Limau purut or Kaffir Lime

 Limau purut, the Malay name for Kaffir Lime, or its scientific name Citrus hystrix of the Rutaceae family, is well known for its medicinal properties, not only by the Malays in the old days but also by modern scientific researchers.In Pahang, besides its usage in adding flavor to traditional Malay dishes and cuisines, like the rendang, and tomyam, it is sometimes used as herbal medicine to treat normal skin disorders.It is not actually used for treatment of chronic skin disorders like psoriasis or eczema, but only for ordinary skin irritations that normally require basic general medications.

Why the Limau Purut is Used in Herbal Medicines

Limau purut contains tannin, triterpenouid and saponin.It is used in herbal medicines and traditional treatments, as the fruit and especially its leaves, have those special properties to encourage the growth of skin.The Malays of Pahang, in the old days, used limau purut juice to treat hair and promote healthy growth of hair follicles.
Nowadays to achieve this better, hair is first washed with ordinary shampoo, and then the hair and scalp are washed with the juice extracted from the fruit.The juice is then left for a few minutes on the head to let it soak into the hair follicles, and then the head and hair is rinsed finally with plain water.

Alleviate colds, lack of energy and tiredness, the juice extracted from the fruit is mixed with plain water and drank three times a day.

The juice actually tastes very sour and bitter, perhaps a lot more bitter than lemon juice. It is traditionally believed that it is good for blood circulation. The leaves are also utilised as one of the ingredients in traditional Malay sauna bath or “mandi wap” because of its fragrance, while the essence of the fruit is now popularly used in modern aromatherapy.

Why is Limau Purut used in Silat?

Limau purut also plays an important part in the rituals of some forms of the Malay art of self-defence, silat. It is normally used in the ritual of bathing after graduation where the limau purut fruit is cut and blended with plain water and then students are bathed as part of spiritual bathing by their Malay silat master.The reason it is used in silat is that it is said to have some special qualities, like invigorating the senses during self-defence training.
Perhaps its fragrant and sharp odor contain elements that provide some peculiar and distinctive aromatherapic properties to the brain.Besides the silat rituals, limau purut is also used in the cleaning of keris, the deadly Malay weapon, and other iron or metal-based utensils. Besides being a good cleanser of rusts, the juice is also a great anti-rust agent.Cleaning the keris is done by swiping the keris with the half-cut fruit and ensuring its juices are spread on both sides of the keris. The keris is then finally cleaned and rinsed with plain water. Periodic cleaning of the keris will ensure its longevity by keeping rusts at bay.

CLOVES/BUNGA CENGKEH

 Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum, syn. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. Cloves are native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world. The English name derives from Latin clavus ‘nail’ (also origin of French clou ‘nail’) as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are harvested primarily in Indonesia, Madagascar, Zanzibar, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka; it is also grown in India under the name Lavang . ^source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Medicinal and Nostrums

Cloves are used in Ayurveda called Lavang in India, Chinese medicine and western herbalism and dentistry where the essential oil is used as an anodyne (painkiller) for dental emergencies. Cloves are used as a carminative, to increase hydrochloric acid in the stomach and to improve peristalsis. Cloves are also said to be a natural antihelmintic.^[2] The essential oil is used in aromatherapy when stimulation and warming are needed, especially for digestive problems. Topical application over the stomach or abdomen are said to warm the digestive tract.
In Chinese medicine cloves or ding xiang are considered acrid, warm and aromatic, entering the kidney, spleen and stomach meridians, and are notable in their ability to warm the middle, direct stomach qi downward, to treat hiccough and to fortify the kidney yang.^[3] Because the herb is so warming it is contraindicated in any persons with fire symptoms and according to classical sources should not be used for anything except cold from yang deficiency. As such it is used in formulas for impotence or clear vaginal discharge from yang deficiency, for morning sickness together with ginseng and patchouli, or for vomiting and diarrhea due to spleen and stomach coldness.^[4] This would translate to hypochlorhydria. Clove oil is used in various skin disorders like acne, pimples etc. It is also used in severe burns, skin irritations and to reduce the sensitiveness of skin.
Ayurvedic herbalist K.P. Khalsa, RH (AHG), uses cloves internally as a tea and topically as an oil for hypotonic muscles, including for multiple sclerosis. This is also found in Tibetan medicine.^[5] Ayurvedic herbalist Alan Tilotson, RH (AHG) suggests avoiding more than occasional use of cloves internally in the presence of pitta inflammation such as is found in acute flares of autoimmune diseases.^[6]
In West Africa, the Yorubas use cloves infused in water as a treatment for stomach upsets, vomiting and diarrhoea.The infusion is called Ogun Jedi-jedi.
Western studies have supported the use of cloves and clove oil for dental pain, and to a lesser extent for fever reduction, as a mosquito repellent and to prevent premature ejaculation. Clove may reduce blood sugar levels.^[7]

