Did you know that you can save your life just by looking around the garden? There are a few herbs and shrubs that we just randomly plant in our garden just because they have pretty flowers or smells good. But we’re not aware of their actual abilities.
The Garden Balsam or Kamantigue is among these plants.
Kamantigue, also known as garden balsam, is a native from South and Southeast Asian countries. It is mostly considered as a Philippine medicinal herb. This plant has the ability to provide a lot of health benefits and not only that this is completely edible. It leaves and seeds can be eaten, it leaves and young shoots can be cooked and its seeds can be eaten either raw or cooked.
Other Countries and the Folklores:
In the Philippines, its crushed leaves can be used as poultice in order to dissolve whitlow.
In Malaya, it leaves has been used as bandage for broken and torn nails.
In China, grinded seeds are prescribed for hard labor.
Its flowers are utilized for snake bites, lumbago, and even intercostal neuralgia.
For bruise, painful inflammation, joint pains, carbuncles, dysmenorrhea, lumbago, and snake bites, you can actually use its dried flowers, 3 to 6 grams or seed preparation, 3 to 7 grams or the entire plant, 9 to 15 grams, boil to decoction and then consume it.
Its seeds can be used as a medicine for cancer treatments.
For external use on any bruise or painful part, simply pound the fresh plant and use it as a bandage on the affected areas of the body.
Its leaf can be utilized as a treatment for warts.
Its roots and leaves can be used for numerous foreign bodies, coins or other metals unintentionally swallowed or even thorns or fish splinters.
In the United States, the most common use of jewel weed is to treat poison ivy rashes.
OTHERS
It can also be used as dye. It can be obtained from its flowers and leaves. In some parts of Asia, flowers are used as a substitute for Henna and dyeing finger-nails.