''Persicaria minor'' is species of herb in the family

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus ''Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789 ...

. Common names include pygmy smartweed, small water pepper and swamp willow weed. This herb is native to Asia, but distributed widely in Europe and Australia. It is used in South East Asian cooking.

Description

''Persicaria minor'' is native to South East Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. It grows wild in cooler highlands, but is also found in wet lowland areas near rivers, ditches, and canals. It is a creeping plant with slender stems, and grows upright to a height of 1 to 1.5 meters. The creeping stem is green with reddish tinge, is cylindrical in shape, and has short nodes about 9 mm apart. Its leaves are long and narrowly-tapering, alternately arranged, and green with short, reddish petioles. Its flowers are minute, pale violet, and are 12 to 15 cm long.

Uses

''Persicaria minor'' is an edible herb. In Malaysia where it has the common name "kesum", the shoots and young leaves are eaten raw as part of salad (

ulam Ulam may refer to: * ULAM, the ICAO airport code for Naryan-Mar Airport, Russia * Ulam (surname) * Ulam (salad), a type of Malay salad * ''Ulam'', a Filipino term loosely translated to viand or side dish; see Tapa (Filipino cuisine) * Ulam, the l ...

); used as an aroma spice additive in peppery dishes such as

laksa Laksa is a spicy noodle dish popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of various types of noodles, most commonly thick rice noodles, with toppings such as chicken, prawn or fish. Most variations of laksa are prepared with a rich and spicy coco ...

, nasi kerabu, asam pedas and

tom yam Tom yum or tom yam (, ; th, ต้มยำ, ) is a type of hot and sour Thai soup, usually cooked with shrimp (prawn). The words "tom yam" are derived from two Thai words. ''Tom'' refers to the boiling process, while ''yam'' means 'mixed'. ...

; used as tea leaves; and used for topical applications. Its oil has been used for aromatherapy and in treatments for dandruff. In Malaysian traditional medicine, ''P. minor'' has been used in post-natal tonics and for treatment of digestion. Pharmacological studies on ''P. minor'' have indicated anti-oxidant, LDL oxidation, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activities, digestive enhancing and anti-ulcer activities, cognitive enhancing activities, and as a microbial inhibitor to prevent food spoilage. Comparative studies have been carried out to analyse the metabolites not only in the plant's leaves, but also in its stem and roots. Clinical studies have also been carried out on this plant, looking at its supposed cognitive indications. Compared with other four Malaysian herbs (''

Cosmos caudatus ''Cosmos caudatus'' or king's salad is an annual plant in the genus ''Cosmos'', bearing purple, pink, or white ray florets. It is native to Latin America (from Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil to Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico), descripti ...

'', ''

Piper sarmentosum ''Piper sarmentosum'' is a plant in the family Piperaceae used in many Southeast Asian cuisines. The leaves are often confused with betel, but they lack the intense taste of the betel leaves and are significantly smaller. ''Piper lolot'' (lolot ...

'', '' Centella asiatica'', ''

Syzygium polyanthum ''Syzygium polyanthum'', with common names Indonesian bay leaf or daun salam, is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to Indonesia, Indochina and Malaysia. The leaves of the plant are traditionally used as a food flavouring, and ...

''), the ''Persicaria minor'' showed the highest concentration of phenols and the highest antioxidant activity. It has been used as a bioactive component for packaging film for edible foods, based on a semi-refined carrageenan and

glycerol Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

as plasticizers.

References

External links

Polygonum minus, Plants for a Future
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1717986

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Herbs Medicinal plants