Clinacanthus nutans

Clinacanthus nutans is a plant in the family Acanthaceae, known as belalai gajah in Malay, phaya yo in Thai, Sabah snake grass, ki tajam in Sundanese and dandang gendis in Javanese. It is a herbaceous plant that grows as a low shrub, with green, woody, upright, cylindrical stems and simple green leaves that are lanceolate, meaning spear-shaped, with pointed tips and rounded bases. The flowers are red, borne in panicles, which are branched clusters, and have elongated tube-shaped petals. The plant is used in the traditional herbal medicines of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. It has been used in Indonesia in the treatment of dysentery and diabetes, and in all four countries for skin rashes, insect and snake bites, lesions caused by the herpes simplex virus, diabetes and gout.