Orthosiphon stamineus, popularly known as Java tea or Cat’s Whiskers, is a plant whose leaves make a health tea, used mostly for its anti-inflammatory and urinary health properties. It appears to be a large source of both rosmarinic acid and methylated flavonoids.
Let’s have a closer look at this cutely named herb.
Where? What? How?
Orthosiphon aristatus, Java tea or cat’s whiskers belongs to the lip flower family and originates from South-East Asia and Java. She stands out because of her long-thin stamens. The tea made from dried leaves is traditionally used in Indonesia for all kinds of infections of the urinary tract, including cystitis (bladder infection). The extract of the leaves expel uric acid, has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect as well as a spasmolytic and dilating effect on the ureters and is therefore useful in removing kidney stones. Some clinical studies compare the diuretic effect of the medicine furosemide with Orthosiphon aristatus and show that Java tea has a less diuretic effect but excretes the same amount of sodium, potassium and chlorine ions.
On top of this, recent clinical studies confirm Java tea’s antibacterial activity against E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae. The mechanism of action is similar to that of Vaccinium macrocarpon, namely preventing the adhesion of the bacteria to the cell wall of the urinary tract, bladder and kidneys. The main active substances of Java tea are the polymethoxylated flavones eupatorin, ladaneine, salvigenin, sinensetin.
Java tea is one of the ingredients of our herbal supplement URI-D which helps against urinary tract infections, also preventively.
REFERENCES
Orthosiphon aristatus: traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology. Ameer OZ1, Salman IM, Asmawi MZ, Ibraheem ZO, Yam MF. J Med Food. 2012 Aug;15(8):678-90.
Free Radical Scavenging, Antimicrobial and Immunomodulatory Activities of Orthosiphon aristatus. Mohammed A. Alshawsh, Mahmood A. Abdulla, […], and Nabil S. Harmal Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Aqueous extract from Orthosiphon aristatus leaves prevents bladder and kidney infection in mice. S Sarshar 1, S Brandt 1, M R Asadi Karam 2, M Habibi 2, S Bouzari 2, M Lechtenberg 1, U Dobrindt 3, X Qin 4, F M Goycoolea 4, A Hensel 5 Phytomedicine. 2017 May 15;28:1-9.
Orthosiphon aristatus extract exerts inhibition of bacterial adhesion and chaperon-usher system of uropathogenic Escherichia coli-a transcriptomic study. Beydokhti SS, Stork C, Dobrindt U, Hensel A. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2019 Oct;103(20):8571-8584. doi: 10.1007/s00253-019-10120-w.
Polymethoxylated flavones from Orthosiphon aristatus leaves as antiadhesive compounds against uropathogenic E. coli Melanie Deipenbrock 1, Andreas Hensel 2 Fitoterapia. 2019 Nov;139:104387.
Orthosiphon aristatus Benth. is an Outstanding Food Medicine: Review of Phytochemical and Pharmacological Activities. Ashraf K, Sultan S, Adam A. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2018 Jul-Sep;10(3):109-118.