Misai kucing (Orthosiphon stamineus)

what is Misau Kucing?

Ortosiphon aristatus is a medicinal plant that can be found mainly through Asia. The Cat's whiskers is native to tropical areas of Asia and has spread to the East Indies, Indochina and Indonesia. It is also cultivated in Java and Sumatra. In Malaysia it is known as Misau Kucing .The plant being called as the Cat's whiskers because it have four strikingly long stamens, which stick out, as long as a pen and it looks like a cat's whiskers sticking out from the white to pale purple flowers lip. The flowers are in spike-like flowery whorls, which is expressed by the epithet: Lat "aristatus" (= with ears). The genus name Orthosiphon comes from the Greek and means "upright tube." The perennial, herbaceous plants will grow up to 60 inches and has purple, four-sided stems that are coarsely toothed with pointed leaves, and being arranged in decussate.

benefits of Misau Kucing?

• Traditionally the Cat's whiskers are being used to treat diabetes, kidney or renal stones, urinary disorders, high blood pressure, rheumatism, arteriosclerosis, nephritis and gout. 
• It Also have antifungal and anti-bacterial properties.
•  According to the research that has been done the Cat's whiskers has antioxidant activity so it suppress NO and PGE2 production by inhibiting ROS generation and other inflammatory mediators.
• Misau Kucing also have  Ability to retard growth of blood vessel in adjunct to chemotherapy of breast cancer.
• the Cat's whiskers is antihypertensive,which means this herbs can reduce the blood pressure.
• besides that this herbs also have anti-diabetic properties, so the Cat's whiskers can help a patient with diabetes to lower the blood sugar.

it is save to consume the Cat's whiskers?

the dried plant of misau kucing is used as tea to treat various disease

according to Mohamed et al, 2010 the Ethanol extract (50%) of Cat's whiskers did not cause death and there were no indication of acute of subchronic toxicity following necropsy and histopathology in rats. however please seek advice from your doctor if you had take another medication before use this herbs.
[Toxicity evaluation of a standardised 50% ethanol extract of Orthosiphon stamineus. Mohamed et al. 2010. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 133(2): 358-363]