Tiger's Ears in Your Garden!

This beautiful plant is known as "tiger's ears" in Thailand where it is eaten with a meat salad but locally, we call it Bangun bangun. The rest of the English-speaking world either calls it Indian borage, Spanish thyme, Mexican mint or Cuban oregano. It's no surprise that these names are all related to various other fragrant cooking herbs because the bangun bangun does have a strong smell not unlike that of oregano.

There are two types of bangun bangun - a jade green one and a variegated one with white around it's leaf edges but culinary uses aside, Plectranthus amboinicus as it is named scientifically, also has a lot of other wonderful medicinal properties. So many, that it is used almost exclusively for that purpose in Malaysia. 

You can chew on its leaves or make a tea from them to relieve colds, a sore throat, or a stuffy nose because it acts as a powerful expectorant, to eliminate mucus and phlegm from your respiratory tract. It also promotes sweating and helps to reduce fever. It's cold-fighting effect is due to the fact that it actually has a high found ascorbic acid or Vitamin C content. 

The high ascorbic content also means that it stimulated urination and helps to keep your kidneys healthy. But our bangun bangun also has other benefits. 

It is also said to relieve stress, reduce arthritis and osteoporosis, and provide relief from irritable bowel syndrome. Mothers have used it to relieve bug bites, itchiness and stings because Indian borage also has anti-inflammatory properties and helps reduce itchiness and swelling.  

Plectranthus amboinicus has a lot of Vitamin A, as well, and it is sometimes used to improve vision, reduce stress in the eyes and prevent macular degenaration. It's a natural msquito repellant, too!

When it does flower, it has small, pretty blue flowers but of course, with such powerful chemicals in its leaves and stem, it has to be treated with a bit of caution. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid contact with it, as should people with sensitive skin.  

So if you're going to cook beef, lamb or game meat with it, do be careful!

Longevity Spinach

The curiously-named Sambung nyawa ("Life-continuing" in Malay) or Longevity spinach is another common Malaysian plant often mistaken for a weed by the untrained eye. It has humble yellow flowers and looks quite unimpressive. However, its lanceolate leaves are actually not only edible (quite  delicious when young and tender) but also extremely useful as a natural herbal cure for a number of ailments.

Cooked in soup with prawns or meat village or kampung cuisine, there are actually three types of longevity spinach. The simple green one, a variety with variegated leaves called Sambung nyawa batik and a third variety with red, pink or purplish leaves called Sambung nyawa merah. 

It's scientific name, Gynura procumbens, doesn't give much of a clue to the fact that it has antimicrobial and antiinflammatory properties in addition to it's ability to help with hypertension. There are reports that it also has anti-carcinogenic properties. 

It can be eaten raw and it is said that if you chew on 6-12 leaves every day, it will help tremendously with balancing your blood insulin levels. You also lower your risk of cancer because Gynura procumbens also contains asparaginase, an enzyme that lowers acrylamides - a cancer causing substance - in your body.

Sambung nyawa has recently become popular among American gardeners because of its many herbal properties and also because it is very easy to grow. It can grow in shade or sunlight (as long as the roots don't dry out) though semi-shaded areas allow it to thrive best. 

Bitterly wonderful Hempedu Bumi

The Hempedu bumi (picture) or Bitterweed in English is a terribly bitter herb whose many curative properties make it a desirable plant to have around the house. It's Malay name means "bile of the earth" and some people even know it as the "king of bitters". 

It's scientific name is Andrographis panicukala and it is a herbaceous shrub that grows upright. Because it thrives so easily in so many different locales, from the roadside to the seaside, it is often considered a weed by local gardeners. People who know about its wonderful properties like a to keep a pot or two in the garden where it can be safely left to itself, needing only water and trimming to prevent overgrowth.

Hempedu is quite easy to recognise, with its glossy green leaves and 4-sided furrowed stems. It's flowers are small, white and dotted with purple spots. It has fruits, too. They are small, hairy and look like pills but are brown when mature.

Although the whole plant can be eaten raw, it is the hempedu's leaves which are its most wonderful part.  

The bitterweed's leaves are best harvested harvested about two months before the plant starts flowering. That is when its active constituents are most concentrated. Scientists have found that it can not only act as an antioxidant but it also protects your liver from a number of toxins. Though most well-known locally as a cure for sore throats, traditional medicine men have even used it to relieve fever, as a cure for poisoning and an antidote for snake bite!

When its juices are extracted and concentrated, it is even more powerful. In fact, hempedu extract is even available in capsule form nowadays.

Beautiful but deadly!

If you're a frequent trekker in the Gardens and hilly areas of Penang, you might have come across this beautiful snake. It's called Ular Kapak Daun or literally "Axe Leaf Snake" in Malay but its English name is the Malayan Pit Viper (Calloselasma rhodostoma). Do try to leave it alone if you spot it because it's a most lethal beauty.

The Ular Kapak Daun doesn't grow very big. It's usually no more than a metre in length but it's beautiful camouflage and bad temper make it a beauty best regarded from a distance. About 2% of people bitten by it die. Surviviors have been known to lose their arms or legs because they could not reach a source of anti-venom in time.

In the short but most interesting article below, by Ajla Rafidah Baharom and Kaviarasu Munian (edited by Lee Su Ee) from www.mybis.gov.my the authors explain about the snake's habits, venom, hunting habits and abilities. 

To read the full article, please click the link below.

Click here to read the full article about Malayan Pit Vipers.

Dragonfly or Damselfly?

You must have encountered these bejewelled insects either in your own garden or at the Botanical Gardens in Penang. They look nearly the same but they are actually two different species of insects. 

Both damselflies and dragonflies come in wonderful colurs that can range from metallic black with glimmers of rainbow flashes to a red as brilliant as fresh blood. 

But did you know that apart from being as beautiful as flying gems, both dragonflies as well as damselflies play an important role in keeping the population of nuisance species like mosquitoes and flies down? Baby dragonflies and damselflies are called nymphs but look nothing like water fairies. 

In fact, they look more like dragons and they also behave like dragons. Nymphs, which live in the water, catch and eat tadpoles and the larvae of nuisance species. The adult insects catch their prey on the fly, so to speak, biting off the head with their mouths! 

Here is an interesting article from Malaysia Biodiversity Information about how to tell whether you are looking at a Dragonfly or a Damselfly.

Dragonfly or Damselfly?

For more interesting articles like this, please visit the Malaysia Biodiversity Information website by clicking on the link below.

Malaysia Biodiversity Information