Keep reading this article about Snake Grass Health Benefits to uncover its miraculous anti-diabetic and anti-cancer benefits!
What Is Snake Grass?
Snake grass plant’s botanical name is ‘Clinacanthus Nutans’ and relates to the family of ‘Acanthaceae.’ It can grow up to a height of 8 ft. It’s native to tropical Asia and is called by its different vernacular names
- Belalai Gajah (Malaysia & Brunei Darussalam)
- Phaya yo (Thailand)
- Sabah snake grass (Malaysia & Thailand)
- Ki tajam (Indonesia)
- Dandang gendis (Indonesia), and
- You Dun Cao (China)
Sabah snake grass plant has a significant role in traditional Asian medicinal practices in treating various diseases. All parts of this plant are edible and have therapeutic importance. Even commercial products have it as an active ingredient like soap, tea, oil, balm, capsules, cream, powder, and in lotions as well.
Snake Grass Health Benefits
Below are some snake grass health benefits that’ll be an eye-opener for you!
1. Prevents Cancer
Snake grass leaves extract is a rich source of antioxidant and antiproliferative properties. It also emits the cytotoxicity effect that manages the cancer cells. Besides this, it’s a natural nutraceutical, which is helpful for the prevention of Skin melanoma.
2. Reduces Herpes Infection
Snake grass’ anti-inflammatory properties work as an excellent remedy to relieve the outbreaks of Herpes genitalis and Herpes zoster caused by Herpesvirus infection. Just make a tea of snake grass’ fresh or dried leaves, or you can mix it with green tea to enhance its health benefits.
3. Prevents Insulin Resistance
Hyperlipidemia can cause insulin resistance in the body, and its Long-term effect can trigger cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. Snake grass rightly prevents insulin resistance, thanks to its protocatechuic acid and chlorogenic acid.
4. Controls Diabetes
The leaves of snake grass plants contain ‘Phytoconstituents’ – a naturally occurring chemical compound in plants. This compound prevents the activity of α-glucosidase (diabetes causing enzyme) and thereby controls diabetes.
5. Possess Anti-bacterial Properties
The extract of fresh leaves of Sabah snake grass plant is considered effective against:
- Staphylococcus aureus
- E. coli
- Propionibacterium acnes
- Staphylococcus epidermidis, and
- Bacillus cereus.
Furthermore, it manages periodontitis by fighting against the periodontal pathogens like Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.
6. Manages Hyperuricemia
Hyperuricemia is responsible for gout, diabetes, cardiovascular disorder, and kidney-related problems. Regular consumption of the leaf decoctions of the snake grass plant handles hyperuricemia and its subsequent medical conditions.
Snake grass plant has an essential place in the folklore and traditional remedies of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. However, its importance is now accepted worldwide as an effective modern medicine due to various scientific researches done in this field!