ULAM RAJA
Scientific name: Cosmos caudatus
Malay name: Ulam Raja
Facts:
- Ulam raja is indigenous throughout Central and South America, as well as Asia and many tropical regions around the world.
- It is popular in Malaysia, as Malaysian and Thai food will often serve this leafy green as a garnish or even as a salad ingredient.
- Ulam Raja exhibits high anti-oxidant capacity and various medicinal properties, including anti-diabetic activity, anti-hypertensive properties, anti-inflammatory responses, bone-protective effect, and anti-microbial activity.
General uses:
1. Used for reducing blood
pressure and bone loss.
2. Traditionally, C. caudatus has been
used to boost blood circulation, to strengthen the bones, to reduce body heat,
as an anti-ageing agent, and to treat infectious diseases.
3. C. caudatus has also been shown to reduce
inflammation.
Pharmacological and Medicinal uses :
- Anti-oxidant potential
C. caudatus
exhibits high antioxidant activity. Studies have shown that 100 g of fresh C.
caudatus contains approximately 2500 mg ascorbic acid equivalent
anti-oxidant capacity (AEAC) compared to local fruits with AEAC index of less
than 300 mg.
- Anti-diabetic activity
A local study reported that the hexane extract
of C. caudatus has high alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity with low
alpha-amylase inhibition. Thus, C. caudatus may be potentially useful in
treating postprandial hyperglycemia in vitro.
- Anti-hypertensive activity
In adrenaline-treated rats, both 500 mg/kg and
1000 mg/kg aqueous extracts of C. caudatus were shown to inhibit the increase
of heartbeat frequency and stroke increase in stroke volume amplitude.
- Anti-inflammatory activity
Methanol and aqueous C. caudatus
extracts at a dose of 200 mg/kg have exhibited significant anti-inflammatory
activity by suppressing mouse paw oedema induced by carrageenan. The result was
comparable to that of the two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas
aeruginosa), and a fungus (Candida albicans) by the disk diffusion method.
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