Leonurus sibiricus

Pictures borrowed from Google Images

It is still fresh in my mind and it was just like yesterday that my mum or any of my aunts gave birth to my siblings and cousin and there would be my grandpa (God rest his soul), nursing them. My grandpa was Chinese and he was a walking Chinese "Book of Medicine". Something my mum and aunt regret was not to take notes of all his remedies. My grandparents was not rich but hardworking and hospital or medicine was a luxury in those days. But, due to my grandpa knowledge of Chinese herbal medicine flu was like a walk in the park, i guess. I remember he would give a kind of Chinese herb with a cockroach head for our fever. When you're small, you'll eat anything. Now thinking back about it, urhgg but hey, it works. Still, i would prefer just panadol.

So, one of the herbs is Leonurus sibiricus or the Fu Chow would call it Kaciam Ma. Leaves were dried, and then cook with chicken, lots of old ginger and Chinese rice wine for mums  just after they have given birth. The ginger and Chinese rice wine will give you heat but not sure of the Kaciam Ma. Some says for fast healing. So, mums have to eat just that with rice for 40 days.

Botanically, the roots of this plant release exudate with have an active compound called leonitin, which has allelopathic effects on other plants. The effects can either be positive or negative. Negative when it retards the growth of weeds that lives nearby. Positive when it enhanced crops growth performance.

In a study done in our lab, it was shown that it stops the seed germination of two type of weeds, Axonopus and the Paspalum, while it increase the rate of germination for Brassica and Zea mays.What this mean, this plant can be used a biological control for weeds when you plant sawi and corn and at the same time increase the growth rate of the two crops.

Sesamum indicum L

The black sesame (Sesamum indicum L.; Pediliaceae), is considered as weed in Malaysia. It's not one of our native species but was believed to be brought into the country as herbs and spices.

I've spot a product called the black sesame powder, selling at RM20 per tin supposedly good for your kidney. Another features that intrigues me is the purple bell shape flower. Bell shape flower or campanulate are very hard to find in tropical countries. So there you have it, the seeds have high value and the flowers are beautiful for ornamentals but yet the plant is just weeds and not commercially cultivated.

The cows don't like it so it is a successful plant. I don't like it myself. It's not the smell but each time i have a plant near me, i will get sore throat and sneezy and always ends up with a flu. It's not the pollen, but this plant is full of minute prickly hairs we called trichomes. So if you think you are sensitive to allergies, make sure to wear a mask when dealing with the black sesame.

Tacca intergrifolia

Here is another beauty. Tacca intergrifolia or Bat’s flower. It is not easy to find in the nursery at the moment. This one we collected for research purposes. But it makes good ornamental plants because of the unique flower and majestic foliage.

The four ears that look like a bat’s wing are the modified leaves called bract. They also have extra filamentous bracts which look like the whiskers. Inflorescence are compound umbel type with the tiny florets enclosed in the large sepals.

In Malaysia, the bract are either black or white

Curculigo latifolia Dryand

Hi there all plant lovers
This blog is especially for plant enthusiast like myself. I am a senior lecturer in one of Malaysia’s local uni, specializing in plant botany, systematics and biotechnology (tissue culture and molecular biology).
The main aim of this blog is to share the wonderful life of plants and its diversity, hopefully we can work together to conserve and protect all plants from destruction.
For, my first post, i would like to introduce to you to Curculigo latifolia Dryand (Hypoxidaceae) or locally known as lemba, lumbah-lumbah or nyiur puyuh.
When i was still a child, we used to collect the fruits and you can find this plant anywhere. It wasn’t until now that we realize that the fruit is considered miraculous because it can change your taste bud i.e. if you eat the fruit, whatever you eat after that will all taste sweet, even the most sour citrus. It is because the fruit content a sweet protein called curculin which is 200 times sweeter than sucrose but having far less calories.
At the moment, our research team are investigating the plant comprehensively which include the cultivation, and the medical properties of anti-diabetic and anti cancer.
For those who know this plant, the next time you see it, plant one in a pot at your house and substitute your sugar with the fruit.

Plant Lovers

Hi
I am Dr. Nur Ashikin Psyquay Abdullah, some of you know me as Dr. Cynthia Psyquay Cossall

Born in Miri, Sarawak in the island of Borneo. Borneo is one of the biodiveristy hotspot and i always called it a botanist playground.

This pic is not of Borneo of course. My favourite trip, Scotland, summer 05.