INDIAN GINSENG

  Description

A hardy, easy to grow, perennial bush 40-150cm; ellipticshaped, bitter-flavoured leaves 3-6cm long; small, yellow flowers followed by several seeds, forming within the pulp of a glossy, bright-red 1/2cm wide berry, covered with a membrane forming a 1cm calyx, like a miniature cape gooseberry or Chinese lantern (all three plants belong to the Solanaceae family). These attractive berries are not edible. Children need to be educated not to eat the berries, as they can cause severe gastro-intestinal upset.

 

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tonic, aphrodisiac, nervine, sedative, astringent, diuretic, immune enhancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant

Medicinal Uses

Highly regarded in Indian (Ayurvedic) medicine, being a primary strengthening tonic, used for the treatment of debility and inflammation conditions, strengthening the nervous system, premature ageing, low libido, impotence and infertility. It should not surprise us that the plant has been called ginseng. Some say, the plant is not considered as powerful in action as Panax ginsengs’, however it is very similar in action, and easier to grow. This for many people, is considered an advantage, having a milder stimulating effect, with a mild sedative action that promotes deep sleep (with this use obvious from its given specific name of ‘somnifera’). Recently, I had a phone call from a man interstate, who shared with me that he ordered a plant from the herb farm and grew it. He found that when he started eating 10 leaves he experienced sound sleep. He said, he had not slept so well in 10 years. Personally, I find the taste of the leaves bitter-sweet, intensifying to very bitter the longer they are chewed; but, no doubt, better for the body, than sleeping pills for insomnia.
Being an official herb, in the Indian Pharmacopoeia, and used in Indian folk medicine for over 2000 years, it has been revered as a rejuvenating tonic. Uses have included: anemia, pain relief, fatigue, glandular swelling, weak muscles, coughs, neuralgia, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, convulsions, lumbago, gout, arthritis, rheumatism, hiccups, fevers, Alzheimer’s disease, liver disease, to lower cholesterol and high blood pressure, stomach and respiratory complaints, as a tissue and wound healing herb, physical endurance, sexual debility, for weak eyes, to delay hair greying, and other ageing symptoms. Recent pharmacological research shows the herb’s action of stimulating the appetite, and also with benefits as a mild sedative, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. The plant has also shown benefits to mental health, anxiety disorders, panic attacks, phobias, delusions, severe nervous agitation, incoherent verbal expression, manic depression, memory loss, and for promoting clear thinking and memory. It is said, that when Indian ginseng is taken for the memory, adding gotu kola and ginko biloba is beneficial, and for increasing the tonic benefits to the body, ginger is sometimes added to the daily dose of Indian ginseng.
The highest content of withaferin is found in the leaves. This alkaloid gives antimicrobial action on certain pathogenic fungi, bacteria, and tumours. Traditionally the leaves were used to treat cancerous growths. Research, over the last twenty years, shows that Indian ginseng, has potential as a strengthening tonic and as a stimulator of immune function, of definite benefit in improving memory, and strong adaptogen action that can counter the negative effects of stress and promote a feeling of well being. The herb has been recommended during and after radiation therapy. It has been found to significantly increase white blood-cell count, reducing leucopenia caused by radiation and immune suppressive drugs. It also has a normalising effect on red blood-cell count, hemoglobin, and platelet count.