Daun kesum is an essential ingredient
for making laksa. Without daun kesum, there is no way your laksa can be complete. At some places in Malaysia, daun kesum is refered to as "daun laksa" or laksa leaves. The English name for it is most probably Vietnamese mint but not really sure because the real Vietnamese mint is maybe slightly different but still belongs to the same family. Daun kesum is a member of the mint family. The leaves are green and will turn yellow and then brown when they start withering. The stalks will grow and grow if you let them but, trim the tips to let them branch out.
Other than laksa, the leaves can be used as an additional herb when you make nasi ulam, nasi kerabu and when you make asam pedas or other fish dishes. It can be sliced thinly as garnishing, eaten raw or added in sour spicy soup like laksa.
The smell of this minty herb is strong and unmistakable. Therefore, it is good to be used in a fish dish with gravy to counterbalance the fishy smell.
To start planting the herb is very simple indeed.
Get a few stalks of fresh daun kesum from the wet market or if your friend has a herb garden, ask for some stalks from her.
Place the stalks in a jam jar or glass filled with 1 cm of water. Let them sit for a few days until a substantial length of roots can be seen growing at the bottom of the jar.
Transfer your stalks into a container filled with damp earth. Cover about 2.5cm of the stalks in the dirt. Make sure the bottom of the container has some small holes to let excess water to flow out. See, it is easy to grow your own daun kesum.
The herb needs very little maintenance except for enough water to ensure the earth it is planted in is always damp. Oh yes, also plenty of sunlight. You can place the herb pot at the window sill or if you have a balcony, place it there. It grows well in your backyard too.
Fertilizer made of compost is good for the leaves. Old wives have this tip to nourish your herbs: use the bloody water that remained after washing and gutting your fish to spray on the leaves and earth, it is supposed to be full of nutrients for plant. Do this treatment every two weeks or so.
Daun kesum grows very fast. Given good care and enough water, within a week you can already have a bunch filling up your ice-cream tub already.
1. Medicinal Properties
According agree: bearded anti-inflammatory effects downstream gas, stimulate digestion, except welding style, active blood poison.
It has been used in folk such as the following cases:
- Full stomach distension sluggish digestion using a handful of laksa leaves crushed clean drinking water squeezed.
- Nasal flu: a handful of bearded, ginger 3 slices, 20g laksa leaves, 20g shiso leaves 16g marjoram, 16g calamus, 10g chuanxiong and 10g angelica .Combination all of them inside the pot .slow cook about half hour and drink it
- Snake bite treatment: a handful of crushed mustache juiced drink to the victim. Residue cover on where the wound bandaged jack (to do sooner or good results)
- Diarrhoea, abdominal pain due to cold: 16g laksa leaves (dried), white Atractylodes 12g, 16g marjoram, 12g wage Jiang, 10g cinnamon, 4g ginger, 4g baking powder. Pour 2 cup of water, 1 cup of sharp longer. Day in 2 divided doses.
- Feet of drinking water: mustache crushed up on where to get hurt. Or crushed spots where water remains sore. Day 2 time (keep the wound will dry to prevent multiple infections)
- Acne is the stage pointed mustache outline a handful, a few grains of salt. Two crushed, boil up into bands. Day1. This method for all cases of pimples, pressure will is in the early stages. Effects: Anti-inflammatory, blood work, poison.
