Limnophila chinensis (Finger Grass) - Nature's gift

Finger grass is a precious vegetable with many positive effects on health. It is one of the precious remedies of Oriental medicine. It favors wet weather, near water, and grows well in countries with tropical climates.

The scientific name of the finger grass is Limnophilia chinensis belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae.

Describe

Finger grass is a herbaceous plant with a height of about 20cm, spongy stem with many hairs. Leaves are smooth, opposite, stemless, slightly hugging the stem. There are two types of finger grass: 2-leaf finger grass (opposite) and 3-leaf finger grass (circle), any type can be used. Stems and leaves have a very fragrant smell, "gourmets" think that braised vegetables have a taste between cinnamon and cumin, and with a slight lemon smell, so they are grown (or grown wild) as a spice.

Parts Used: Whole plant, young leaves are often picked and eaten raw, eaten with pho or cooked with sour soup. To make medicine, people often collect them, wash them, cut them short for fresh use, or dry them for storage.

In finger grass, there are 92% water, 2.1% protid, 1.2% glucid, 2.1% cellulose, 0.8% ash, 0.29% vitamin B, 2.11% vitamin C, 2.11% carotene, containing many essential oils (0.1%), mainly limonene, perilla aldehyde, monoterpenoid ketone, and cis-4-caranone, in addition to coumarine and flavonoid groups with anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects bacteria.

According to Oriental medicine, finger grass has a spicy, aromatic, slightly acrid taste, cool properties, has the effect of clearing heat, sedation, detoxification, emphysema, anti-inflammatory, anti-swelling, pain relief, intestinal antiseptic, as a diuretic. urine, kidney stones, hot fever, anti-aging, cancer prevention... treatment of hydrocephalus, conjunctivitis, leprosy, chickenpox, treatment of abdominal pain.

In China, finger grass is used to treat injuries from falls and to treat hydrocephalus, conjunctival swelling, skin acne, snakebite, and scarlet fever in children. Braised finger grass is also used to treat disorders, pain during menstruation, to help women produce milk.

In Malaysia: braised leaves are used as poultices for foot pain. Roots and leaves, common decoction to treat fever, clear phlegm when coughing.

In India: whole plant helps to produce milk, antiseptic; juice to treat fever, for pregnant women to drink when the milk is sour. Crushed leaves apply to the wound.

Modern pharmacology shows:

Anti-swelling activity: Research at Mahidol University (Thailand) shows that finger grass has anti-inflammatory effects.

Antioxidant activity: a collaborative study between two Mahidol University, Bangkok (Thailand) and Toyama University of Medicine and Pharmacy (Japan) found that the methanol extract of finger grass and essential oils of L. aromatica have the ability to scavenging free radicals, NO radicals and resisting lipid peroxidation reactions. The antioxidant activity of the methanol extract was stronger than that of the essential oils.

Antibacterial activity: flavonoids in braised finger grass have bactericidal activities when tested on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, showing that braised finger grass has a very good intestinal and urinary tract antiseptic.

Cytotoxic activity: nevadensin had cytotoxic activity when tested against Dalton lymphoma and rat Ehrlich cancer cells (Swiss albino). The cytotoxic activity was up to 100% at a concentration of 75 mcg/ml (International Journal of Pharmacology No. 29-1991).

Some experiences in treating diseases with finger grass

Treatment of kidney stones: finger grass has a diuretic effect, reduces smooth muscle spasms, dilates blood vessels, increases glomerular filtration; thereby increasing the amount of urine, facilitating the expulsion of kidney stones.

How to use:

·         Take 50g finger grass, fresh, wash, crush, squeeze out water, add a little salt, drink once, twice a day. Use 5-7 days. Use alone or in combination with corn silk, plantain, millstone. Consistently doing this remedy has quite good results.

·         Or use crushed finger grass, get water mixed with a little salt, drink 2 times a day in the morning and afternoon (drink immediately for 7 days).

·         Either use 50-100g of fresh finger grass as a smoothie drink every day (drink for 15-30 days) or cook with 2 cups of water, boil for 20 minutes to drink.

Treatment of gallstones, kidney stones (mud stones, stones): 100g of fresh finger grass puree, squeeze the juice, add 1 tablespoon of honey to drink in the morning on an empty stomach, continuously for 10-15 days.

Treating bedwetting: 20g finger grass, 20g Chinese smell, 20g betel nut grass, 10g small leaf milkweed. All chopped, dried, sharp with 400ml of water to 100ml, drink after dinner. Use 3-4 times.

Treatment of blood in the urine: 10g finger grass, 10g tower grass, 10g thatch root, finely chopped, dried, soaked in wine, yellow star and then drunk twice a day.

