Illicium verum Hooker fil. (star anise)

Illicium verum Hooker fil. (star anise)
It is a shaped fruits, always used in dried state. Besides the regular eight-pointed shape one rarely finds specimen with a larger number of carpels. Each 12 mm long and 6 mm to 11 mm thick, radially around a short, central and blunt-ending.

Malay called it bunga lawang. It use for cooking and also for medicinal purpose. It used to cure colic and rheumatic. Sometimes the star anise tea drinks for the purpose to cure pregnant woman morning sickness.

There is an essential oil resides in pericarp, not in the seed. It contains 5 to 8 % of essential oil, which dominated by anethole (85 to 90%). The other components, phellandrene, safrole and terpineol, have only small effect on the aroma.
Illicium verum Hooker fil. (star anise)

Areca catechu

Areca catechu
Areca catechu, known commonly as Betel palm or Betel nut tree or Pinang is a medium-sized tree growing to 20 m tall, with a trunk 20-30 cm in diameter. The leaves are 1.5-2 m long, pinnate, with numerous, crowded leaflets.

Betel nut tree is very attractive palm to about 10 m high, with dark green leaves, and an attractive dark green, ringed trunk. It has fragrant, scented, white flowers, which form into orange/scarlet fruit about 50 mm (2 inchs) long.

Betel nut was distributed by indigenous people throughout tropical Asia as far as East Africa and the Pacific before the arrival of Europeans in the region. The palm was distributed to the Pacific islands aboard sailing canoes by the prehistoric ancestors of the Micronesians who explored and settled the islands of the western pacific.

The seed of Areca catechu is used for medicinal purpose. The seed when it chewed is intoxicating. However, it can be used for urinary bleeding or to treat intestinal worms. It also can treat, fever and diarrhea too. The nuts are chewed which was dried and broken down into smaller, usually in wrapped with betel leaves, along with some lime and spices for flavoring. Chewing the nut releases brightly yellow colored keratin.

There is little evidence to support clinical use of betel, but the constituents have demonstrated pharmacological actions. The main active component, the alkaloid arecoline, has potent cholinergic activity.
Areca catechu

Malay Believe of Natural Phenomena

Malay Believe of Natural Phenomena
Most Malays imagine that the world is of an oval shape, revolving upon its own axis four times in the space of one year; that the sun is a circular body of fire moving round the earth, and producing the alternations of night and day. Certain native Malays imagined the firmament to consist of a sort of stone or rock which they called Batu Hampar, or “bed rock,” the appearance of stars being cause by light which streams through its perforations.

Malay theory of the earth declares it to be carried by a colossal buffalo upon the tip of it horns. When one horn begins to tire the buffalo tosses it up and catches it upon the tip of the other. This world-buffalo stands upon an island in the midst of the nether ocean. The universe is girt round by an immense serpent or dragon which feeds upon its own tail.

Some Malays ascribe the tides to the influence of the sun; others to some unknown current of the ocean; but the generality believe confidently the following, which is more skeleton of the original legend. In the middle of the great ocean grows an immense tree, called Pauh Janggi, at the root of which is a cavern called Pusat Tassek, or navel of the lake. This is inhabited by a vast crab, who goes forth at stated period during the day. When the creature returns to its abode the displaced water causes the flow of the tide; when he departs, the water rushing into the cavern causes the ebb. Malay Believe of Natural Phenomena