Mid-December 2018, I was walking with a colleague around St Leonards for lunch. As we were heading for the park, I noticed a plant from the corner of my eyes. It had leaves that looked familiar. So I stopped to have a closer look and recognised it was a Talinum paniculatum aka Jewels of Opar or Fake Ginseng due to its root of the same shape as the real Ginseng.
I'm familiar with the plant because my dad, in New Caledonia, has plenty of them in his garden and we do eat the leaves just like Malabar Spinach. But little did I know, there is more to the plant than just being very nutritious. It also has some medicinal properties that have been confirmed by Science.
Here are some papers about this plant:
- CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND EVALUATION OF ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIFUNGAL, ANTIMYCOBACTERIAL, AND CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITIES OF Talinum paniculatum
- A Comparative Study on In Vitro Antibacterial Activity of
Different Leaf Extracts of Medicinal Plant Talinum paniculatum - Talinum paniculatum root exhibits synergistic antimicrobial activity with Tetracycline, Erythromycin, and Streptomycin against S. aureus but has no observed effect on antibiotic efficacy against E. coli
So today, I went back to the spot and the plant, of course, has grown bigger and stronger. It has produced a lot of tiny fruits looking like small jewels, hence its name. With the rain these last few days, I was able to dig the soil with my bare hand and pull out the plant and its root system. I will be making multiple cuttings from it to propagate as it easily roots from them.
I also collected few handfuls of the soil to protect the roots in a plastic bag and will be adding it to the pot where I will be planting it. Hopefully, it will thrive and spread in my backyard.
Previously on my blog:
- Garden summer update
- Some places to eat in Nouméa, New Caledonia
- Merry Christmas to everyone
- Making Turmeric powder and starch at home
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