Kemunting

Rhodomyrtus tomentosa or the Rose Myrtle (known as kemunting in Malaysia) is a woody plant with pink flowers. It is commonly found especially in the open sandy ground on the seashore/river sandy banks. Its shrub is about 3 metre tall. Its leaves are ovate, leathery & about 4-6 cm in length. The fruits (berries) are oblong, topped by persistent sepals & ripening to purple. The fleshy berry is sweet & aromatic.  The plant belongs to the family of Myrtaceae; same family with Malaysian jambu air (Eugenia spp.) & gelam (Melaleuca spp.). The plant is very free-flowering & grows abundantly. The fruits are also can be used to treat dysentery & diarrhoea. In fact, its leaves can be used to heal the wounds.

Cashew

The tree normally has large leaves & pink flowers. The fruit of the cashew trees can be divided into the cashew apple & cashew nut. Cashew apple is rich with vitamin C, refreshing & very juicy. The cashew nut (inside the ‘kidney’ shell) is attached to the bottom of the cashew apple.

The Cashew, Anacardium occidentale L., comes from the Anacardiaceae family. New foliage contains reddish pigment. They are borne terminally on panicles, generally at the beginning of the dry season.

The cashew tree’s leaves & bark as well as the cashew apple possess herbal health benefits such as the ability of killing bacteria & germs, stopping diarrhea, increasing the libido, and reducing blood sugar, blood pressure & body temperature. Cashew nut contains high levels of the essential minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper & manganese. Cashew nuts are also known to be a ‘low-fat’ nut.  Cashew apples have the anti-bacterial properties.