Turk's Turban
Clerodendrum indicum (L.) Kuntze
Lamiaceae
Location in our garden



Overview
Turk's turban is considered to be native to India and Nepal, eastward to Myanmar, southern China, Indo-China, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia. The plant is commonly used as a standard drug in India and harvested from the wild for local use as medicine. It is often grown as an ornamental.
Vernacular Names
Penatoh (Malay), Leng chon tai (Thai), Ngayan-padu (Myanmar), Bharangi (India), Chang guan da qing (Chinese).
Agroecology
Found in roadsides on mountain slopes; at elevations from 500-1,000 m. It can tolerate a wide range of soil types, but prefers moist but well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun. It has low tolerance for salt but is fairly drought-resistant.
Morphology
- Roots - light brown in color and more than 2.5 cm in diameter.
- Stems - very straight or arching, mostly unbranched, hollow, subglabrous, virgate, nodes annulate.
- Leaves - linear-lanceolate to oblanceolate, base attenuate to acute, apex acute or acuminate, mostly entire, glabrous on both surfaces. The leaf margin is dentate (toothed)
- Flowers - bisexual, waxy, terminal panicle up to 45 cm × 25 cm, composed of 3-12 whorls of cymes; calyx very broadly campanulate, tube 5-7 mm long, green or red, corolla hypocrateriform, tube long and slender, white to yellow, showy, not fragrant, stamens long exserted, purple.
- Fruits - 1-1.3 cm in diameter with 4 pyrenes, fleshy, bright green turning blue-black or reddish-black.
Cultivation
- By seeds - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Germination can be erratic but usually takes place within 20-60 days at 20 °C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until large enough to plant out.
- By root cuttings: 6- 8 cm long.
- By division.
Chemical Constituents
Hydroquinone, diterpenoid, clerodendrone, alkaloid, resin, cholesterol, beta-sitosterol,, manitol, sorbitol, steroid, flavanoid, tannin, saponin, dihydroxyphenylethanol, hispidulin, glucuronide, eupafolin, scutellarein, clerodendrol, roseoside and lariciresinol 9-O-β-D-glucoside.
Benefits
- The root is stomachic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bronchitis, febrifuge, hence useful for asthma, cough, and scrofulous affection.
- The leaves are used as a bitter tonic, to treat cough and vermifuge.
- The juice of the tender parts of the plant is used as an external application for skin complaints.
- The pounded root, combined with ginger, is considered useful in the treatment of asthma, coughs and other pulmonary complaints as well as scrofulous affections.
- The leaves and the roots are used externally to treat tumours and certain skin diseases.
- The root increases appetite and lowers fever (Unani medicine).
- In New Caledonia, the leaves are used as a bitter tonic and vermifuge.
- In Burma (Myanmar), resin from the plant is employed for syphilitic rheumatism.
- In Java (Indonesia), dried leaves are rolled into cigarettes to relieve asthma
Simplisia
Informasi belum tersedia.
Traditional Recipes

1. 1. Radang saluran kemih dan radang kandung kemih
- Siapkan 30 g daun genje dan 30 g lidah ular.
- Cuci dan rebus dengan 3 gelas air hingga tersisa 1 gelas air, dinginkan dan saring. Minum ramuan sekaligus. Rebus ampas untuk diminum sore hari.
- Minum ramuan 2 kali sehari.

2. 2. Demam pada anak
- Rebus akar genje kering 10-15 g dengan 3 gelas air hingga tersisa 1 gelas air. Setelah dingin, saring dan minum sekaligus.
- Lakukan 3-4 kali dalam sehari sampai sembuh.
Reference Sources
- CABI. (No date). Invasive Species Compendium. Clerodendrum indicum. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/14330. 22-02-2021
- Fern, Ken. (2014). Useful Tropical Plant. Clerodendrum indicum. http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Clerodendrum+indicum 22-02-2021
- J.L.C.H. van Valkenburg & N. Bunyapraphatsara. (2016). Pl@nt Use. Clerodendrum indicum. https://uses.plantnet-project.org/en/Clerodendrum_indicum_(PROSEA) 22-02-2021
- Europe PMC. (1999). Clerodendrum indicum. https://europepmc.org/article/cba/321708 22-02-2021
- Vikaspedia. (No date). Clerodendrum indicum. https://vikaspedia.in/agriculture/crop-production/package-of-practices/medicinal-and-aromatic-plants/clerodendrum-indicum#:~:text=Roots%20and%20leaves-,Therapeutic%20uses,tumours%20and%20certain%20skin%20diseases. 22-02-2021
- International Journal of Indigenous Herbs and Drugs. (2018). A Brief Review on Clerodendrum indicum. https://www.saapbooks.com/journals/index.php/herbsanddrugs/article/view/79 22-02-2021