SCURVY-GRASS-WITH VITAMIN C: HISTORY, HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF SCURVY-GRASS

SCURVY-GRASS, SPOONWORT, COCHLEARIA OFFICINALIS

Scurvy-grass, was as its name suggest used to combat a lack of vitamin C or scurvy and sailors needed this on their long sea voyages in the past just as the peasants of Europe needed vitamin C after long winters. This particular member of the Cochlearia genus grows close to the sea on cliffs and rocky ledges, and is a member of the Brassicaceae family of plants along with the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi,mustard, watercress, rocket, kale, mooli, radish, horseradish, and turnips.

  This scurvy-grass is an Arctic native and lives in the colder parts of Europe, in particular Scandinavia, Denmark, Scotland and North America, where there is some concern about its status, as it is becoming rare. At one time it was an ingredient of “spring juice” a tonic made with this, the juice of Seville or bitter oranges, and the sap of brooklime or water pimpernel. This was especially effective at healing spongy and bleeding gums which are symptoms of scurvy.

  It is best harvested in late spring or early summer and dried for later use, although in areas where it is rare, it should be left alone. These days we don’t suffer from scurvy in the Northern hemisphere.

  The name of the genus, Cochlearia comes from the Greek kokhliaron meaning spoon, hence the other English name for this plant, spoonwort, or spoon plant; koklos also means seashell, perhaps related to the fact that this particular scurvy-grass lives close to the sea.

  Writing in the 17^th century, Nicholas Culpeper acknowledges that there are several types of scurvy-grass but has this to say about Cochlearia officinalis:

“Government and virtues. The sea scurvy-grass is frequently used in scorbutic remedies along with the other, but wanting its fine volatile parts, it seems not so prevalent, but abounding more in saline, it may be used to good purpose as a diuretic.”

  It used also to be an ingredient of scurvy-grass ale which was a popular tonic. It is said that the plant can be used as disinfectant. The infusion or tisane for scurvy was 2 ounces of the fresh herb, chopped, to one pint of boiling water, steeped for 10 to 15 minutes, strained and then drunk in small cupfuls a few times a day. However it is one of those plants that have fallen into disuse in modern times as scurvy is no longer as prevalent as it once was.

BROOKLIME OR WATER PIMPERNEL - EDIBLE WOUND-HEALER: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF BROOKLIME

BROOKLIME, WATER PIMPERNEL, VERONICA BECCABUNGA 

This plant is semi-aquatic as it can grow in ponds and along river banks and in streams, where it grows with watercress. It is a relative of the common speedwell (Veronica officinalis), and as a member of the Scrophulariacea family, it is related to great mullein, (Verbascum thapsus), foxgloves, snapdragons or antirrhinum, buddleia the butterfly bush and  toadflax. As the family name suggests it was once used for skin diseases and scurvy (lack of vitamin C).

  This plant is native to Europe including the whole of the British Isles, from Scandinavia down through to North Africa and across temperate Asia to Japan and the Himalayas. It is thought that the genus name beccabunga (wonderful isn’t it?) came from the Flemish words, bech and punge, which mean mouth-smart an allusion to the fact that the edible leaves can do that. They may be eaten with other pungent green leaves such as watercress in salads and can be cooked (steamed) with other leafy green vegetables such as spinach.

  In Britain the plant flowers between May and September and is sometimes cultivated in garden ponds. At one time its sap was an ingredient of “spring juice” a tonic made with this, the juice of Seville or bitter oranges and scurvy-grass  to combat scurvy after the winter months when there was little in the way of vitamin C to be had.

 Apart from using the plant for scurvy, the leaves were bruised and placed on burns, sores and ulcers and used to heal wounds, although Self-heal and All-heal have a much better wound-healing action. They have diuretic activity too and were used for urinary tract infections, as well as to promote sweating in fevers and to stimulate the menstrual flow.

  Nicholas Culpeper has this to say about the herb:-

“Government and virtues. It is a hot and biting martial plant: brooklime and water-cresses are generally used together in diet-drinks, with other things serving to purge the blood and body from ill-humours that would destroy health, and are helpful for the scurvy: they do also provoke urine, and help to break the stone, and pass it away; they provoke women's courses, and expel the dead child. Being fried with butter and vinegar, and applied warm, it helpeth all manner of tumours, swellings, and inflammations.

Such drinks ought to be made of sundry herbs according to the malady offending.”

  It is not recommended to eat this plant’s leaves as a vegetable as they are said to have purgative effect, and they should not be used by pregnant or breast-feeding women.

BORNEO OR PACIFIC TEAK TREE- FALSE TEAK TREE WITH MEDICINAL USES: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF BORNEO TEAK

BORNEO OR PACIFIC TEAK TREE, INTSIA BIJUGA 

This false teak tree is a member of the Fabaceae or Leguminoseae family, making it a relative of dhak, the pongam tree, ashoka (Saraca indica),the monkey pod tree, jhand, lentils, indigo, the butterfly pea, chickpeas, soya beans, the Indian Coral tree and lupins (to name but a few of its relatives). It has a native range which spreads from Tanzania and Madagascar through south-east Asia and the Pacific islands, where it is much prized for its valuable timber.

  This tree is known by a number of names including Afzelia bijuga, Albizia bijuga, Eperua decandro, Intsia amboilensis and Intsia retusa. It has a number of English names too, which includes that of Moluccan Ironwood, and it is known as Ipil in the Philippines.

