In
this article, I would like to share with members of Green Culture
Singapore what I have learnt about the herb from reading the published
materials available as well as from conversations I had with various
people who knew more than I did about the herb.  Above: A large Black Face General shrub.
The
name "Black Face General" is derived from the direct Chinese translation
of the term locals here use to refer to the plant
The Black Face General is a woody spreading shrub that can easily reach more than a meter in height in cultivation. The dark green leaves of the Black Face General are elliptical in shape and have an attractive, glossy sheen. They are also rough to the touch. In addition, they occur in pairs that grow on direct opposite sides of the stem, which is a characteristic of plants belonging to the Acanthaceae family. The Black Face General rarely produces flowers. The buds are borne in leafy sheaths and the yellow flowers that emerge are said to be able to reach up to 2cm in diameter. I was confused at first when I read the botanical description of S. cusia (Nees) Kuntze (syn. S. flaccidifolia). From the descriptions, both plants have very similar looking leaves and S. cusia also has medicinal properties and the twigs of S. cusia are used to prepare a dark blue dye used for dyeing cloth. After some comparisons, the only way for an untrained person to distinguish the two Strobilanthes species is probably via the flower colour of the two species: S. cusia has purple flowers whereas S. crispus has yellow flowers.
GROWING THE PLANT The
Black Face General plant is essentially a fuss-free and robust plant
but it is not one that is fast growing. It is not particular about
soil type, as long as the substrate it grows in is well drained
and kept moist at all times.
Established plants grow happily in full sun outdoors and fortunately, the plants are forgiving enough to be able to grow rather comfortably in semi shade. Apartment growers are advised to grow the Black Face General in the brightest possible location. The plant needs to have some sunshine falling on it for at least 6 hours. The plant should be cut back periodically to contain its spread and to keep it in shape. Pruning will also encourage branching. You can save the trimmings for propagation or use the leaves for medicine. As
with all plants grown for its foliage, feed with a fertilizer
with a higher nitrogen ratio. Organic and inorganic fertilizers
are both suitable.
NOTES ON HOW THE PLANT IS USED
When
fresh leaves of the plant are used, they can either be made into
a puree or juiced which is then consumed directly. The leaves
can also be boiled to yield an infusion. Some formulations involve
the boiling the leaves of the Black Face General with other indigenous
medicinal herbs such as the Clinacanthus nutans Dried
leaves are crushed prior to simmering them in hot water. The resulting
yellow-tinged infusion can be flavoured with sugar and drunk as
a tea.
DISCLAIMER This
information is in no way intended to be a substitute for modern
medical care. Do not self-treat any medical complaint without the
guidance of a licensed health care provider.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I
must thank the following persons in my quest to identify and learn
more about the Black Face General: Kacey Oh from Green Valley Organic
Farm, Angie Ng from Nature Society (Singapore) and Samsuri Ahmad
from the Singapore Herbarium. The same goes to Frank, one of our
members on the Green Culture Singapore discussion forum who kindly
granted me the permission to use his picture depicting the propagation
of this herb in this article.
REFERENCES All
information provided in this article is the result of research using
(but not limited to) the following publications:
Bich, N.K. & Tap, N., 2003. Strobilanthes Blume In: Lemmens, R.H.M.J. and Bunyapraphatsara, N. (Editors). Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 12(3): Medicinal and poisonous plants 3. Backhuys Publisher, Leiden, The Netherlands. pp. 385-388. Huang, Xian Yan. 2001. The specific use of the Black Face General for the treatment of uterine fibroids. In: Herbs & Healthy Life No. 3. G. G. Enterprise. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. pp. 22 - 31. In Traditional Chinese. Huang, Xian Yan. 2003. The Anti-cancer Properties of the Erect Black Face General. In: Herbs & Healthy Life No. 7. G. G. Enterprise. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. pp. 96 - 98. In Traditional Chinese.
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.
The name probably originates from the dark colour of the leaf
infusion. It is botanically known as Strobilanthes crispus
(L.) Blume and is a member of the Acanthaceae family. The Persian
Shield, a popular houseplant in the West, S. dyeriana,
is a close relative of the Black Face General. Other Strobilanthes
species are valued as commercial dye plants.
and Phyla nodiflora 
.
