Medicinal benefits
Consumed widely in Indonesia and South East Asia, cat whiskers herb also popularly known as Java tea is commonly brewed as a tea for its revered medicinal properties. The herb has its origins from the oceanic region and was made popular to the West in early 20th century. Cat whiskers herb is native in the tropical region of Australia and can be found in South East Asia and also certain parts of India. The plant belongs to the mint family and it owes its name to its flower which has long protruding stamens resembling cat's whiskers. Its beautiful white and purple flowers and the ease to grow makes it a favorite amongst avid gardeners. Its scientific name is Orthosiphon stamineus. It is also commonly referred as Orthosiphon aristatus.
Figure 1: Indication of Orthosiphon stamineus
Beauty is not just skin deep for Cat Whiskers herb, it is packed with powerful anti-oxidants giving it many medicinal properties (Akowuah et al., 2004). Some of the phytochemicals isolated from the herb include terpenes, flavonoids, caffeic acid derivatives and essential oils (Tezuka et al., 2000). It is used in both Traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine and widely used to treat high blood pressure, diabetes (Sriplang et al., 2007) and inflammatory joint conditions (Yam et al., 2009) such as gout and rheumatoid arthritis (Figure 1). The herb is also renowned for its effectiveness in treating urogenital tract infection and renal gravel which is a recognisedmedicinal property of this herb by Committee of Herbal Medical Product of the European Medical Agency (EMA). Its powerful diuretic property (Van deer Veen et al., 1979) helps to flush the urinary tract from residing bacteria by halting bacterial colonisation and adherence to the urinary tract surfaces. This flushing property also helps to rid of renal gravel. Therefore, it is not a surprise why the herb is also known as “Indian kidney tea”. Orthosiphon leaves are rich in caffeic acid derivatives. This is a group of anti-oxidant rich compounds that can be found in mint, sage, thyme, cinnamon, star anise and even red wine! One compound that can be found in high level in this medicinal herb is rosmarinic acid (Akowuah et al., 2004). The same compound found in rosemary! Rosmarinic acid has been shown to help to reduce glucose absorption by reducing carbohydrate metabolism and absorption. It works by inhibiting pancreatic a-amylase and intestinal a-glucosidase, two enzymes that are important in the absorption of starch and uptake of glucose (Mohamed EA, et al., 2012). Cat Whiskers herb can also increase the level of leptin, a powerful metabolic hormone that help to reduce your appetite.
