How the sambong plant become medicine?

Hi,

There are some more uses for the plant :

Decoction of roots and leaves for fevers and cystitis.
Sitz-bath of boiled leaves, 500 gms to a ballon of water, for rheumatic pains of waist and back.
Applied while hot over the sinuses. Used for wounds and cuts.
Fresh juice of leaves to wounds and cuts.
Poultice of leaves to forehead for headaches.

Yes - use it as a tissane tea - seems very effective from the feedback I've had about it

The Sambong plant was already medicine a long, long time ago.

   My late grandmother, Juliana Colipapa, the "hilot" (midwife) for Catmon, Cebu, Philippines was already using it.  The plant was used in infant baths.  The water is boiled and the sambong leaf is added to the water.  When it is warm, the infant is bathed.

   When I had stomachache, my grandmother would ask me to chew young sambong leaves.  The chewed leaves are also used in treating fresh wounds to stop the bleeding and heal the wound.

    It is traditional medicine here in the Philippines.  

    I get the impression that our ancestors learned that Sambong is medicine from their olders involved in the healing arts.

what is the component of sambong leaves

Camphor oil-

Camphor oil preparations have been used both internally and externally for a variety of ailments, ranging from respiratory problems to rheumatic pain. The principal use of camphor is to reduce coughs. The plant contains substances, which upon contact with water, form a protective layer that covers the lining of the upper respiratory system, thus reducing mechanical irritation and preventing the cough reflex.