Chufa Butter with Kacip

History

Malay medicine has used Kacip Fatimah for thousands of years, primarily as a female tonic, healer and further research will undoubtedly reveal far more uses for this valuable herb. Considered the most powerful and important herb for women’s health, it is used for complaints related to menopause and menstruation, to induce labor and facilitate delivery, to tighten and heal the birth canal after delivery, to treat other postpartum problems, both physical, mental and emotional, for general healing of a woman’s sexual and reproductive systems and as an aphrodisiac.

   Kacip Fatimah has also been used since ancient times to treat other medical issues, for both men and women, and as a general health tonic. While not as popular, Kacip Fatimah is used in the traditional healing systems of other countries and cultures as well, notably Indonesia and southern Thailand.

   Recently the Malaysian government officially designated Kacip Fatimah as one of five herbs to be included in its Economic Transformation Program, and to be developed commercially on a large scale. At the same time, a great deal of scientific research is being conducted on Kacip Fatimah, largely supporting its traditional usages.

General Characterstics

Kacip Fatimah (Labisima pumila) is a small creeping vine which grows along the floor of rain forests, particularly in Malaysia, but also in Singapore, southern Thailand, Indonesia and elsewhere in Asia. It likes shade and moderate water, and can grow up to a half meter in height, producing dark green leaves, star shaped flowers which are cream colored or purple and bright red drupes which resemble berries.

   Traditionally either the entire plant or just the leaves are boiled, and the liquid is consumed as a tea or used in a bath. Recent research has determined that the leaves have the highest concentration of phytochemicals, pharmaceutical analysis having isolated a large number of bioactive compounds with medicinal value, especially apigenin, a powerful antioxidant, as well as flavonoids, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, anthocyanin and phenolic compounds. The triterpene sapnonin ardisiacrispin A has been identified as giving Kacip Fatimah its utero contracting ability.

   Kacip Fatimah can be translated as “Fatimah’s betel cutter.” Other names for Kacip Fatimah include the female tongkat ali, Pokok pinggang, rumput palis and tadah matahari.

Healing Properties

Kacip Fatimah has many health benefits for both men and women. It reduces pain and inflammation, as well as flatulence, abdominal discomfort and constipation, and generally improves digestion and the assimilation of nutrients from food.

   As an adaptogen, Kacip Fatimah can help normalize blood sugar levels, as well as blood cholesterol and blood pressure. This last helps explain why Kacip Fatimah has been claimed to help men with erectile dysfunction, and it is also known to support the health and healing of the heart and cardiovascular system.

   The powerful antioxidants in Kacip Fatimah have been shown to heal, protect and beautify the skin and hair, and may have benefits to other parts of the body, including the brain and nervous system. Kacip Fatimah also boosts the immune system, and is considered an excellent all around health tonic.

   Really, though, Kacip Fatimah is primarily considered a healing herb for women. It is a powerful treatment for many issues around pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive cycles and sexuality.

   Kacip Fatimah has long been used to aid in childbirth. It is used to induce and ease delivery, to contract the birth canal after delivery, to heal the reproductive tract and reduce both physical and emotional symptoms postpartum, including pain, depression and hormonal imbalance.

   Kacip Fatimah is known to regularize menstruation and ovulation, as well as alleviating much of the pain, cramping, excessive bleeding, mood swings and other difficulties women can face related to menstruation. It is also used for difficulties with menopause, and can help with hot flashes and night sweats, loss of mental clarity and concentration, mood swings and depression, vaginal dryness, decreased interest in sex, fluctuating blood cholesterol, glucose and blood pressure, decreased bone density.

   Due to its phytoestrogenic activity, Kacip Fatimah compensates for the fluctuation of estrogen levels which many women experience, during menopause and their menstruation/ovulation cycle as well as at other times and for other reasons, helping explain its efficacy with all of the above issues. And again, Kacip Fatimah is considered as perhaps the best of all aphrodisiacs for women, and for many of the same reasons. While estrogen hormones are not associated directly with libido, when their levels are normalized the effect they have on a woman’s sexual and reproductive health, and her overall physical, mental and emotional state, can greatly increase libido, sexual confidence and self connection.

   Kacip Fatimah has also been shown to increase the levels of free testosterone, which will have a more direct effect on a woman’s sexual interest and desire. It is possible that this, in combination with the many other salutary effects Kacip Fatimah has on a woman’s sexual and reproductive systems, explains why so many women show such a strong increase in sexual interest, desire and activity while taking it.

   As hormone replacement therapy is under such scrutiny lately, its negative aspects apparently strongly outweighing its benefits, more and more women and healers are considering phytoestrogenic plants and treatments as a safe alternative, and Kacip Fatimah is one of the very best, most effective and most time tested of them all.

Applications

Kacip Fatimah is most often used as a tea, and is particularly potent when the tea is prepared using fresh leaves. Boiled Kacip Fatimah can also be used to make a bath, and the powdered leaves or whole plant is sometimes combined with oil (especially coconut oil) and used topically. Kacip Fatimah is also available in capsules and tablets.

   Although Kacip Fatimah is most often used alone, traditional Malay medicine recommends a few combinations to enhance certain effects, including combining it with Pueraria mirifica and ginger for sexual and reproductive healing and female aphrodisiac effects; with coconut oil for tightening and healing vaginal walls and tissue, and with Piper caninum, for sore throat.

Dosages

Dosages for Kacip Fatimah are typically in the 300 – 550 mg a day range, but for specific applications (such as those related to pregnancy and childbirth) a healthcare professional should always be consulted, both for appropriate dosage levels and guidance in use.

Conclusion

Kacip Fatimah is an extremely popular herb in Malaysia, where it has been used by women for thousands of years as an aphrodisiac, to facilitate labor, ease childbirth and postpartum complications, and a healer and protector of sexual and reproductive systems.

   Kacip Fatimah is also a versatile general medical herb for both sexes, which Malay and other indigenous healing systems have long used for a number of conditions and complaints, and which new research is revealing may have even far more widespread usefulness, especially as an antioxidant and a possible adaptogen.