Kacip Fatimah: Mother Nature’s viagra for ladies?

Previously, I talked about tongkat ali, a traditional aphrodisiac for men in Malaysia and other countries in the region.  There is an equivalent for ladies; it’s called Kacip Fatimah, which translates to Fatimah’s Grip.  *cough!*

Unlike the endangered tongkat ali whose value lies in its mature roots, the kacip fatimah is a small woody and leafy plant easily found on the forest floor, whose leaves are used for “lady issues”, such as:

Fatimah’s Grip by helmyh
Permission for use granted 20090323 via FlickrMail

• establishing a regular menstrual cycle
• alleviating painful menstrual cramps
• cleansing the reproductive organs in order to increase chances of conception
• increasing and prolonging sexual enjoyment
• tightening the vaginal wall for a better grip *cough!*
• assisting with the delivery of babies
• revitalising and strengthening post-partum mothers
• eliminating yeast infections, gonorrhoea and the like

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Kacip Fatimah extract can be found in the form of pills or capsules, although it is common to just boil the leaves in water and drink the liquid like tea, or apply a paste made of the ground leaves directly to the lady parts.

Kacip Fatimah by Forest Ang
Permission for use granted 20090324 via email

I personally couldn’t tell you how it tastes.  But while researching this topic, I came across an interesting article about a man who had gotten lost in the jungle in Malaysia in 2006 (see Kept Alive By Kacip Fatimah). He survived by eating kacip fatimah shoots and leaves, which he described as “sweet and sour, and tasted quite nice actually”.

Now you (and I!) know.

Research has been done on the properties of kacip fatimah, and it seems that instead of increasing estrogen levels as one might expect, the plant actually causes the release of free testosterone. Is this what causes the womanly benefits attributed to this plant? You can try and decipher the report here. Good luck!