 Botany
Añgañgi is a smooth herb that grows in water or marshy places. Stems are stout, erect, simple, 30 to 60 cm in length, and rarely branched above. Leaves are linear-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 2 to 6 cm in length, 0.5 to 1 cm in width, opposite and whorled, with pointed tip, rounded and clasping base, and toothed margins. Flowers are pink or pale purple, and borne singly or in whorls in inflorescences at the axils of the leaves, with long, very slender pedicels 1 to 1.5 cm long. Calyx is about 4 mm long, glandular, and divided into lanceolate segments. Corolla is 1.2 cm long. Capsules are oblong and pointed at the tip.
Distribution
In marshes and open wet places at low and medium altitudes, ascending to 1,600 meters.
Found in Ilocos Norte, Bontoc, Benguet, Nueva Viscaya, and Camarines Provinces in Luzon; in Palawan, Polilo and Mindanao.
Occurs in India to Formosa through Malaya to tropical Australia.
Constituents
- Analysis of essential oil showed the major components were limonene (15.09%), (+)-trans-isolimonene (14.52%) and a-humulene (6.04%).
- Other oil constituents are perillaldehyde and a monoterpenoid ketone, cis-4-caranone.
Properties
Cooling, febrifuge, galactagogue.
Parts used
Plant, leaves, roots.
Uses
Edibility
Herb has an intense lemon-like flavor.
In Java, plant is eaten raw or steamed; thought to be good for quieting the stomach after eating durian.
A popular culinary herb in Vietnamese cuisine.
Folkloric
Leaves are used for poulticing sores on legs.
Decoction of leaves and roots given for fevers.
Plant used as a cooling medicine for fevers.
Used by nursing mothers when their milk is sour; also used as a galactagogue.
Studies
• Antioxidant: Study of the antioxidant properties of a methanol extract, essential oil and related compounds showed the methanol extract and essential oil exhibiting free radical scavenging, NO radical scavenging and antilipid peroxidation. However, both showed less potent antioxidant activity than the reference compounds, torlox and curcumin.
• Antioxidant / Vascular Protective: Study of three popular Thai dietary and herbal plants, Cratoxylum formosum, Syzygium gratum and Limnophila aromatica for antioxidant and vascular protective activities in in vitro and in vivo models showed the plant extracts to possess antioxidants and have potential roles in prevention of vascular dysfunction.
• Studies: Studies
Availability
Wild-crafted.
|