  This tree is not widely cultivated and is listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It naturally grows in coastal areas and lowland rainforests. It is used for coastal protection as it grows, typically to heights of between 23 and 82 feet, (although it can grow much higher) providing shade and protecting the soil from erosion; it is also a nitrogen fixer so can help make poor soil more fertile. It is a good living fence, and its timber has many uses as railway sleepers, house post beams, and it is used in boat building and bridge building, as well as to make smaller items such as walking sticks, carved items and canoes.

  In Fiji it was once held to be a sacred tree, and traditionally the drinking bowl for yagona (a traditional drink) is made from the wood of the Moluccan Ironwood tree.  A decoction of the leaves of the tree is used to remove evil spirits which take over someone’s body.

  In traditional medicine systems a decoction of the bark, which contains tannin, is used as a remedy for diarrhoea and dysentery, and the fruit of the tree is a remedy for constipation. A decoction of the bark is used to cure dark urine which is caused by evil spells or spirits. It is also employed for rheumatism, chills and stiff, aching muscles and an infusion of it is given to a new mother after childbirth, perhaps to keep evil spirits away, this is a little unclear.

  The seeds are edible but only after careful preparation which entails them being steeped in water for three to four days and then thoroughly boiled. Oil from the seeds repels pests rather as does neem (Azadirachta indica) so it can be used in linen to stop moths and insects eating the cloth. The seed pod is pear-shaped and leathery, containing from 1 to 9 seeds.

  Sap from the inner bark of this false teak is squeezed into coconut water for asthma, and this sap or the juice from the fresh leaves is squeezed into salt water, for diabetes.

  Few studies have been carried out on this tree’s medicinal properties as yet.

FINGERROOT OR CHINESE GINGER - USED FOR MEDICINAL AND CULINARY PURPOSES: HEALTH BENEFITS AND USES OF FINGERROOT

FINGERROOT, KRA CHAI, BOESENBERGIA ROTUNDA

Fingerroot is used in China only for its medicinal properties, whereas in Thailand it is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes. It is a member of the Zingiberaceae family so is related to ginger, zedoary (kachur) or white turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria), turmeric, and kulanjan (Alpinia galangal). It is also known as Chinese ginger, or Chinese keys, as the rhizome resembles keys on a key ring, with a globe at the top of the key-like roots or fingers which extrude from it.

  It is also known as Curcuma rotunda, Gastrochilus rotundus and Boesenbergia pandurata. It has a spicy flavour and is eaten in Thailand as a vegetable and used as a spice. The plant can grow to 60 centimetres high and is located in its wild state in dense forests. However it is cultivated throughout south-east Asia and has naturalized in many countries. The leaves are edible as is the root and rhizome, and medicinally it has been employed for many purposes in traditional medicine systems in India, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries. Its leaves are used with those of the teak tree (Tectona grandis) to wrap tempeh in. (Tempeh is the traditional fermented soya bean cake which is eaten in Indonesia.)

  In the West this plant is grown as an ornamental as it has attractive pink flowers and is aromatic. The finger-like roots are bright yellow and their aroma comes from the camphor, methyl cinnamate, d-borneol and 1-8 cineol mainly although there are also other aromatic substances in them.

  The crushed roots and rhizomes are applied to painful parts of the body to ease rheumatic pains, and they are used internally to dispel flatulence, improve the appetite and digestion, as a remedy for dry mouths, coughs and ulcers. After giving birth a post-partum tonic is prepared from them and a paste may also be made from the roots and applied externally to the body after childbirth. The paste is also applied to piles and a lotion made from them is used for rheumatism, and muscle pains. They are also used for diarrhoea and dysentery.

  In Thailand they are used to increase male libido and are touted as being able to increase sperm and improve its quality. Tests carried out in vivo on male rats did not bear out these uses, but the rats’ testicles did increase in weight and size.

  Scientific evidence suggests that the roots may have anticancer properties, and research is still underway on these properties. They are also believed to have analgesic (mild pain relieving) properties, as well as antibacterial, antifungal, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and insecticidal properties.

  There have been investigations which suggest that the flavonoids in the roots can prevent an occurrence of dengue fever (Biorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters Vol. 16 (12) June 2006 pp.3337-40).

  Its anti-ulcerogenic properties have also been tested and found to be supported (“The methanolic extract of Boesenbergia rotunda (L) Mansf. and its major compound pinostrobin induces anti-ulcerogenic property in vivo: Possible involvement of indirect antioxidant action”, Siddiq I. Abdelwahab et al. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, July 2011).

  Its anti-cancer properties were documented in a study by Chandra Kirana et al in the Journal of Natural Medicine Vol. 61 (2007) pp. 131-137 “Anticancer properties of panduratin A isolated from Boesenbergia pandurata (Zingiberaceae)” which concluded with the statement that this “may have a protective effect against colon cancer” but it needed further investigation for this claim and to ascertain if it was effective against other types of cancer cells particularly those of breast cancer.

  In 2011 Shiau-Chuen Cheah et al showed that the tests were valid in an article “Panduratin A Inhibits the Growth of A 549 Cells through Induction of Apoptosis and Inhibition of NF-KappaB Translocation” published in Molecules, 2011 Vol.16 pp.2583-2598.

  Research is still continuing into this Chinese medicinal herb.