Pandan, also known as palm pine or screw pine, is a tropical plant with upright bright leaves and unique aroma. Pandan trees mostly grow in the southern and southeastern part of Asia. The plants can grow in the garden without much cultivation effort. In some Southeast Asian countries, like Indonesia, pandan leaves are used to add flavor to a lot of recipes.
The aromatic nature of the leaves improves the fragrance of the foods and beverages and stimulates appetite. Pandan leaves are also used to give natural color for foods to make the appearance more appealing. The natural green color of the leaf is a healthier alternative than chemical color additives.
Besides being used as a cooking ingredient, pandan leaves also have medicinal properties. The leaves have some potent potentials to relieve a number of healthproblems, due to the rich content of alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols, and other substances.
1. Lowers High Blood Pressure
Pandan leaves are good to level down the high blood pressure which makes it a good treatment for hypertension. People who suffer from hypertension constantly feel a headache and pain in other parts of the body, especially shoulders. The symptoms are usually accompanied bydizziness or lightheadedness and the feeling of fatigue or exhaustion. Hypertension has to be treated by changing the lifestyle. Excessive alcohol and salty foods consumption, constant stress, obesity, and not exercising are the habits that should be changed in order to level down the blood pressure. Treating yourself with prescribed medication as well as trusted herbal medication is also recommended to keep your blood pressure low.
Boiling pandan leaves and celery and drinking the concoction is one of the most effective alternative treatments for high blood pressure. To make this alternative herbal drink on your own, boil 10 pandan leaves and 4 celery leaves with two liters of water. Turn off the stove once you see around 4 glasses left of the concoction. You can store this in the refrigerator for two days worth of stock and drink two glasses every day for one week, a glass in the morning and another glass in the evening. Once you see that your blood pressure has leveled down, you can reduce the consumption.
Pandan leaves can stimulate blood flow and make it flow easier, which will reduce the constriction and pressure. It also dissolves uric acid and saturated fatty acids, while at the same time provides arelaxing effect on the nervous system. It has a gradual effect in decreasing the blood pressure so it won’t pose any danger to people suffering from hypertension.
2. Eliminates Dandruff
Dandruff is a hair problem that is caused by the shedding of the dead skin cells from your scalp. While it’s harmless, dandruff can be seriously embarrassing and itchy. It can ruin both your personal and professional lives by making you look like somebody who pays no attention to personal hygiene. The white flakes that you brush off your shoulders or collar can be very noticeable for other people who are having aconversation with you.
Dandruff is actually not a hair problem, so how often you wash your hair has little to do with it.The problem is caused by skin cells that die off too fast. Scientists don’t have enough evidence to claim the exact causebehindthis occurrence, however, a common fungus named Malassezia may be a contributing factor. It is suggested that a person’s body immune system may overreact to the existence of Malassezia and thus trigger early cell deaths to save the healthy cells.
Because of this, to eliminate dandruff, you will need to do two things: first, killing off the fungus and second, nourishing the hair to prevent the cells from premature deaths. As a result, aging can be delayed and inflammation can be prevented which will result in less flaking. Pandan leaves can also nourish the hair and keeps the moisture of the scalp. Dandruff doesn’t come to healthy and perfectly moisturized scalp and hair. Instead, it attacks people with dry scalp. Pandan leaves also have antibacterial and antifungal properties so they can help us rid off the scalp fungi.
When anti-dandruff shampoos don’t work for you, treat your scalp with pandan leaves hair mask instead. Blend ten fresh pandan leaves with 100 ml of water and apply the smooth mixture on your scalp. Let it sit for 30 minutes and wash it. This regular treatment will solve your dandruff problem.
3. Nourishes The Hair
Not only do pandan leaves eliminate dandruff from the scalp, it also provides nutrients for the hair and stimulates its growth. People from around the world have used pandan leaves to treat their hair so it becomes smoother and easier to manage.
Women from Southeast Asia believe that washing their hair with pandan leaves will make their black hair blacker and shinier. In the part of the continent, brown or reddish hair is perceived as damaged because it doesn’t occur as a result of pigmentation, but excessive sun exposure and lack of nutrients. Nourishing the hair with pandan leaves will alleviate the damage and moisturize the hair to the roots and scalp. As a result, there will be no more split hair and the hair will become more manageable, smoother, darker, and shinier.
If you want to follow the way Southeast Asians maintain their hair’s beauty by taking advantage of the pandan leaves, you should chop around 7 pieces of the leavesinto smaller pieces and boil it with water. Let the concoction condense for one night. In the morning, use the water and the leaves to massage your scalp before shampooing. Doing this regularly will improve the health and beauty of your hair.
4. Prevents Hair Loss
Because pandan leaves have the ability to nourish and moisturize the hair, it will also make your hair stronger. Hair loss is a problem that is caused by many factors, but especially the lack of hair nutrition. Malnourished hair makes it easier to fall off. Because of this, nourishing the hair by applying pandan leaves mask is the perfect solution for strengthening the hair. When the hair is strengthened, hair loss will not be any problems anymore.
Pandan leaves also contain natural properties that can stimulate hair growth. When you regularly use crushed pandan leaves as ahair mask, your hair will grow faster and the volume will be improved. In the end, you will have beautiful and thick hair.
5. Treats Arthritis
Arthritis may affect people of all age demography, not just limited to the elderly. It is more common among women and becomes a higher risk as people get older, but it doesn’t mean that young men are safe from this.
