Balbas Pusa Scientific Name :

Orthosiphon aristatus

Also known as:

Balbas-pusa (Filipino)
Yaa-nuat-maeo (Thailand)
Indian kidney tea (English)
Kidney tea (English)
pokok misai kucing (Malay)
Balbas pusa used for Lung Problems used
to treat asthma, expectorant, bronchitis...
Balbas pusa ointment Preparation step by
step procedure to make Balbas pusa ointment

Kabling-parang (Pilipino)
Cat's whisker (English)
Java tea (English)
Mao xu cao (Chinese)

Cat's whisker or Balbas pusa is a tropical herbaceous perennial plant that is native in Southeast
Asia usually found in China, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand and even in Australia. Balbas pusa,
commonly referred to as Java tea is a herb used as medicine for many
centuries.
Orthosiphon aristatus (balbas pusa) is an erect, slender shrub that can
grow 1-2 meters in height. The leaves are semi-deciduous, light to dark
green in color and are borne in distant pairs that is about 5-10 cm long..
The stalk is reddish-brown, that is slightly puberulent. The flowers forms
a pagoda like shaped with 5-6 cm long stamens that resembles a cats
whiskers, hence the name 'balbas pusa' in tagalog and 'cat's whisker' in english. The color of the
flowers varies from white to purplish.

Balbas Pusa, Herbal Medicine - Folkloric Health Benefits

Balbas pusa also popularly known as Java tea is widely used as folkloric herbal medicine for
centuries . Balbas pusa is used as a treatment for the following ailments

renal inflammation, kidney stones and dysuria.

liver and bladder problems including bladder stones,

urinary tract infection,

diabetes,

rheumatism and gout.

reduction of cholesterol and blood pressure.

anti allergic, antihypertensive, and anti-inflammatory

diuretic or stimulates urine production

Balbas Pusa, Scientific Studies - Medical Uses

Ingredients: Hedargenin, -sitosterol, ursolic acid, glycolic acid, methylripariochromene A.
Kidney Stones Treatment. Clinical trials have shown that in 40% of patients with kidney stones
of 0.5 cm diameter that was subjected to orthosiphon indicated an improvement in six months. In
a similar study, about In 20% of the patients with other kidney complaints were cured and the
patients were free of pain and discomfort.
Diabetes Treatment. In a study conducted for Orthosiphon. Results
have demonstrated that there is reduction in blood sugar level for
non-insulin dependent diabetics after being subjected for treatment
in six months. Orthosiphon also acts on hypertension (high blood
pressure). It reduces water and therefore as it has no side effects it
can be used in place of pharmaceutical diuretics whether these are
potassium saving, uricosurics, or others. It also has a significant
effect on high renal blood pressure. As a consequence of treating
high blood pressure, kidney stones and disorders can also be cured.
Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of Orthosiphon
stamineus. In a clinical study in rats using methanol/water extract of orthosiphon have shown
that orthosiphon exhibited antioxidant, lipid peroxidation inhibition and free radical scavenging
activities into he rats' liver. (Basir R, Asmawi MZ, Ismail Z. School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Effects of Orthosiphon stamineus aqueous extract on plasma glucose concentration and
lipid profile in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The study has shown that In
oral glucose tolerance test, the extract (0.2-1.0 g/kg) significantly decreased plasma glucose
concentration in
a dose-dependent manner in both normal and diabetic rats. (Sriplang K, Adisakwattana S,
Rungsipipat A, Yibchok-Anun S.
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University,
Bangkok, Thailand)
A long-term study on the efficacy of a herbal plant, Orthosiphon grandiflorus, and sodium
potassium citrate in renal calculi treatment. A was performed to compare the efficacy of a
herbal plant, Orthosiphon grandiflorus (OG), and the drug sodium potassium citrate (SPC) in
treatment of renal calculi. The study has shown that herbal tea prepared from orthosiphon plant
taken for 18 months has significant reduction of renal stones and there were strong indications
that symptoms related to renal problems has greatly improved.(Premgamone A, Sriboonlue P,
Disatapornjaroen W, Maskasem S, Sinsupan N, Apinives C. Department of Community Medicine,
Faculty Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand)

Antihypertensive substance in the leaves of kumis kucing (Orthosiphon aristatus) in Java

Island Among those thirteen substances, it was found that a major constituent in the water
decoction of leaves, methylripariochromene A (5), exhibited a continuous decrease in systolic
blood pressure after subcutaneous administration in conscious stroke-prone spontaneously
hypertensive rats (Ohashi K, Bohgaki T, Shibuya H. Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical
Sciences, ukuyama University, Hiroshima, Japan.)

