Anti-oxidant vs Anti-inflammatory agents: The Malaysian herbal remedies

My late grandmother was a masseur and she made herbal remedies especially for ladies. She has no medical qualifications and no scientific knowledge. How did she know about the health benefits of the herbs that she was using in her remedies? Definitely she could not have known from Google search because in her time there was no such thing. And the remedies worked and the ladies were booking in advanced.

In my culture, after a woman gave birth the confinement period is 44 days. I was not allowed to go out. I was being wrapped daily from head to toe with herbal mix and I was being massaged daily with sea cucumber (gamat) ointment. I can only eat rice with stir-fry vegetables with chopped ginger and soup (chicken and meat) with garlic/ginger/cardamons/cloves/ground pepper. I can only drink plain water, hot milk or milo, gotu kola (pegaga) drink with honey and last but not least my grandmother's powerful herbal drink (air periuk) that I had to force myself from swallowing because of extreme bitter taste.

I was not a believer at that time, instead of finishing the 44 days.......i cheated my way and managed to do only for 14 days.

If I could turn back the clock, I would have completed the 44 days. I am a believer now. What my grandmother was preaching was true. She said all the herbs that she used had their own benefits to the body. The herbal mix, ointment, herbal drinks and the strict diet were to boost recovery of the uterus and other parts of the body from injury and inflammation.

The Malaysian called it pegaga, some called it gotu kola or Indian pennywort. It is rich in iron, vitamin K, vitamin C, anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. Pegaga is now well known for its benefits. It improves the blood circulation, alleviates fatigue, delays aging, improves immune system, helps recovery from blood vessel inflammation, helps recovery from injuries, etc etc.

The ointment that I was using was from the extract of sea cucumber (gamat) which nowadays scientifically proven has medical properties such as anti-inflammation and helps in wound healing.

Of course garlic and ginger both contain anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory agents. As for cardamons and cloves, they both have the antiseptic properties.

I wish I had put more effort and learn about my grandmother's secret recipe for her herbal remedies. Until now I have no idea what were the rest of the herbs and spices she used.

So believe it or not, our ancestors had the health formula. Pity we took them for granted.

To the younger Malaysian ladies, our ancestor's anti-aging and beauty tips are way better than the one you get from the pharmacy.