Arthritis is a very common physical ailment that doesn’t actually refer to a single disease. Rather, it’s a term to describe joint pain or joint disease. The symptoms may include stiffness, swelling, constant pain or pain that comes and go, and difficulties to perform a certain range of motion.
Fortunately, pandan leaves contain anti-inflammatory properties that may effectively treat arthritis. Crushing three pieces of the leaves and mixing them with hot coconut oil will give you the best traditional remedy against arthritis. When the mix is already cool enough, use the leaves as an ointment and apply topically on the affected area.
6. Improves Appetite
Pandan leaves are also known for its ability to can boost appetite. Mostly, the flavor does the work by adding fragrance and enticing aroma that can stimulate your appetite and hunger. People traditionally use pandan leaves to improve the smell of their cookingfor this reason. Pandan leaves also have special properties that can improve appetite.
To get the benefit, you just simply can put pandan leaves into your regular foods. If you don’t think the flavor matches or if you have a serious lack of appetite problem, you can boil the leaves with some water and drink the concoction twice a day instead.
7. Has Antibacterial Properties
Based on numerous studies, pandan leaves demonstrated anti-bacterial properties that make the plants good herbal remedies for various diseases caused by bacterial infection. A laboratory research concluded that the extract of pandan leaves possesses effective agents to fight and eradicate Bacillus cereus and Escherichiacoli. This is due to the content of pandan leaves including flavonoid, saponins, and alkaloids.
Bacillus cereus is a bacteria strain that produces toxins. These toxins will cause illnesses characterized by diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. The bacteria can be found in leftovers of a variety of foods, such as rice, soups, and sauces. Meanwhile, Escherichiacoli is a diverse group of bacteria with some dangerous kinds that can cause diarrhea, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, and many others.
The laboratory experiment discovered the effectiveness of pandan leaves to fight these two bacteria. However, it’s also possible that pandan leaves have the ability to eradicate other bacteria as well.
8. Heals Diarrhea
Because pandan leaves have antibacterial, antifungal, and overall antimicrobial properties, it can cleanse and purge dangerous microbes from your colon and intestines. If you suffer from diarrhea that is caused by food poisoning or bacteria, you can drink pandan leaves tea to soothe the pain and stop the disease.
9. Eases Stomach Cramp
Drinking pandan leaves tea may also have atherapeutic effect for stomach cramp and other types of abdominal pain. Stomach cramp may happen as a symptom of a number of illnesses, including food poisoning, indigestion, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Pandan leaves have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that will treat these diseases. Besides, it may also reduce pain which is present during stomach cramp.
10. Treats Insomnia and Other Sleep Problems
Pandan leaves contain tannin, a brownish or yellowish substance in plants with many major health benefits, although the side effects are still debated and studied. One of the characteristics of tannin is its sedating effect. Because of this, plant foods containing tannin may be used to calm the nerves and promote sound sleep.
Pandan leaves are traditionally used as an ingredient for herbal drinks to promote relaxation. Drinking pandan leaves herbal tea will solve your sleep problems, including insomnia and sleep restlessness. Just take three or four pandan leaves and cut them into small pieces then put them into two glasses of boiling water. Wait until only a glass left and drink the tea before your bed time.
11. Eases Stress and Anxiety
Because pandan leaves possess some sedating qualities, they can also reduce your stress and anxiety. Whenever you feel that you need to relax because your body is in a stress mode, try drinking a glass of warm pandan leaves tea. You can add some honey to sweeten the tea. Your anxiety and stress level will decrease and you will be able to calm your body and mind.
12. Treats Damaged Skin
The polyphenol tannins or tannic acids that can be found in pandan leaves may also help your skin heals from sunburns and even burn wounds. Tannins have protective properties on skin. It’s probably not possible to prevent sunburns using pandan leaves, but when it has happened to you, you can help your skin heal faster by soaking yourself in a bath full of pandan leaves. It has a cooling effect on the skin and will make the sunburn disappear faster.
Besides, researchers also demonstrated the therapeutic effect of tannins on minor burn wounds. After you accidentally touch hot objects, apply some crushed pandan leaves topically on the affected area of your skin.
13. Repels Insects
The leaf of pandan plant has a fragrant, pleasant aroma that can improve a person’s appetite and mood but repels insects. Planting pandan plants in your garden will make the area safe from insects like mosquitos, cockroaches, and ants. Mosquitoes and cockroaches are dangerous insects that can bring a variety of diseases to human. If you plan to have an outdoor activity, you can rub some crushed pandan leaves on your skin for a natural protection against mosquitoes. You can also cut three to five pandan leaves into small pieces and put it in a bowl to protect the area from insects.
14. Soothes Fever
Pandan leaf is known as a popular folk remedy for fever. It is widely recommended for children and adults suffering from high fever to drink warm pandan leaf tea. Some doctors even recommend their patients to drink tea along with the prescribed medicines to level down the body temperature. The effect of pandan leaves tea as a herbal medicine for fever can be immediate. In some cases and types of fever, the body temperature can quickly return to normal.
15. Aids Diabetes Treatment
It is also possible to aid the treatment of diabetes using pandan leaves. Pandan leaves can stabilize blood sugar and prevent sugar spikes. Diabetic and pre-diabetic people should try drinking pandan leaves tea as an alternative herbal remedy. The way to use it’s simple: you just have to add the leaves into a pot of boiling water and drink the tea once it gets warm enough.