Garuda Kratong | ครุฑกระทง | Polyscias scutellaria
Family: Araliaceae | Genus: Polyscias
The shield aralia is grown around the restaurant of Eco-Logic, the Food Forest Kitchen. Its leaves are used as coasters and small bowls for our snacks.
Polyscias scutellaria, the shield aralia, or plum aralia, is a tropical shrub or small tree reaching 2–6 meter tall. It has aromatic, glossy, leathery, rounded to oval, dark green leaves. Erect panicles composed of umbels of greenish-white flowers in are followed by purple-black fruit. The shield aralia rarely blooms.
The Shield Aralia leaf is used as a bowl for food and as coasters.
The Shield Aralia is an evergreen plant. Therefor the leaves can be picked the whole year through.
THE SHRUB
Shield Aralia is an erect shrub growing to a height of 1.5 to 3.5 meters. Stem is woody, branched, round, long and straight.
Toxicity
All parts are poisonous to domestic pets.
THE LEAVES
Leaves are simple, somewhat rounded and concave, saucer-like, 6 to 12 centimeters wide, heart-shaped at the base and distantly toothed in the margins.
Leaves are edible.
THE FLOWERS
Although the Shield Aralia seldom flowers, if it does, the flowering part of the plant is quite big, with tiny flowers, grouped in small, spherical heads, which in turn were clustered umbel-like at the end ends of sprawling stalks.
CULINARY USES
Leaves are edible. Young leaves used as ingredient in stews and can be cooked and eaten as greens.
The shredded Shield aralia leaf has aromatic properties that can be mixed to meat or fish meat to concealing the odor
NUTRITION
No information on the nutritional value of the Shield Aralia could be found.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
The leaves and the roots, combined with parsley, are said to be used as a diuretic, antiseptic and deodorant. Leaves are said to stimulate hair growth.
The juice of the leaves has been used to relieve stomach aches and facilitate childbirth.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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