Orthosiphon aristatus explained

Orthosiphon aristatus, commonly known as cat's whiskers or Java tea, is a plant species in the family Lamiaceae (also known Labiatae). The plant is a medicinal herb found mainly throughout southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, South East Asia, and tropical Queensland, Australia.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]} As a medical herb, it is used for increasing excretion of urine, lowering uric acid, protecting kidney, reducing oxidative stress, reducing inflammation, protecting liver, protecting stomach, lowering blood pressure, ameliorating diabetes, ameliorating hyperlipidemia, fighting microorganisms and fighting anorexia.^{[5] [6]} It is known as Indonesian: kumis kucing in Indonesia and misai kucing in Malaysia, both of which translate to cat's whiskers.

Orthosiphon aristatus is used in landscaping to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds to its nectar.^[7]

Varieties^[1]

1. Orthosiphon aristatus var. aristatus - most of species range
2. Orthosiphon aristatus var. velteri Suddee & A.J.Paton - Vietnam

External links

• Taxonomy browser (Orthosiphon aristatus)
• Orthosiphon aristatus information from NPGS/GRIN

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=144294 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
2. Tanaka, N., Koyama, T. & Murata, J. (2005). The flowering plants of Mt. Popa, central Myanmar - Results of Myanmar-Japanese joint expeditions, 2000-2004. Makinoa 5: 1-102.
3. Suddee, S., Paton, A.J. & Parnell, J.A.N. (2005). Taxonomic Revision of the tribe Ocimeae Dumort (Lamiaceae) in continental South East Asia III. Ociminae. Kew Bulletin 60: 3-75.
4. Khanam, M. & Hassan, M.A. (2008). Lamiaceae. Flora of Bangladesh 58: 1-161. Bangladesh National Herbarium, Dhaka.
5. Chung YS, Choo BK, Ahmed PK, Othman I, Shaikh MF . A Systematic Review of the Protective Actions of Cat's Whiskers (Misai Kucing) on the Central Nervous System . Front Pharmacol . 11 . 692 . 2020 . 32477146 . 7237571 . 10.3389/fphar.2020.00692 . free .
6. Ameer OZ, Salman IM, Asmawi MZ, Ibraheem ZO, Yam MF . Orthosiphon stamineus: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology . J Med Food . 15 . 8 . 678–90 . August 2012 . 22846075 . 10.1089/jmf.2011.1973 .
7. http://www.aces.edu/dept/extcomm/newspaper/may17a01.html Cat's Whiskers Plant Excellent For Attracting Bees, Butterflies and Hummingbirds To Home Landscape