Grow your own medicinal plants
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
If you are a avid user of herbal treatments and want to concoct them without having to disturb your neighbors by asking for medicinal leaves, you can start growing some of these low maintenance plants in your own garden.
Still don't know what to plant? Herbal specialist Setiawan Dalimartha gives you a list of herbs and plants that you can grow in your own garden. Some of them not only have medicinal properties but also have beautiful flowers and leaves with vivid colors that can also embellish your garden. * Baru cina (artemisia vulgaris): good for appetite, helps relieve epilepsy, hemorrhoids, bleeding, menstrual irregularities. * Cabe Jawa (piper retrofractum) help relieve diarrhea, dysentery, headache, toothache, flatulence, low blood pressure, rheumatism. * Daun dewa (gynura pseudo-china): can be used for soothing toothache, sore throat, kidney stones, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, tumors, fractured bones, bruises, hematoma and pertussis. * Pagoda flower (clerodendrum japonicum): relieves hemorrhoids, dysentery, insomnia, bruises and anemia. * Mangkokan, shell leaf (northopanax scutellarium): helps soothe swollen breasts, increases breast milk, reduces hair loss, body odor and bruises. * Inggu (ruta angustifolia): alleviates fever, coughing, epilepsy, hiccups, colic, hysteria, hepatitis, amenorrhea, eczema, boils, bruises, intoxication, varicose veins. * Sambiloto (green chiretta): alleviates hepatitis, dysentery, tonsillitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, gonorrhea, fever, asthma, hypertension and leprosy. * Sour lime (citrus aurantifolia): relieves influenza, coughing, fever, dandruff, improves stamina and reduces hypertension. * Daun sendok (plantago mayor L.): relieves coughing, is an expectorant, reduces fever, acts as a diuretic, controls bleeding and relieves constipation. * Kumis kucing (orthosiphon spicatus): relieves edema, kidney stones, gout, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. * Daun wungu (graptophyllum pictum): soothes hemorrhoids, constipation and irregular menstruation. * Gandarusa (justicia gendarussa burm. f.): bruises, fractured bones, arthritis, amenorrhea, fever, rheumatism, cramp, jaundice, diarrhea and marasmus in children. * Iler, myana or coleus family, chose the one with brown red leaves, which has medicinal properties.
These plants need direct exposure to sunlight, and must be grown in porous media. It is important to layer the soil with compost and water the plant twice a day. Occasionally you can shower them with water which has been used to wash beef or fish. "This would provide enough nutrients for the plant," he said.
To avoid contamination, don't use pesticides or herbicides.
Setiawan also explained that there are other healing plants -- meniran (phyllantus niruri), pegagan (centerlla asiatica), putri malu (mimosa pudica) and tempuyung (sochus arvensis) among others -- that grows wildly in your garden, in the nearest playing field and other public locations.
While some others like red spinach, carrot, cucumber, celery, salam leaves, pineapple, cauliflower, cabbage, can be purchased in supermarkets.
"Make sure that you wash the plants properly under running water before preparing them," he added.
Another piece of advise, do not use plants with toxic substances in your jamu because this can be hazardous to your health. Instead substitute them with other plants, having similar medicinal properties.