Grow your own medicinal plants

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.