Balbas Pusa, Java Tea Preparation

Balbas pusa or java tea is prepared as follows.

wash fresh or
dried balbas pusa
or cat's whisker
leaves

chop then add in

4 cups of water
for every 1 cup

let it boil for 10

to 15 minutes

Let it steep then

strain.

Drink half cup of

balbas pusa tea
also known as
java tea three
times a day.

Balbas pusa tea

concoction can
be stored in

suitable glass
container for
later
consumption.
Java tea bags are also available in health stores. Follow the instructions in the label for safe use.

Balbas Pusa Contra Indications, Side Effects, Warnings

Java tea or balbas pusa tea has no known and reported contra indications with other drugs. While
it is generally safe to take java tea of balbas pusa tea, prolonged intake is discourage as this may
cause low sodium serum in the body. Intake is also discouraged during pregnancy since there is
no conclusive study that has been done to determine its safe use during pregnancy.
If allergy develops and java tea is suspected, stop use and consult your medical adviser.

Herbal Plants: Serpentina (King of Bitters)

Serpentina or King of Bitters Plant

(Andrographis paniculata)
What are the benefits that you can get from this plant? From what I know, this is good for
diabetic in regulating or lowering blood sugar. Furthermore it is also known for its antibiotic
property makign good for infections. This is the reason why we took this herbal plant when we
are having cough and colds. But in my search about the said plant, there are lot more benefits
that we can get from this bitter plant like:
Analagesic pain killer
Anti-inflammatory reduces swelling
Antibacterial has a remarkable effect in reducing diarrhea and other bacterial infections
Antimalarial helps prevent parasite infection and multiplication in the blood stream
Antihepatotoxic and Hepatoprotective eliminates liver toxins and protects liver and gall
bladder
Antipyretic reduces fever

Antithrombotic blood clot prevention. Helps prevent heart attack.

Antiviral inhibits viral activity including HIV (further studies are being made)
Antioxidant fights free radicals
Canceolytic cancer fighter or better to say cancer killer
Cardiopotective protects heart muscles
Choleretic increases the flow of bile
Depurative cleans the system especially the blood stream
Expectorant releases mucus in the respiratory system
Hypoglycemic lowers blood sugar and protect against diabetes
Immune enhancer increases immune system
Vermicidal kills intestinal worms
It can be used againts coughs, headaches, edema, earache, pain conditions, inflammation and
muscular pain, arthritis, rheumatism, fibro myalgia, multiple sclerosis, depression, diarrhea,
dysentery, cholera, candida, lupus, diabetes, piles, fevers, fatigue, hepatitis, herpes, leprosy, loss
of appetite, swollen lymph nodes and other lymphatic conditions, jaundice, dyspepsia,
dermatitis, eczema, burns, pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, chicken pox, mumps; sluggish
liver, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands; sleeplessness, vaginitis, and constipation.
On the other hand, cautions must be taken with this plant because there are records but rare cases
of skin itching. Furthermore, it is not recommended for breastfeeding and pregnant women due
to its abortive effect.

There are various ways to prepare and use this plant. It can be taken dried leaves or infusion.
Most literatures suggest that you need to take 5 to 6 grams of dried leaves per day. Dried leaves
can be placed in gelatin capsule (the one I made and give to Matts Tita to help reduce or better
eliminate her breast lumps. I used 250mg per capsule) or infusion of 1:2 fluid extract taken 3-12
ml per day. The latter is quite good if you can stand the bitterness.

Serpentina has many uses that could benefit our health. The said plant has very low toxicity and
no overdosage cases have been reported. Perhaps it is because unlike any other herbs, you wont
wish to have more than the recommended dosage due to its extreme bitterness.