Pandan (Pandanus amaryllifolius)
Common names
-Pandan wangi, pandan bau, pandan rampai (Malay)
-Fragrant pandan, fragrant screwpine, indonesian screwpine, umbrella tree (English)
-Qi ye lan (Chinese)
-Ramba (Tamil)
Descriptions
- a member of the Pandanaceae family
- a shrub that grows in clumps in two forms: up to height of 1.6 m as small form and up to 4.5 m as large form
- stem is slender, about 2–5 cm thick
- leaves: green to pale green, broad, linear, prominent twin lateral pleats above, the margins entire except at leaf apex with presence of few prickles with 1 mm long; adult leaves are about 80–110 cm long and 6–8 cm wide with rather abruptly rounded or acute tip
Chemical contituents
2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, ethyl formiate, 3-methyl-2-(5H)-furanone, 3-hexanol, 4-methylpentanol, 3-hexanone and 2-hexanone, piperidine-type alkaloids (pandamarine, pandamerilactones), gallic acid, alkaloid (pandamarilactonines-A and-B, pandamarilactone-1, pandamarilactone-32 and pandamarilactone-31), free amino acids (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, valine, threonine)
Traditional uses
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used as a colorant (green colour), fragrant imparter and an appetite stimulant in the cooking
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used externally as a sedative for restlessness
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used in the treatment of chicken pox and small pox
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used in the treatment rashes of measles
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for rheumatic pains and body aches
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used in the treatment of neurasthenia (lassitude, fatigue, headache, and irritability, associated chiefly with emotional disturbance)
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to relieve restlessness
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for the treatment of gonorrhoea, syphilis and dengue
Preparation/ part of plants used
Leaves (fresh)
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to treat diabetes
Leaves: soak in coconut oil
Leaves: pounded until it comes to lotion form
Leaves: grind and mixed in vinegar
Roots: harvested, dried and made into a drinkable tea using a handful of the roots in 1 litre of water
Leaves: embrocating the leaves in coconut oil and massaged on to the effected region
Leaves: decoction and drink it
Leaves: is chopped and steeped into hot water and the infusion given 2 – 3 times a day
Leaves: extract the juice by pounding a few leaves and squeezing out the juice