Skip to main content

Jew Mallow...A Rediscovery of an Interesting Plant

I am a big fan of the Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merit Society in Penang.

I think they do a fantastic job of serving the community (especially helping underprivileged dialysis patients who can't afford to visit regular hospitals for dialysis treatments, the elderly and such).

In my taman, I love the fact that they're just around the corner with their recycling centre. I drop off my recyclables every week or so and I know that the money they get from selling paper, plastic and tins go toward funding the dialysis centres that they operate in Penang.

The only thing which I don't quite understand is that they recycle books. If you sent them a bunch of books, they would never sell the books as reading materials. They would tear the books up and sell the paper for recycling.

Once I volunteered with them in my taman. They asked me to sort out the different types of paper - among them were old but readable books. I saw a book that I wanted and I even asked if I could pay for the book. They told me it was strict policy that they cannot allow any donated recyclables be sold off. They had to tear up the books.

As a big book fan, I was aghast. I never tear books. I find it sacrilegious to do so! In fact I was quite disturbed about such a policy.

Anyway, that is the only pet peeve I have with these people. Generally they are staffed by volunteers so I don't know whom I could take this matter up with!

But beside this, I have always bought products from Tzu-Chi too. They have lots of interesting products for sale - books by Master Cheng Yen, edibles like vegan noodles, instant rice, powdered beverages, dried fruit snacks and usables like containers made with recycled plastic. They even have t-shirts and blankets made from recycled plastic. And unlike most Chinese products, their products are tasteful and elegant.

Would you believe that these 2 cute "toys" are made from recycled PET bottles? They transform into soft blankets! 


One of the products I used to buy were the beverages - they are suited for vegans and best of all, low on sugar. Nic and I used to visit the Tzu-Chi centre on Macalister Road and buy these for our parents.

This is the blanket made by Tzu Chi from PET bottles. Amazing, isn't it! 


Last week, I bought a packet of Jew's Mallow and Jobs' Tear powdered beverage for myself. I haven't drunk their beverages in a while now. I thought I'd be better off drinking this and supporting a charity (all funds go toward the society).

I know what Jobs' Tears are but I had to re-read up on Jew's Mallow. I think I stumbled on this drink at the right time. I feel that my hair is thinning - not sure if it is from dyeing my hair with henna (which I heard happens too!) or using the wrong shampoo or just not getting enough rest and exercise. I have been very busy (as you can see from the sporadic entries in this blog) and as the final quarter of the year descends, I am getting busier than usual!

So I was undoubtedly pleased when I realized Jew's Mallow is one outstanding plant/vegetable. Apparently it is a nourishing vegetable for skin and hair. It is also known by other names such as Egyptian spinach, bush okra, West African sorrech and jute mallow.

From this website, it is said that Jew's Mallow is a traditional vegetable grown in Taiwan. This plant is rich in calcium which means it is good for the development of health teeth and bones. It also contains iron and fibre.

I bought the beverage for RM24 (approx. 550gm) and it tastes great despite the greenish hue (the green hue comes from tea extract). It is not sweet at all - I can't  stand overly sweet beverages.

This other website notes that "the leaves are very nutritious, rich in iron, protein, calcium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and dietary fiber. But jute mallow is more than just a meal. Its fiber is strong and waterproof, making it perfect for making burlap sacks, furnishings and even clothing."

If you want to see how the leaves of Jew's Mallow look like (or what it is called all over South East Asia and what other uses it has), have a look at this page.

As for me, I'll just be happy to drink this Jew's Mallow beverage if it helps my hair!




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Astralagus Tea (Huang Qi) For Liver, Kidneys and Immunity

I recently bought a small container of wild astralagus slices when I was back home in Banting to visit my dad. There's really nothing much to do in Banting except spend time with my dad or take him out for breakfast of bak kut teh or nasi lemak.  The nearest and most interesting place is Tanjung Sepat which is a seaside village that has become rather prosperous due to the influx of local tourists from other parts of Selangor or even other states.  Many come to Tanjung Sepat for its fresh seafood and fish and the seafood restaurants are a big attraction. There's also a scenic spot called the Lovers' Bridge which in the 1990s was a rickety, almost falling down wooden bridge jutting out to sea.  This is where the fishing sampan or fishing boats would moor and have their catch hauled up to the shore. I am not sure if this bridge was demolished but the bridge is no longer there. A little further down is now a man-made cement bridge that juts out to sea. Tourists can walk out to

24 Herb Tea - Bitter, Foul-Tasting But Oh So Good For You!

Was out running a couple of errands this entire afternoon and ended up buying groceries at the nearby supermarket. If I had a choice I wouldn't go into this decade-old supermarket because it's small, cramped and you tend to knock into other shoppers with your trolley (yes, the aisles are that narrow). Nic and I figured that we might as well buy our groceries since we were in this vicinity and he did need some coffee. Finally we ended up with a trolley full of cheese, butter, coffee and noodles. Anyway, I was getting thirsty after all the errands and shopping. We decided to stop and have a drink at this stall which sells Chinese herbal tea. This uncle who mans it is actually a Hong Kong native who has been living in Malaysia for a long time. He drives a little white van which he parks at the corner of a junction and opens up for business. You see, he sells hot and cold Chinese herbal teas of all types - the kind that is slowly boiled and brewed. It's common to see Mal

Have You Seen Curry Leaf Berries?

Ripe berries or fruits from my 9 foot curry leaf tree.  This is a photo of the ripe fruits from my 9 foot curry leaf tree or known scientifically as  Murraya koenigii   . Yes, most curry leaf plants are about human height.  Mine is a bit special because when it was still a young sapling, I used a lot of my own homemade compost . It had so much of nutrients that it started growing taller and taller.  Right now, it is shading the compost pots!  Which means I am cooler when I stand under this tree to do my daily composting. You see how wonderful it all works out to be?  Because these berries attract the Asian koel (black birds with fiery red eyes which make the annoying loud "ku-yo, ku-yo" sounds), the curry leaf seeds get propagated everywhere.  Yet some drop right under the tree and start growing. I have a curry leaf sapling attack haha. I keep pulling the saplings up as there's just too many.  Besides throwing them into my curries (my most