Scientific name: Gynura procumbens
Malay name: Sambung nyawa/Akar sebiak/Kelemai merah
Family: Asteraceae
Origin: Myanmar and China
This perennial plant is very, very easy to grow from cuttings. It is a shrub found in South and Southeast Asia particularly Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, and is a well-known traditional herb in the region. It grows well in shade and very rarely flowers (orange/yellow).
The leaves of this 'Longevity plant' may be consumed fresh or dried but I have read in some herb books the warning that not more than 2 leaves are to be consumed at a time. Yet in other information sources the leaves are touted as 'vegetables' (for diabetes and hypertension). Below is information found at the Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam on the considerable medicinal values of this plant. It is no wonder it is also called Longevity spinach or Leaves of the gods.
I have two containers of this plant, originally obtained from my sister's garden in Taman Keramat. I have heeded the 'two-leaf rule' and usually pluck and eat the leaves fresh. Best not to eat too much of these leaves of longevity lest one wants to live forever?
The December rains have brought the usual annual floods especially to the East Coast states of Kelantan and Terengganu. Here in Shah Alam, it rains almost daily, usually in the late afternoons and evenings.
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