The many health benefits of pansit-pansitan

MANILA, Philippines — Pansit-pansitan: also known as ulasimang bato, it goes by the scientific name of Peperomia pellucida and the English name Shiny Bush. 

It has, as its name suggests, small, shiny heart-shaped leaves and succulent stems that have tiny flowers on a spike. It grows just about anywhere, particularly on lightly shaded and damp areas. It is so common and grows so effortlessly that people do not pay too much attention to it.

But the truth is that pansit-pansitan has long been recognized as a medicinal herb and used in traditional medicine to treat gout and rheumatic pains. Simply harvest some leaves and stems, wash them, add to salad veggies, and enjoy as a salad. Or you can make a decoction by boiling pansit-pansitan in water (ratio of one part leaves and stems: two parts water), letting the tea cool down, and drinking one cup in the morning and one cup in the evening.

Pansit-pansitan is also used to treat other conditions, such as headaches, abdominal pains and kidney problems, skin disorders (pimples, boils and abscesses), and Arthritis.

Too good to be true? Not really, because for centuries, it has been regarded as a medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-cancer properties. Its significant effect on the treatment of gout and rheumatic conditions is being seriously studied by the Department of Health (DOH). The DOH has even included ulasimang bato, or pansit-pansitan, among the 10 medicinal plants that it recommends, the others being bawang (garlic), lagundi, akapulko, bayabas (guava), ampalaya (bittergourd), niyog-niyogan, sambong, yerba Buena, and tsaang gubat.  

So the next time you see some pansit-pansitan growing in lightly shaded and damp areas of your garden, maybe you should start paying some serious attention to it.