ຜັກຂະແຍງ / Finger grass
APA 6th ed. ຜັກຂະແຍງ / Finger grass. (2021, August 27). Retrieved from https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000004
MLA 8th ed. ຜັກຂະແຍງ / Finger grass. Pha Khao Lao, 27 August 2021, https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000004.
Chicago 17th ed. Pha Khao Lao. 2021. "ຜັກຂະແຍງ / Finger grass." Published August 27, 2021. https://www.phakhaolao.la/kb/0000004.
Vietnamese: lang hom nay, mot vung rau, rau ngo, rau om
Cambodian: ma-om, pramat dei phnom
Chinese: shi long wei
English: finger grass, rice paddy herb, sparrow herb
Phak Kha Nhaeng is a many-branched aquatic herb between 0.1 m and 1 m tall. The leaves, 2-7 x 5-15 mm, grow in whorls of three and are linear with jagged edges. The flowers sometimes grow in long clusters, and each blue flower is 1-1.3 cm long. The fruit is an oval capsule of 6 x 3 mm, with many seeds, each 0.5 mm long.
The young shoots and leaves of phak kha nhaeng are aromatic (lemony-melon smell) and eaten fresh with fermented fish and jeo, or cooked in curries and soups. Its leaves are used to treat poisoning and pain, and are believed to help prevent cancer. The plant also promotes appetite, clears mucus, and treats fever, worm infections, menstrual problems, dysentery, elephantiasis and indigestion.