While walking on a trail near my house yesterday evening, one of the plants that literally caught my attention was the cat's whiskers with its elongated white flowers. As the name implies, the flower truly resembles the shape of a cat's whiskers and it is also known as Misai Kucing in malay. The scientific name is Orthosiphon aristatus and the plants are found mainly in South East Asia and tropical Australia.
This is a herbal remedy in the mint family which is often used for making Java tea. It is claimed to have anti-inflammatory and magical healing properties and is commonly used to cure ailments of the kidney, bladder stone, hypertension, urinary tract infection, liver and other related disorders. The herbs are also useful in the treatment of diabetes, rheumatism, gout and managing cholestrol levels.
Fresh or dried leaves can be used for making tea. Has anyone heard about it or tried this before? I'm a tea drinker and one of these days I'll need to experiment making tea out of the leaves.
This extraordinary plant is easily propagated by the cut stem. It attracts butterflies and it also provides plenty of nectar for bees and hummingbirds.
First Commenter - Jama
42 comments:
They are so beautiful! I never knew of it's uses, I always thought they are for the cat! thanks for the enlightenment.
Beautiful mustache! ;)
i have not come across the tea before. i guess it wasn't too widely popular in the market? the flower when it comes in bunch as you had taken, it looks stunning! :)
I love the cat's whisker flowers. They are so lovely and also an interesting post about the plant.
Oh wow, this is an amazing plant.
Very cool. I hadn't seen that one before. Thanks for posting.
What a lovely plant and beautiful beautiful flowers. Your photos are great. Thanks for stopping by my blog! So glad to have found yours. Carol
I just want to add that I think your header and title are fabulous... gorgeous header photo! carol
Hehe,
When i was a kid, I hate to see the whiskers of my cats. So i decided to trim them. And they looked funny. Hehehe
I have heard that this plant (or is it the flower) has a smell to it or something. Is that true?
LR: What a beauty, I have only seen them in photos.
Great flower picture! In the mini picture on my side bar it looked like an x mas tree but my happy surprise was the mint you have shown us today. :)
How pretty! BTW thanks for dropping by my WW post last week :)
This is so beautiful !!This is so lovely !!!Unseen Rajasthan
Wow! The look majestic in the first picture. Like a pagoda. LOL :D
Yeah! Misai kuing. They are used traditionally right? To treat a lot of disease?
They say this cats' whisker can help to reduce cholesterol. :p Perhaps we should take it regularly.
Anyway thanks for sharing LR.
I live in tropical north Qld and have lots of these in my garden. There are 2 colours - white and lilac. I have never heard of the tea though.
It is called Java tea here, but I had no idea it had such beautiful flowers!
nice flower..
Very pretty it looks so delicate I don't think we have that here, we have wildflowers similar in shape but without the "whiskers"!
that is one flower with attitude...i simply love it!
This is very informative. Thanks.
I've heard these flowers called misai kucing but i didn't know it's used for making Java tea! thanks for sharing LR :)
These flower's name is really true to its name! I have not heard of its uses,
BTW, your PH post on your sister, I think I may have visited her blog but then she does not blog anymore and she got married sometime in June. I remember that red dress. Correct me if I am wrong.
Thanks for the visit!
The flower is so special, really look like cat's whiskers from side-view. I don't have much knowledge on planting.
Good morning LR! U feeling better from ur flu?
Sounds like a beneficial plant and it looks cute too! :)
I didn't know much abt this plant until this post, thanks for sharing sweetie. ENjoy the rest of ur day. :)
Mei Teng
The leaves do have a bit of a smell. if you're a tea lover, try the Cat's Whiskers if you get a chance. It has a lot going for it!
Ebie,
my sis was married in Dec last year. and the red dress could have worn by someone like her. as far as i know, she's busy as a bee and she does not have a blog. :)
thanks for visiting too.
Mariuca,
thanks for your concern. i'm fine now. *hugs*
have a wonderful week dear.
They are beautiful. I had no idea that's what they were called. Very interesting.
Very interesting flower; it really looks like the cat's whiskers.
I never heard of this flowers before yet alone drink its tea... Wow nice info. thanks LR.
Ha ha! Really look like real cat whiskers. ;p
The whisker is as white as mine, but don't ask am I serious.
Misai kucing = cat's whisker? Now only I know! Haha! Not very good in flowers! But love them!!
So this plant is very beneficial for health? One of the wonders of nature : )
i am a tea drinker too but i don't really get to drink tea now since i got pregnant. I researched that lemongrass is not that good. The green tea that i love has lemongrass in it so i am for the safer side.
I didn't know those flowers are called that way. It really resembles cat's whiskers =)
This is a very cool plant. My husband is a botanist and really likes plants in the mint family. This was a new plant to him. I'm also sorry that we didn't see this when we were in Borneo in February. Maybe it doesn't bloom until this time of year.
Oh wow, LR, they do look like whiskers! How cute! *hugs*
Post a Comment