In Traditional Malay Medicine, the herbalists say, “Pick the flowers before the dew dries.” One of our favorite advisors, Dr. Ghani is lecturing on the relationships between herbs and their medicinal uses at the Frangipani Resort’s “One Earth Festival” on Langkawi.

The best time of day to harvest leaves, shoots, or flowers is early morning in the cool of the dawn. This is advice Dr. Ghani received from Malay herbalists who follow traditions passed down for generations from their ancestors. Modern florists and flower growers agree; flowers stay fresh longest when picked in the morning. But how often is attention paid to conditions like the age of a plant, season of the year, time of day, or the many other factors that affect a plant when making commercial medicines or cosmetics?

At night, when plants rest, toxins settle in the roots. These poisons can be from external sources such as acid rain falling on leaves or manufactured internally by the plant itself, perhaps as a protection against insects and other attackers. Traditional herbalists understand this process and advise never to harvest roots, tubers, or rhizomes in the morning. Why? Because morning is when these underground plant parts are most likely to be saturated with poisons. Afternoon or towards sunset, so say these experts, is the best time to harvest roots.

As sunlight and heat return with the day, the internal system of a plant begins to pump upwards, carrying the needed elements taken from the surrounding earth -- the water, nutrients – and the toxins. By midday, they have spread through capillary action or a change in water pressure throughout the plant. “Don’t touch plants at midday,” he advises, as transpiration – the process of water loss (similar to sweating) is at its maximum then.

Winner of many awards as Malaysia’s “greenest resort” for its many eco-friendly
practices, Langkawi’s Frangipani Resort trains staff and visitors to understand
the systems interactions between people, animals and plants.

A licensed medical doctor trained in Egypt with a long-term practice in Malaysia, years ago Dr. Ghani became interested in the medical properties of herbs when his wife became sick. Western-style medicine did not seem to work but she was cured with herbs under the guidance of a Malay herbalist.

“Modern medicine,” he explains, “treats the acute face of illness. Traditional medicines address the healing process.”

“Plants can be medicine or at the same time can poison you,” he says. Dr. Ghani left his regular practice for research and writing when he became concerned about the number of “quacks” who were concocting so-called medicines and causing harm. A former nurse stood up at the lecture to add her story. In Singapore hospitals, she had seen men coming in for kidney dialysis because their systems had been so poisoned by certain dried mushrooms which had been promoted as good for health and viriity.

The herbalists Dr. Ghani most respects taught him about a special way of looking at any plant. They are meticulous about their selection of plants for harvest and consider how, when, and where it was grown. As one example, a plant grown on the east side of a hill where it gets the morning sun is considered to be healthier and better for medicinal or food purposes than one living on the west side.

Many plants have the potential to relieve symptoms and even cure illnesses. New discoveries are made by scientists almost every day about the healing properties of plants found in the Amazon jungles, the African savannah, the Malay rainforests, and elsewhere throughout the world. Once a plant is determined to be useful to make a drug, in order to produce commercial quantities, huge uniform fields are planted, harvested, and processed.

Says Dr. Ghani, he learned from Malay herbalists that this whole approach is wrong. Each plant has its own special conditions and qualities. You need both knowledge and understanding to identify the right plant and how it can help a person heal from their unique conditions.

He has spent many years collecting information from traditional healers and herbalists who follow the indigenous Malay traditions, as well as those who follow the teachings found in Islamic traditions across the Arab diaspora or mentioned in the Qu’ran (Koran), the central writings of the Muslim religion.

Learn more about Dr. Ghani and his work with tropical plants and their applications, you can visit his website at http://herbwalk-langkawi.com.my/thewalk.html.

By Teviot Fairservis.

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