JASMINE 茉莉花

In my previous post, I blogged about my beautician, Jasmine and that gave me an idea to do a blog about the flower she is named after. In the West Coast of Malaysia, it is very common to see Indian ladies or men selling strings of jasmine flower by the road side or at the market place as offerings to the deities. This flower is often grown in homes as the flowers give off a lovely scent. The flowers are worn by some women in their hair during special occasions and when they go to the temple. The Chinese also process it into Jasmine flower tea (茉莉花茶; mò lì huā chá).

Jasmine can not only be used as an aromatic scent but it also has several uses as a herbal remedy due to its healing properties. It is used as an Indian Ayurvedic herbal remedy for cleansing as well as for the treatment for many different ailments by the Chinese. The jasmine is used as a herbal remedy in the form of a relaxant for nerves, an astringent, a sedative, an aphrodisiac, assists in increasing milk flow, and as an analgesic. The jasmine is also used to help build up immunity, and to reduce fevers. Traditional Chinese Medicine. The Chinese would brew jasmine plant flowers in the form of a herbal remedy tea.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine