Purple Leaf (Daun Ungu)

← Botanical Garden Silimalombu

Basic Information:

Graptophyllum pictum, the caricature-plant, is a shrub in the family Acanthaceae. It is native to New Guinea, also a well-known garden shrub. There are two varieties: the variegated color one is known as ‘white adulsa’, and is used combined with coconut water to reduce swelling. The dark-leaved variety is known with trade name ‘black adulsa’ in India.

Leaf morphology

The shape of the leaf is aristate. The margin of the leaf is undulate. The venation of the leaf is reticulate in the variegated form.

Nutrition, Traditional Use and Research

The statements below describe nutrition facts, traditional use and published research. They are not health claims for our products.

• Handeuleum (daun ungu, purple leaf, Graptophyllum pictum) is a plant that is widely used in Indonesian folk practice. The leaves are used fresh or dried, usually as a boiled drink (decoction).
• Traditional folk uses reported from Indonesia include use for constipation, hemorrhoids, skin boils, fever, gallstones, irregular menstruation and swellings after bruises, often as a decoction of the leaves with ingredients such as ginger, turmeric or palm sugar. These are traditional uses only. They have not been confirmed by sufficient scientific evidence, and they are not a replacement for medical care. Please see a doctor for such complaints.
• Laboratory and animal studies have examined leaf extracts of Graptophyllum pictum for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other properties. These are early findings, and no health effect in people can be concluded from them.
• Because the leaves are traditionally used in connection with menstruation, women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy should avoid decoctions of the leaves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graptophyllum_pictum