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| Senduduk Putih |
I visited a friend in Balik Pulau when his father pointed to this shrub with fragrant white flowers. He said it was full of medical properties, but he didn’t know what it says. And the flowers could be infused as tea to reduce high blood pressure.
I was fascinated as I am always when I learned something about a new plant. I couldn’t stop researching and finally I found out the name of this system. It’s called Senduduk Putih (Melastoma Decemfidum).
What does this plant do now? Actually a lot.
The flowers are used to cough persistent cough. It is also believed that his flowers can help children with slow language development. His leaves can be beaten and mixed with fresh turmeric to heal diarrhea and bloody chair.
Accordingly This website:
The leaf and root extracts are used to treat diarrhea, ruhr, epilepsy and rheumatism. The shoots are absorbed to treat personnel infections, high blood pressure and diabetes, while juice can be used as mouthwash to relieve toothache or treat leukorrhea. The bark is used for skin diseases and flowers are used for cancer treatment.
To get rid of scars as a result of chickenpox, just rub the flowers onto the scars. The flower can also be eaten to promote youthfulness and should taste like Guava. It also has its own secret, since the Malay folklore is related to the white rhodendron as closely with the spirit world in the jungle. As such, it is a rare flower to find. Other folklore says that the white rhodendron flower is used in love drinks.
Interestingly, the Malaysians believe that if they find this plant in the jungle, they may not only pluck the flowers or take the cuttings home because the plant has its own guardian spirit. They believe that their cuttings will not survive, even if they plant them well. And women who have their period must not water this plant as it will die. (On the other hand, I heard the same precaution for the Kaffir -Lime plant. I wonder if a menstruating woman really has such strong strength?)
Anyway, do you know this plant? Let me hear your thoughts. Most of what I found online came from Malay blogs and seem to be repeated and repeat.
But isn’t it a wonderfully mystical plant?
