In Aceh, this leaf is known as on bilie (bemban leaf).
Bemban leaf is a type of herbaceous plant, or a plant whose stems are soft because they do not form wood. Bemban are found growing wild on the banks of rivers or lakes, forests or plantations. Bemban is easy to grow in wet areas. In addition, bemban will also be found in bamboo forests. Bemban plants are found in Southeast Asia, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Even bemban can also be found in the area of Taiwan and India.
Bemban or Donax canniformis is a plant that also has many benefits. Some of the properties of this bemban such as medicine for boils, eye drops, and also medicine from snake bites.
The stem of this bemban is often used as raw material for making handicrafts. Usually this bemban stem is used as a woven material. Not only the stems and leaves, the fruit of the Bemban tree is also edible, the fruit tastes sweet and a little starchy Unfortunately in this post I did not find a fruitful Bemban tree, I only found a young Bemban tree.
Bemban is a herbaceous plant that has a characteristic tree height of about 2-4, leaf nodes wrapped around a green round stem, and branched white flowers.
From the information I found on several websites, the chemical content in Bemban consists of flavonoids, saponins and polyphenols.
See from the function, this chemical content is good enough to cure various diseases. I will briefly explain about flavonoids, saponins and polyphenols
- flavonoids
Flavonoids are a group of pigments present in plants. About 60 percent of polyphenols belong to the flavonoid group. Some examples of substances included in flavonoid antioxidants are flavones, isoflavones, anthosiadins, quercetin, kaempferol, catechins, and anthocyanins. Flavonoids can be found in fruits and vegetables as well as foods high in antioxidants, such as apples, oranges, grapes, mangoes, sugar apple, onions, taro, mustard greens, spinach, katuk leaves, and green tea and dark chocolate.
- Saponins
Saponins are glycosides have aglycones in the form of steroids and triterpenoids. Saponins have various glycosyl groups attached to the C3 position, but some saponins have two sugar chains attached to the C3 and C17 positions. The saponin structure causes saponins to act like soap or detergent so that saponins are called as a natural surfactant.
Saponins which are widely contained in plants have long been used for traditional medicine. Saponins are compounds in the form of glycosides that are widely distributed in higher plants and some marine animals and are a group of compounds that vary in structure, physicochemical properties and biological effects.
- polyphenols
Polyphenols are a group of natural compounds found in plants and have a variety of health benefits. Food sources of polyphenols can be fruits, vegetables, spices, tea, dark chocolate, and wine.
The benefit of polyphenols are can lower blood glucose (glycemia) levels and protect against various diseases such as cancer. Polyphenols help fight the formation of free radicals in the body so that it can slow down premature aging.
Its very wonderful isn't it? With the three chemical content contained in the bemban plant, it will certainly provide useful properties.
now let's about the benefits of bemban for health.
In its role as an herbal medicine, bemban leaves are often used as a medicine for ulcers, soothes swelling, and as eye drops. The fluid that comes out of the young bemban can also be used to cure snake bites.
The way of applying bemban leaves as herbal medicine is very easy. To cure boils, all you have to do is take a few wilted bemban leaves, then warm them with wax, or grind the leaves.
After that, stick the leaves on the boil. This will accelerate the aging of the boil and kill the bacteria inside. Meanwhile, the water in young bemban leaves is useful as an eye medicine.
The method is very easy. We only need to take the shoots from the bemban leaves, which are still rolled up. Inside the roll there is water that we can drop into our eyes. This is a great way to treat eye irritation problems. And the sensation when dripping water from this bemban leaf is that the eyes will feel cold.
Bemban plants can also be a source of anti-oxidants for the body. The fulfillment of anti-oxidants in the body can be a way to boost the immune system. Anti-oxidants will make the body avoid various diseases. These anti-oxidants will also play a role in preventing the entry of free radicals into the body. With this anti-oxidant, the damaged cells in the body will be replaced with new ones. Bemban plants, on the leaves also function as anti-bacterial. This bemban leaf will prevent the body from bacteria and viruses that can attack the body.
How to use it is very easy. The leaves of the bemban can be crushed or boiled, then we can use them. The anti-bacterial content in bemban leaves also functions as a deterrent for the body to avoid bacterial diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid.
That's all of the benefits of bemban leaves, thank you
