Herbs anyone??? (Part 5) - Aromatic Ginger

The Kaempferia Galanga Linn is also known as the Aromatic Ginger, Sand Ginger a, Pokok Cekur (Malay) or Kencur (Indonesian). The plant can be found primarily in open areas in southern China, Taiwan, Cambodia and India, but is also widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. The plant as a whole is used as a herb for cooking in Indonesia especially the rhizome whereas the aromatic leaves are sometimes used in some of the Malay cuisine and whereas, the young leaves are even eaten raw as salad or ulam. It is believed that by doing so, it helps to remove unwanted 'wind' from the body and helps to maintain a youthful complexion.....uummmmhh :) To use onto young children especially newborn babies, pound the washed leaves and rub or apply onto their tummy to get rid of the unwanted wind.



The rhizomes of the plant, which contains essential oils, have been used in Chinese medicine as a decoction or powder for treating indigestion, cold, pectoral and abdominal pains, headache and toothache. It is also used in Chinese cooking and medicine and is sold in Chinese groceries under the name "Sha Jiang" or "Sand Ginger."Its alcoholic maceration has also been applied as liniment for rheumatism.Kaempferia galanga has a peppery camphorous taste.


The flowers of the Kaemphferia Galanga Linn consists of a few small, soft white petals with a tinge of dark purple. Propagation is by separating the rhizomes into rich, well-drained medium under indirect sunlight.

Another closed relation of the Kaempheria Galanga Linn is the Kaempheria Pulchra 'Bronze'. The plant is also known as the Peacock Ginger or Pokok Cekur Hitam (Malay). The plant is a fast grower compared with only a small plantlet that I bought a few months ago. The main difference between the Kaempheria Galanga and the Kaempheria Pulchra is the colour of the flowers and the leaves. The leaves of the Kaempheria Pulchra is broader & harder and eventhough the size & texture of the flowers are the similar, the main difference is the colour is purplish with a tinge of white in the middle...a total reversal colour of the flower of the Kaempheria Galanga.

The most obvious problem that I noticed when having Peacock Ginger plants is that the beautiful leaves are prone to attacks by small caterpillars and grasshoppers...a good solution to distract all these tiny insects/creatures is to crush finely a clove of garlic and let boil with a litre of water, let to cool & mix with a small amount of dishwashing liquid. Pour the solution into a water sprayer and spray the affected leaves of the plants, taking note NOT to spray onto the roots.

Poison or Cure???

It's been a while since my last post to this blog. With the Eid festivities luncheon & 'open houses' invitations by spouse's friends coupled with the girls' school's examinations, its been a really hectic month of October 2008. Furthermore, with all the activities, I have not been the best of health for the last few weeks...oooohhhh :(

By the way, have you heard of the Angel's Trumpet, Devil's Trumpet, Downy Thorn Apple, Metel? All of the mentioned names referred to the same plant, the Datura Metel var Fastuosa or locally known in Malay as the Pokok Kecubung.

I obtained the seeds of this plant while on holiday in Penang, Malaysia a few years ago while visiting the state's herb garden, mainly attracted by its beautiful white, with a tinge of lavender trumpet-like flowers and unique thorny fruit.

Native to China, India and South-east Asia countries, the Datura Metel is extremely poisonous but surprisingly, the plant is used traditionally in Chinese medicine.




The shrub-like perennial herb/plant consists of ebony black stems, each stem holds a large angular dark-green leaves similar in shape to that of the eggplant leaves. The large tubular flowers normally have a double or triple corolla, with each corolla having a deep purple exterior and white or off-white interior. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (having both male & female organs) and pollination is usually done by insects. What I noticed about this plant that I have in the container pot, there's lots of ants seems to be attracted not only to the flowers but to the plant as a whole.

The thorny like fruits which holds the seeds are almost rounded, approximately around 2.5cm (1 inch) diameter. Upon ripen, the matured fruits will automatically 'burst' open thus dispersing the seeds.



