend and was told that the name of this flower is "Rose of Sharon".

It was during lunch time that I happened to look out through the glass window from the dining hall that I saw a bright pink colour flower. "So beautiful! How was it that I didn't see this flower while we were in the garden this morning?"

My friend and her husband laughed and told us that it was the same flower we saw in the morning. But the one I saw was white! They insisted that it was the same flower and they had to take me to the garden again to prove to me.

Seeing my amazement, my friend asked whether I would love to grow one in my garden before the words could come out of my mouth. They must have seen it written on my face! They told me it grows easily from cuttings. In fact, they didn't give me any cuttings but they gave me a 2 feet tall plant from their garden! Wow, how my Heavenly Father loves me! He must have gotten this beautiful couple to get this plant ready for me!

We love because He first loved us.

(1 John 4:19, New International Version-NIV)

Anytime of the day when I go to my garden, I will be greeted by it's awesome colours of purity and sweet romance. Who wouldn't be drawn by this alluring beauty!

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world,

but to save the world through Him.

(John 3:16-17, New International Version-NIV)