Arthritis sufferers look to pennywort
A pennywort craze is sweeping the Peninsula, where dozens of arthritis sufferers are growing the humble "arthritis plant" in their gardens.
After chewing two to seven small leaves a day for at least a month, many claim it has eased, or even banished, their pains.
This is a vital development which should interest everyone, since about half the population suffers or will suffer from arthritis.
There is no cure for this most common complaint that doctors are called-on to treat and it can strike at any age.
There's nothing new about pennywort (botanical name, Centella asiatica).
Under a third name, gotu kola, it has been used for thousands of years in China, India, Pakistan, Malaysia and parts of eastern Europe.
It has been used to promote longevity, as a traditional blood cleanser and diuretic, and to treat leprosy and tuberculosis.
Traditional Chinese medicinal authorities agree that gotu kola promotes longevity, calling it "the fountain of youth".
For more information on pennywort, which has just been published on the Internet at http://www.riverhouse.com.au/factsheets/pennywort_eric.html
Eric Shackle, February 1