Know the herbs

Scientific name

Phyllagathis rotudifolia (Jack) Blume

Family

Melastomataceae

Local name

Akar serau malam, seri bulan, bawal hutan, pokok fatimah, akar tapak gajah

Description

This herb is a creeping or rarely erect shrub. The leaves are orbicular or obovate-cordate, shining dark green above, red beneath, featuring 7-nerved transverse with conspicuous nervules, glabrous or sparsely hairy above, and glabrous beneath. The petiole is 4–10 cm long and red bristly along the upper edge. The flowers are 30–50 cm in the head, with magenta pedicels and a campanulate calyx. This herbal preparation comes as a pale-green powder, with a characteristic odour and is tasteless. Microscopically, Phyllagathis rotundifolia leaf powder contains adaxial epidermis, fragments of spiral vessels, and dendritic trichome.

Usage

The herb is traditionally used in the treatment of fever, stomach-ache, malaria and as a tonic. The leaves are used to treat heartburn in pounded form by applying the paste over the affected area. A decoction of the leaves is believed to hasten the delivery process of placenta after birth and able to cleanse the residual blood in uterus. The leaves are also applied over the abdomen of newborn to supply strength to the child.