Treatment of scarlet fever: 20g finger grass, 20g purple string, 10g reed bamboo shoots, 10g fat bamboo shoots, washed, finely chopped, drink during the day.

Treat colds and coughs: use about 20g of fresh, decoction.

Treatment of long-term cough due to chronic bronchitis, sleeping or dreaming: 50g of finger grass (braised) washed, crushed and squeezed to extract the juice + 3-5 grains of salt to drink in the morning when you wake up without brushing your teeth. 10 - 15 days continuously

Cough, runny nose: 15 - 30g fresh finger grass, washed and sharp, drinking water daily.

Treatment of runny nose, snakebite: finger grass 20g, radial 15g, pound, add a little wine, squeeze out drinking water, cover residue.

Treatment of urinary incontinence, urinary frequency, urinary tract infection, pain in the lower abdomen (bladder), prostate calcification, prostate enlargement, renal colic due to kidney stones: use the whole young plant of finger grass. about 40 - 60g, then pound or put in a blender, add a glass of boiling water to cool, squeeze out the water and add a little salt to drink.

Treatment of inflammation and pain: 1 handful of fresh finger grass, washed, pounded, applied to the place of injury is very effective.

Treatment of flatulence, abdominal pain, indigestion: take fresh finger grass, wash it, and male incense (bought at male drugstores). Sac the above 2 things with 1,000ml of water and 250ml, then divide it into 2 times, drink it all during the day.

Treatment of skin wounds causing pus: pound a few fresh vegetables, apply on the wound.

Treatment of snakebites: 15-20g fresh finger grass, 25g stork ants, crush the above 2 flavors, add 20 - 30ml of white wine, drain the drinking water, and apply the residue to the bite. Or take 20 - 40g of dried finger grass, yellow star, and drink water 4-5 times in a row.

Herpes treatment: crushed fresh finger grass, extract the juice and apply on herpes round lesions (or skin diseases); combine cooking finger grass water to wash daily.

Treatment of stomach cancer, prostate cancer: 100g of finger grass, washed, crushed to extract the juice, 50g of young leaves of Hoan Ngoc plant crushed to extract the juice (can also be used as well), more 1 drop of pure bear bile, mixed all drink (eat) at 12 o'clock at night, continuously for two months.

Note: During the time of using this remedy, abstain from eating seafood, oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, custard apple, should eat soursop, pomegranate, ripe persimmon, saboche.

Make the mind clear, refreshed, excited to work all day, treat anemia, constipation, flatulence, indigestion, acne, acne, fatty liver, fatty blood, acute stomach pain, onion ulcers duodenum: 100g of dried finger grass leaves with yellow star ground 3 times with 100g of fresh mint (the stalks have not been peeled) and 100ml of water for 10 minutes, drinking 1 time in the morning on an empty stomach is better. Drink 5 times, take 5 days off, alternately until the disease is gone, up to 1 month (3 times in total).

During the time of using this remedy, do not use mint-flavored remedies (along the mosquito net).

Treatment of fatty liver disease, fatty blood, colon cancer, stomach cancer, liver cancer: 100g of dried finger grass (braised) dried with golden star once sharp 10 minutes with 50g of dried mint 1 time in 100ml of drinking water continuously for 1 month in the evening, after eating.

Note: abstain from seafood, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, should eat soursop, pomegranates, ripe persimmons, sabos.

Treatment of colon cancer, bladder cancer: 100g of fresh finger grass leaves, 100g of young finger grass leaves, pounded, squeezed to extract the juice (can also be used with finger grass leaves), add 5 tablespoons of vinegar made from bananas Drink (eat) at 12 noon.

Abstain from seafood, oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, should eat soursop, pomegranates, ripe persimmons, sabochi.

In cuisine, finger grass is a type of spice used in many dishes such as raw vegetables, served with pho, noodle soup or sour soup with sea fish, cod fish, bringing a particularly delicious taste and flavor. prevent many diseases.

When used in fresh form, because the stem has many hairs, it is difficult to wash off all disease-causing bacteria, so when processing dishes, especially raw dishes, it is necessary to wash vegetables thoroughly, if any. can be soaked with potassium permanganate, salt water to avoid food poisoning from finger grass; Dip finger grass in boiling water with a temperature of 40 - 45oC to kill fluke eggs (because plants live in swamps, ponds, often have insects or eggs clinging to the stem and leaves).

In addition, finger grass is easily confused with Enhydra fluctuans Lour. belonging to the Asteraceae family (Compositae), which is a plant that lives on the surface of water or submerged.