Sabah Snake Grass (优遁草)
It is a scandent shrub, with upright branches drooping over, about 1-3 m tall.Its simple, opposite, stalked leaves are lanceolate-ovate, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 4-12 cm long by 1-4 cm wide.Its dull red to orange red flowers are about 3.2 cm long, with a green base, borne in dense terminal racemes. Its fruits are in the form of a capsule, 2 cm long, shortly hairy.
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Clinacanthus nutans (Burm. f.) Lindau
COMMON NAME
CLASSIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
Plant Division Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) Plant Growth Form Shrub (Woody) Lifespan (in Singapore) Perennial Mode of Nutrition Autotrophic Plant Shape Irregular Maximum Height 1 m to 3 m PLANT CARE AND PROPAGATION
Light Preference Full Sun, Semi-Shade Water Preference Moderate Water Plant Growth Rate Moderate Propagation Method Seed, Stem Cutting USES
Used to treat insect / snake bites, skin rashes and herpes simplex virus-induced lesions, as well as diabetes and gout . Pharmalogical research indicates that the plant contains antioxidants and compounds with anti-viral, anti-inflammatory or anti-diabetic activity, but more research is needed to determine how the plant can be used medicinally.
Disclaimer
The information in this website is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.