The Whiskers of Cat or Java Tea

It has been quite a while since I blogged seriously about an herb. Guess I am too lazy after all. Not really, being really busy after Chinese New Year.

Well, this plant, you might be quite familiar with it since it has been such a pop icon in the herbalism boom lately. It has quite long stamens and white petals. The stamens, are purple at the tips and this is the part that gave the famous plant its name. Its scientific name is Orthosiphon stamineus.

It is cultivated in Indonesia, Malaysia, and in Australia for its medicinal properties. Some of its properties are summarised below:

1. It is diuretic (Which means it stimulates urine production; a good way to get rid of fluid accumulation in your body).

2. Antispasmodic, which means it could stop spasms but it is documented that its effect is mild.

3. Also, it promotes secretion and regulation of bile juice.

4. The best news is that it helps to lower blood pressure. This is especially helpful to those that have hypertension.

The consumption of this herb, coupled with Bitter Gourd, will not help but to cure high blood pressure symptom (if consumed on a regular basis). Subsequently, my recommendation is that, consume more Bitter Gourd (in juice form) and take Java Tea as beverage. It tastes great and it can be consumed daily without much side-effect. However, I recommend that you keep moderation, limiting to two cups per day (for hypertension patients). For those that do want to savour its taste, I recommend that you keep it to a minimum, maybe thrice a week or so.

Well, if you plant one of this baby, then remember the following:

1. Harvest the leaves when it is in full blooms (or about to bloom).

2. Only use the leaves.

3. Dry the leaves under shade (refer to my post on preserving herbs).

4. Crumble the leaves, and use 1 tablespoon for 600ml of boiling water.

It looks almost like peppermint, and it tastes like Cincau, a kind of black coloured Chinese herbal jelly. The tea can be sweeten with honey to bring out its flavour.

Image retrieved from: http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/rcn48_1102806586_807.jpg