Herb of the Week

Chinese Name: Juhua
Common Name: Mulberry-leaved Chrysanthemum
Scientific Name: Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat
Family: Compositae
Flavour: Sweet and bitter
Energy: Cool
Meridians: Lungs, liver and kidneys
Indications: Eye diseases, pain in ears, dizziness, swelling and headache due to wind heat

Juhua is good for dispersing wind heat in the liver and gallbladder meridians and also in the ears and eyes. It is often used to treat pinkeye, pain in ears and vertigo due to wind heat.

Is is estimated that in China, there are several hundred varieties of this herb. However, only the four are commonly used: juhua, which is yellowish and is used to disperse wind and reduce fever; white juhua, which is drunk as tea and is used to clear liver and sharpen vision; aromatic juhua, which is white and aromatic and is used to treat dizziness and twitching in warm-hot diseases; and wild juhua, which is used to clear heat and detoxify.

Juhua Tea: Steep 4 to 6 pieces of juhua and add pure honey to sweeten to drink as tea during warm-hot weathers

Jamu: Healing Elixir of Indonesia

Jamu is believed to have originated during the 17th century, when princesses in the Central Javanese courts of Surakarta and Yogjakarta began experimenting with plants, herbs and spices to make beauty potions. Since then, the use of jamu has expanded massively and an entire beauty regime can be created just on jamu alone, from facial masks to hair conditioners and hand creams.

Jamu has four basic functions: to cure illness, to prevent disease and maintain good health (by promoting blood circulation and increasing metabolism), to relieve aches and pains (by reducing inflammation and aiding digestion) and to correct malfunctions (such as infertility and irregular menstruation).

Up to 150 natural ingredients are used to produce jamu. Raw ingredients include the leaves, bark and roots of spices such as ginger, tamarind, tumeric and cinnamon with natural sweeteners like palm sugar often added for flavour.

Today, jamu gendong (ladies selling jamu) can be seen throughout Indonesia. With bottles of jamu in a basket slung over their shoulders with a slendang (carry cloth), they go from door to door in the kampung, keeping the age-old tradition alive.

Ayurveda: Health Treasures of India

Translated from the ancient Sanskrit language, Ayurveda means ‘the Science of Life’ (Ayur-Life and Veda-Science) and is regarded by scholars as the oldest form of medicine in the world. It remains as the main healing tradition of the people of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

According to Ayurvedic belief, everything was ‘one’ in the beginning when the first sound, aum, was heard. Its radiating energy resulted in the creation of the five elements – air, space, fire, water and earth – from which everything in the universe is made.

At the heart of Ayurvedic philosophy is the understanding that our bodies are microcosm of the universe with three universal governing energies at work: vatta (air and space), pitta (fire and water) and kapha (earth and water). These energies are known as doshas, each consisting of unique physical, mental and emotional characteristics.

Achieving balance and harmony of the three doshas is the aim of Ayurvedic therapies and this forms the foundation of health and well-being. The proper constitution of vatta promotes creativity and flexibility, pitta generates understanding and analytical ability, and kapha engenders stability, affection and generosity.

Imbalance in the doshas are thought to distrupt the flow of prana, the ‘life force’ that enters the body through food and breath, and impede agni, the digestive fire that facilitates metabolic processes, supports immunity and produces processes of thought and feeling.

Therapies are mainly divided into curative and preventive, all following the essentials of dosha balancing. A typical regime could include abhyanga (herbal oil massage), shirodhara (oiling of the forehead) and samana (herbal medicine). Intensive treatment such as panchkarma (total purification) therapy will be administered for serious medical ailments.

For those who are in good health, preventive measures through self-care techniques are advised to revitalize and protect the body. The key to Ayurveda is treating the mind, body and spirit as a unified entity to maintain health, balance and harmony.