The dry flower, particularly the violet coloured, if rolled and used like a cigar is believed to relieve the asthma or wheezing-like symptoms but it should only be used under the guidance and supervision of a qualified medical practitioner.

The plant as a whole is extremely toxic if digested in any quantity, symptoms like hallucinations, headaches, flushed skin and possibly convulsions or even coma. Accidentally (or intentionally) indigestion even a single leaf could lead to severe side effects..so strict PRECAUTION should be taken to avoid planting the Datura Metel plants near or households with children, they might just get enchanted & attracted with the beautiful flowers. The best way, is to totally avoid planting this extremely poisonous plant in the garden.

Can't believe it! It fructify.....

When we came back from our short trip from Kuala Lumpur last August, I noticed some flowers around the tiny stem of the plant. My assumption was, perhaps due to the lack of water (been away for a week), the humid hot weather will actually trigger most plants to produce blooms. After a week, I noticed that the flowers withered and small fruits appeared. I just can't believe it that my Belimbing Buluh tree or should I still consider it a plant is actually bearing normal size fruits. Uummm, it's really unexpected from such a small plant but I will pluck them in no time to add to my sambal, vegetable dalca or acar buah that I'm planning to cook.




Why I still consider it a plant and not a tree?? The height of the plant is not even a metre tall considering it can actually reach to the height of 5 mtrs to 10 mtrs tall upon maturity. Furthermore, I bought the seedling, planted in a black polybag at the local Sunday market around 6 months ago for a mere $3 in local currency.


The Belimbing Buluh is a local favorite plant/tree and is a close relative of the Carambola or popularly known as the Starfruit. Botanically the Belimbing Buluh is known as Averrhoa Bilimbii and it is also known as the Cucumber tree, Blimbling, Tree Sorrel and many other names. Apparently it originated from the Molluccas, Indonesia and the species is mostly cultivated or found semi-wild throughout Indonesia, Phillippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh & Myanmar. It is also commonly found in other Southeast Asian countries. It is considered a tropical tree, less resistant to cold if compared to the Carambola (Starfruit).

The plant is considered long-lived, can reach up to the height between 5 mtrs to 10 mtrs tall with the short trunk quickly divided into upright branches. The oblong 11 to 37 leaflets are alternately arranged in a cluster on a long stem about 30cm to 60cm long. The dark-red flowers, appearing in panicles, bloom from the trunk and oldest branches, are small and fragrant and often in great number towards the bottom of the tree. Bright-green fruits follow,5cm to 8cm in length, often in clusters and a single tree often produces hundreds and hundreds of fruits. The fruits of the Belimbii which is very sour compared to the Carambola (Starfruit) are often added onto some of the Malay cuisines such as Sambal dishes, curry dishes & others.



The fruit is traditionally used to help those suffering from high blood pressure and from high fever. For treating high blood pressure sufferers, the fruits are blended, drained to obtain just the juice and drink either in the morning or night. If prefer, sweeteners can be added to the juice since the juice by itself is bitter. The leaves are washed, hand crushed and put onto a piece of cloth which is then put or leave on the forehead to relieve high fever. In some parts of Malaysia the leaves of bilimbi are used as a treatment for venereal disease. A leaf decoction* is taken as a medicine to relieve rectal inflammation. It also seems to be effective against coughs and thrush.

Propagation is by seeds from the ripe fruits or by grafting from a strong, matured stem. This plant grows well in rich, well-drained medium (also stands limestone & sand).



**decoction - extraction by boiling, essence obtained


Since the Eid festivities is just around the corner, I've added Hari Raya songs in my playlist for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

Spiral Ginger

The Spiral Ginger is of no-relation whatsoever to the ginger that we use for our culinary dishes. The plant is also commonly known as Red Button Ginger, Panamian Candle Ginger, Dwarf French Kiss or by any other names. Botanically, the plant is call Costus Woodsonii from the Costaceae family, sister family of the true gingers, the Zingiberaceae. Presently, there are over 90 or so species of the Costus.

