Maintenance of good health and prevention of illness are emphasized in day-to-day life, with traditional healers advocating a diet that contains an essential balance of sweet, salty, sour and bitter elements. However, if remedies for illness are necessary, these are usually plant-based. Their basic purpose is to restore the chemical balance of ‘heating’ (panas) and ‘cooling’ (sejuk) elements within the body.
The selection of plants used in Malaysian herbal remedies depends on the combination of their medicinal properties. A combination of 40 or 44 different plants is traditionally considered most efficacious by healers, but the practice of combining plant ingredients in odd numbers – such as three, five or seven – also exists.
What is more important in any combination of ramuan, however, is the inclusion of a plant called ibu ubat or ‘mother of medicine’. This is a single plant believed to contain the essential healing properties required to affect a cure.
Bomoh may resort to using only an ibu ubat in times of emergency, but, in general, the combination should comprise more ingredients with a ‘cooling’ effect and less with ‘heating’ properties. Just as modern cancer treatment, for example, uses a principle of poly-pharmacy or multiple drugs in a single administration, so Malay medicine uses multiple ingredients in a single preparation for achieving different pharmacological effects. The overall aim is to restore generalized balance within the body’s systems.
Herbal remedies incorporate various distinct plant parts including roots, rhizomes, barks, stems, fruits, flowers and seeds. Certain plants, particularly herbs, are generally consumed in their entirety as their known medicinal properties are not stored in one particular part. Remedies for serious or chronic diseases normally require multiple treatments from a combination of plants. The effectiveness of these herbal remedies may be seen following regular use over a relatively long period. Overconsumption of any particular plant should be avoided.
Ulam
Herbal ingredients are not only consumed for medicinal use, but are taken as part of daily meals. Most Malays are aware of the positive health effects of their traditional salad or ulam; such approaches to health maintenance and promotion are structured around a deep understanding of the properties of plants and the nature of illnesses. For example, red chilies (Capsicum frutescens), which belong to the ‘hot and dry’ category, are thought to be good for dispersing wind in the body, while manjakani galls, which belong to the ‘cold and dry’ category, are helpful for normalizing blood circulation, especially during menstruation.
Sambung Nyawa: The Hundred Ailments’ Plant
Sambung nyawa is the Malay name for Gynura procumbens, a small plant indigenous to Malaysia that is widely used in local traditional medicine. In Malay, sambung nyawa means ‘prolongation of life’. Its much-vaunted general healing properties resonate as well in its Chinese name, bai bing cao, which translates as the ‘one hundred ailments’ plant’. In Africa, the plant is also known as Mujonso herb.
A vigorous climber in the Malaysian rainforest, the plant is now cultivated commercially and is found in many private gardens, kampong plots and even urban flower pots. Flowering cultivars of the species have also been developed and are now popular as house plants in temperate countries.
The leaves have long served in Malaysia as a flavoring for food. As a medicine, the plant is used for kidney trouble, dysentery and as a febrifuge. Among its many pharmaceutical properties, it is considered antipyretic and anti-inflammatory. In traditional medicine, it is employed for a variety of ailments including migraine, constipation, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. It is deemed anti-carcinogenic and anti-allergic and the mashed dried leaf is often used as a salve for rashes. The leaves are also used in dermatological care and as a cosmetic skin elixir.
Now processed in capsule form, sambung nyawa is offered as a centuries-old cure from deep in the jungle for promoting general health and vitality. Specifically, it is held to be a potent aid for heart and cardiovascular conditions, for help in combating rheumatism and promoting blood sugar regulation, as an anti-viral and, as it name suggests, to prolong a healthy and productive life.
Recent Comments