AN ENTIRELY HERBAL WORLD

AN ENTIRELY HERBAL WORLD

By Stephen Ng

Bougainvillea may be very common in most Malaysian homes, but probably not many people know that the flowers are considered a kind of herb.

The flower petals can be made into soup or cooked with omelette. This is in fact the way how Tiang Koon Cheong introduces visitors to the world of herbs, when they visited his herbal farm at Kilometre 10, Jalan Kuala Klawang in Seremban.

Tiang’s Indonesian maid prepared three dishes of omelette – one cooked with the flower petals from the Bougainvillea, another with the leaves from the Star of Alternanthera (known also as Bintang Merah or Bintang Langit), and a third from the Drooping clinacanthus (local name: Pokok Mulut Buaya).

Offering both local and foreign visitors a free tour of his 34-acre of herbal farm, where he has already grown over 700 species of herbs since 2005, Tiang is an ardent believer in the wonders of natural herbs.

Herbs as vegetable dishes

“In the past, people take herbs only to cure their illnesses,” he enthused. “What’s more important is for people to treat herbs as vegetables that they can prepare into dishes or soup for the entire family.”

In some countries, he added, herbs are gaining popularity as a vegetable dish. “For example, in China, one kilogram of Dry moglossu piloselloides can cost about Renmibi 6,” he said. “People are consuming it, because herbs are generally good for health. You do not wait until you fall ill before looking for a cure in the herbs. Prevention is better than cure.”

Tiang, an ardent believer in the wonders of herbs, emphasized again: “Prevention is better than cure.” This has become Tiang’s slogan for many years, whenever he has the opportunity to speak passionately about the herbs.

Tiang’s indulgence into the herbal world has an interesting history. The 70-year-old claimed that in 1967, he was very sick from some liver problems. On the advice from friends, he started taking herbs. Within a matter of months, his health condition started to improve.

Some herbs and benefits

According to Khoo, the herbs are grown here using organic fertilisers produced from vermiculture, where worms are used to compost food wastes in a bin. The farm does not use chemical pesticides.

Some of these species are processed into traditional medicine or served as tea or fried as a vegetable dish. “The benefits are simply too many to mention,” he said.

For example, the Drooping Clinacanthus (known as Pokok Mulut Buaya), he claimed, can help with pain caused by pyretic or inflammation of liver which usually leads to jaundice.

Some herbs such as the Asiatic pennywort known locally as pegaga (Centella asiatica (L) Urban ) are easy to grow. “The entire plant can be used as an antipyretic to reduce fever, or to treat sore throat, bronchitis, hypertension or injury due to bone fracture,” he added.

For people suffering from high uric acid, Khoo recommended the Cat’s Whiskers- Orthosiphon aristatus (Blume) Miq (local name: Misai Kuching). “The entire plant can also be used to treat kidney stones, arthritis, diabetes, rheumatism, diuretic and bladder stones,” he said.

The Gynura Bicolor, which can be fried and served as a dish, is good because it helps to promote blood circulation and antibleeding. “It is also antidote to reduce swelling, diabetes, cough with blood, abdominal pain due to blood stasis after delivery,” Khoo said.

For the diabetic, Stevia Leaves can be used to replace sugar in cooking or making coffee because it has a natural sweetness. Stevia leaves can also be eaten fresh. “However,” Khoo warned, “Stevia leaves are not recommended for women who want to have children.”

Farm open for visitors

The herbal farm, which is open for visit to tourists, is a partnership between Tiang and the State Department of Agriculture in an effort to cultivate herbs in a big way.

Over the past five years, Tiang has received visitors, including researchers from Poland, Egypt, Thailand, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan and India, as well as students from the local universities who carry out their research into herbs.

When the interview was carried out, his mobile phone rang, with two groups from Melaka and Kuala Lumpur wanting to visit the farm to learn about the herbs. Tiang or his assistant, a retired secondary school teacher, Khoo Kiang Lin, 65 take turns to brief the visitors about the goodness of herbs.

While Tiang can only handle Mandarin, Khoo is capable of explaining in both English and Malay. They have become a formidable pair, with Khoo now trying to compile a book on herbs so that it can benefit more people.

Almost without fail, every visitor would be served a welcome drink in the form of hot tea, made using the leaves of Star of Altenantherae, which Tiang consumes every day himself at the farm.

“This tea is good for anyone who is getting ready to undergo any heart operation,” he shared, passionately. “The herb is known to promote healing of wounds. It can also be used for people with kidney problems, heart diseases and is supposed to be good for the stomach.”

To benefit the most out of the trip, which is educational for the entire three hours, one has to be prepared with sport shoes, because it will include jungle trekking, where Tiang will show some of the herbs, such as the Tongkat Ali, are found in the wild.

For those who are more serious about herbs, Tiang has put together a one-day course from 9am through 5pm for a group of 20 people. For a fee of RM250 per pax, they will learn about the herbs, the uses and preparation. “There is also a course helping to develop herbs business entrepreneurs,” he said.

Apart from just an educational trip, herbs are an area where a lot of research still needs to be carried out although it has been used as traditional medicine for many generations. Neither the New Straits Times nor the writer will be liable for misinformation and readers are advised to countercheck with their doctors before consuming any herb.

Direction to get there: The farm is located at Kilometre 10, Jalan Kuala Klawang in Negeri Sembilan. From Seremban town, go past King George V secondary school and drive along Jalan Zaaba until you reach the junction where you see Bomba station. AT this junction, turn left into Jalan Dato Muda Linggi. Drive all the way straight along Jalan Pantai until you reach a junction that connects to Jalan Kuala Klawang. Drive along Jalan Kuala Klawang and you see the famous Ostrich Farm in Seremban. From here, drive a few more kilometres and watch out for a few signages which says, “Taman Herba” (Herbal Farm).