I bought my one and only Spiral Ginger plant for a mere $2, then planted in a black poly bag. It have since matured and a proud distributor or another word, a mother to many plantlets that I propagated and given to friends.



The Spiral Ginger is an all year blooming plant. Native to Central America, it is an attractive small plant that can reach to the height of approximately 3ft tall (approx 1 metre). The brightly red heads that looks like cones do create a very nice contrast to the green shiny foliage on spiral stems (I guess that's where the word spiral is derived from). Flowers will emerge from between the bracts of the cone from colours of yellow to orange.


As for the green shiny leaves, they are so how pre-arranged in a spiral or alternately along the stems. In many species, even the stems is spiralled.


Propagation is by stem cuttings or plantlets that appeared from the matured dried-up flower cones onto well-drained medium. The plant is a fast grower and loves rich moist medium but not wet. To produce thick healthy plant stems,it's best to fertlise the medium once every 2 or 3 weeks. The Spiral Ginger plant prefers shade with indirect sunlight and grows well in containers.


** Ramadhan Kareem to all my Muslim guest. May this holy month of Ramadhan bring you much faith, self fulfillment with joy, happiness and solace. Ameen.

Ramadhan's Feed The Fasting 2008

Just a short break from my usual green finger's write-ups....I would like to share this with everyone visiting this blog. Let us do a bit of charitable deed, for just RM50 (50 Malaysian ringgit), you can help to lighten up the burden of a poor family of five this upcoming holy month of Ramadhan. Your donation will help the Islamic Relief Malaysia in buying and delivering the food packages containing rice, flour, sugar, tea, canned food, salt and dates to them. Visit this website for more information.


Not only you can feed the poor in Malaysia, they can also deliver it to the poor in 25 countries where they are currently working to help them.



Fasting is obligatory on all Muslims, rich or poor. Some Muslims enjoy the luxury of breaking their fast in hotels and restaurants. The majority, however, are blessed to be able to enjoy good food at home in the company of family and friends. But let’s not forget that there are people at home and abroad who are so impoverished that they literally fast every day. They comprise of impoverished families, orphans and single parents.

This year once again Islamic Relief Malaysia is running its 'RAMADHAN FEED THE FASTING' Programme to help the needy through distributing food packages to the poor Muslims locally and internationally during this holy month of Ramadhan.

DONATE NOW!! YOUR RM50 CAN FEED A FAMILY OF FIVE FOR 2 WEEKS

CLICK HERE to donate online or direct bank-in to
MBB Acc. No: 5621 4270 8704 or
CIMB Acc. No: 1259 0000 804 058

My Modest Collection.....

When I was young, my late father owned a moderate collection of orchids. He was so proud of his collection which often earned praises as well as compliments from friends and neighbours. I can still fondly remember that we (myself & siblings) will just stand still by each potted orchid, admiring the beautifulness and the uniqueness of the colourful blooms. As for my late father, he would tend to his collection with much, tender loving care even after a hard day's work at the office. Most of the orchids were planted with just some broken pieces of clay bricks and pieces of black charcoal. Fertilising was done in a natural, organic method..ie. soaking the pots of orchids into a pail of water containing fishes' guts or sometimes into a pail of water derived from washing rice grains (air cucian beras..in malay).

Born and bred in a country that is proud to have a beautiful orchid as the national flower (Vanda Miss Joaquim)...I'm not too keen in nurturing or planting orchids in my potted garden BUT I do admire the uniqueness blooms of every single specie of the plant. My main reason being that nurturing orchids need lots of patience as well as great endurance and of course, tender loving care. To have an orchid plant to produce blooms sometimes can take months or even years for some species. Maybe, or just maybe..I might consider adding a few more species to my modest current collection of the orchids. Recently, a few orchids from the modest collection of mine have been producing beautiful, unique blooms...Enjoy!!






** This article is specially dedicated to my late father. Al-Fatihah for the late Haji Ahmad Bin Kitang and may ALLAH bless his soul and place him among the pious. Ameen.

