Dokudami

Dokudami is known world wide. In China, it is called Houttuynia Cordata, taken from the name of the Dutch scientist, Dr. Houttuynia and Cordata, the Latin word for heart, because of the shape of its leaf. It is also known even as far as US and Australia as heartleaf and lizard tail. It is also called fish mint or fish wort because of its fishy smell. But in Japan where it originated, Dokudami literally means poison block because of its ancient cure-all properties. It gets rid of toxins to control asthma and allergies, body aging, cancer, acne, and more.

Get your Dokudami at https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ at Php60/seedling bag.

This herbal is both traditional medicine and food that can be taken fresh or dried as tea or as vegetable. This perennial plant grows well with the least sunlight or in total shade with sufficient moisture.  

As medicine, it can be taken orally or externally.  In Japan, it is made into tea called Dokudami Cha. Taken orally, it controls pneumonia, pleurisy, cough, chronic urinary or cervical infection, fever, gastritis, dyspepsia, tumors and more.  Applied externally, it has shown effectiveness in swelling, hemorrhoids, and can be used as urinary antiseptic and for congested nose (rub on nostrils) and many more.  This herbal is used for detox footpads to remove body waste and also used for herbal bath.   

     

There are 6 verified benefits of Dokudami:

1. Histamine Blocker – It controls overproduction of histamine that causes asthma, allergies and anaphylactic shock.

2. Free Radical Scavenger – It prevents body aging and diseases like cancer. It has Polypenol, an active free radical-neutralizing chemical that fights free radicals that is caused by burned food, processed food, pollution.

3. Controls Bacteria – It evidently controls acne-producing bacteria like Staphylococcus Epidermis and Propionibacterin.

4. Increase immune system – It stimulates lympocytes, a part of the body’s defense mechanism.

5. Reduce inflammation – It is one of the eight compounds in Chinese medicine that was used to cure SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).

6. Anti-microbial, Disinfectant, and Anti-inflammatory 

As food, it is used as garnish in Vietnam.  In North Eastern India, it is called Ja Mardoh and is used as salad or cooked vegetable.

Get your Dokudami at https://herbalandherbs.wordpress.com/ at Php60/seedling bag.

I had colds and slight asthma this May. To test the benefits of Dokudami, I ate 3 fresh leaves with vinegar and garlic several times. I even tried to put it in fish sauce. In a short time, I was back to normal. I also added some leaves in both our noodle soup and vegetable soup and even tried adding it to our breakfast fried rice with dilis (anchovy).    

With my allergic tendencies to antibiotics, I am thankful that we have Dokudami available. It serves as a histamine blocker which controls anaphylactic shock.  According to Encyclopedia Brittanica, anaphylactic shock is an antigen-antibody reaction of the body from antibiotics causing skin flushing and itchiness of the whole body, etc. I have had several not-so-good experiences of anaphylactic shock and this is why I am extra careful when taking antibiotics. Dokudami is definitely heaven’s gift for me.

Em-em

The Gardener

Sources:

Benefits of Dokudami. Retrieved from http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/benefits-of/dokudami.

Houttuynia Cordata. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata.

Anaphylaxis. In Encyclopedia Brittanica. (pp. 370-371).