Herbs anyone??? (Part 4) - Sweet Neem Leaf

The Sweet Neem Leaf is a sought-after culinary herb when preparing curry dishes. It is so-called Sweet Neem due to its resemblance to the Neem Tree (which is also referred to as Black Neem). Botanically, the plant is known as Murraya Koenigii from the family Rutaceae and is known to be origin from India and Sri Lanka. Locally the plant especially the leaves are popularly known as Daun Kari (directly translate as Curry Leaves) or Kari Patta (Hindi). The main part of the plant that are widely use as culinary herb are the leaves. These pungent, aromatic leaves are often added to Indian & Asian cuisine such as rasam, curries, chutneys and even as one of the ingredients in preparation of the Indian snacks such as murukku.



Almost all parts of the plant have a strong characteristic odour. The plant loves medium which are rich in minerals and most matured plants will produce small, white scented flowers on a stalk which eventually will wither and produces green berries, turning dark purplish when ripe. These berries are edible but not the seeds. Propagation of the plant is by germination of these seeds, matured stems or plantlets that grown on the roots.



Almost all parts of the plants are known to have some medicinal properties. The leaves, barks & roots of the Sweet Neem Plant can be used for the preparation of tonic. The barks and roots are used as stimulant by physicians and are often traditionally use to cure eruptions and bites of poisonous animals. The leaves, apart from adding fragrant and imparting a very good flavour in curry dishes, if eaten raw can actually cure those suffering from dysentery.

A strong odoriferous* oil occurs in the leaves and seeds and this essential oil exhibited a strong antibacterial and antifungal activity. The branches are also popularly use traditionally for cleaning the teeth (especially in rural areas where owning a proper toothbrush is a luxury)and said to strengthen the gums & teeth.

In another book about herbs that I read recently, there's a mentioned about using the leaves traditionally for promoting shiny, black hair. A bundle of the Sweet Neem leaves are washed & dried. The dried leaves are then grind to a powdery form and by mixing a teaspoonful of this dried powdered leaves to a glass of water, drink as tea everyday for at least a continuous of 48 days...will actually encourage the growth of one's hair to be black & shiny. I guess, I should seriously consider trying this method real soon....bye,bye grey hair!!



** odoriferous - diffusing odour

My Precious Lotus.

Just an update on the lotus seeds that we germinated about 3 months ago.


From these seeds (picture above).......to these healthy plants (pictures below)





The size of the leaves have grown from a tiny 1cm in diameter to the present 12cm in diameter. Hopefully, with more nutrients added (special fertiliser for aquatic plants), the leaves will grow bigger in size with strong thick stems and eventually produces blooms. Presently, we are satisfied & happy with the current progress of the lotus plants that we have always longing to own. Thanks again to the kind & generous Encik that gave us the seeds months ago.

A Community Of Its Own.....

Just a few months after spotting the first nest made by the swallows, the so-called community have recently grown in size. It seems that the special spot or plot that they claimed their own, is fast becoming a popular, sought-after property now (at least for the swallows)...maybe I could even sense the increase or rise in this property 'valuable' space among them..hehehe.

These are the recent photos taken as at approximately 12 noon today (30th July 2008).





Actually, we just love to have them around to share our home but just look at all the aftermath mess that they have left behind & all the cleaning that need to be done daily....uurrgghhh.

Oh, My Bleeding Heart !!

One of my favourite all-time climbing vine is the Bleeding Heart Vine, also known as Bleeding Glorybower, Bag Flower and is a native of Tropical Africa. Botanically it is known as Clerodendrum Thomsoniae and there are over 400 species of Clerodendrums and mostly can be found in warm climatic regions.



The Bleeding Heart vine have very showy flowers and a non-invasive climber suitable for fences, pergolas or trellis. The plant can tolerate full sun but prefer partial shade and just love well-drained, rich organic medium. They are long flowering plant with attractive green foliage, The white calyx flowers are grouped in an axillary terminal with a scarlet-red corolla and prominent stamens.



Propagation is by form of seeds or by stem cuttings, which the latter are much preferred (faster time-frame) onto well-drained, organic rich medium. Frequent organic fertiliser is advisable (ie. once every 2 weeks)to maintain a healthy plant as well as to encourage frequent blooming. Other than fertilising, to encourage more flowers, pruning is advisable after the plant has stopped blooming.

Lillies....Oh, my beautiful Lillies....

One of my favourite and beautiful plants that blooms in my potted garden is the Cardwell Lily (don't really know the derivation of the name) or the Northern Christmas Lily (as it usually flowers around Christmas). Locally, the plant is known as Pokok Bunga Sepenuh or by any other names and botanically, as Proiphys Amboinensis, named after the island of Ambiona, now known as Ambon in Indonesia. The plant also naturally can be found in the rainforest of Southeast Asia, Indonesia and mostly on the northern parts of Australia. Another similar plant to the Cardwell Lily is the Brisbane Lily or the Moreton Bay Lily (botanic name, Proiphys Cunninghamii) which was first discovered in abundance on the banks of Brisbane river, at Moreton Bay, Australia (I guessed that's where the name Brisbane Lily was derived).

The main visual differences between the Cardwell Lily and the Brisbane Lily are the leaves and the flowers. Though the leaves are both similar in shape, the leaves of the Cardwell Lily are slightly larger than the Brisbane Lily. The small white petals of the flowers of the Brisbane Lily are slightly rounded compared to the Cardwell Lily which are more narrow and longer.


The Cardwell Lily is an attractive perennial bulb plant with large beautiful, deeply-veined, heart-shaped glossy leaves which are produced on long petioles*. The Cardwell Lily is an easy plant to grow and make a good container plant.



The Cardwell Lily blooms are produced in an umbel*-like clusters of 5 or a maximum of 25 blooms on a long stem that can reach up to 50cm long. The small six-petaled white blooms with yellow stamens are lightly frangrant. Occasionally, fruits (last picture) will develop on the flower heads and often germinate on the plant ie. new plants can be grown from these.



The Cardwell Lily can be propagated from seeds or from separation of bulbs, where the latter is much preferred onto well-drained medium consisting of garden mixed soil with peat. The medium should always be kept moist but not wet and prefer a shaded location with filtered sunshine for the leaves to be glossy and healthy.




*petioles - leaf stalk

*umbel - umbrella like flower cluster with stalks of about equal length, springing from a common centre

A Dumb Cane???

I am confused as anyone else, why another confused name to a nice plant? The confusion began with the common name that I discovered for these few pots of my plants with beautiful foliage. The Dumb Cane, Leopard Lily or by any other names, is a very common houseplant that has more than 30 species worldwide. It is one of the local favourite here with some having a few species in their collection. Botanically, the bold & popular plant is known as Dieffenbachia, an Araceae family and native of Caribbean, Central & South America.


The beautiful, variegated leaves of the Dumb Cane come in a variety of colours in all shades of green, light yellow to white and some with a dash of red whereas, the designs on the leaves are in a very unique pattern for each different species.

Due to its low light tolerance, easy propagation and attractive foliar variegation, the Dumb Cane has always been one of the popular choices for home decors to include as an indoor houseplant. If the leaves received too much light, they will become faded but once in a while, the plant need to be put for a few hours under a full sun in order to keep it from becoming top heavy and in need of support.




The plant is known to be poisonous especially to small children & animals if consume in a high quantity which will result in swelling of the throat tissue and constrict breathing. The sap contains a potent irritant that is painful and may cause damage if contact is made to the eyes and irritant to the skin. Matured plants do produce blooms that not as bold as the foliage.

When the plant becomes gangly and unattractive, cut-off the cane leaving about 4 inches above the soil. The stump will re-sprout and grow a new plant. The top section of the plant where the foliage is on can either be rooted in the pot containing well-drained medium or rooted in water.

Water when the soil is dry to the touch and be careful not to overwater the plants because overwatering can cause the stems to rot. On the other hand, if they don't get enough water, their leaves will get brown edges.