Uncaria gambir Roxb. - syn. Nauclea gambir Hunter - Rubiaceae - gambir, Gambir

„Gambir Sarawak is very effective in relieving toothache. It is easy to use by simply crushing Gambir to a fine powder and placed in molar teeth are hollow. About 5 minutes later, the tooth will feel tingling and tooth pain will fade away little by little.“
http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambir_Sarawak

„Gambier is used in Sarawak (Malaysia) for chewing with areca and betel, for tanning, and for dyeing. It contains flavan-3-ols (catechins) which are known to have medicinal properties and are components of Chinese herbal remedies and certain modern medicines… To make gambier, the leaves are first boiled in water. They absorb it and turn brownish in color. The leaves are then pressed mechanically to squeeze and extract liquid. This liquid is then dried into a semi-solid paste and molded into cubes, which are dried in the sun.“ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncaria_gambir

„Uncaria gambir, a well known Southeast Asia plant have been previously used as an alternative medicine for treatment such as diarrheal, sore throat and spongy gums. Due to its useful properties, in this study we have analysed the total phenol, condensed tannin, flavonoid content and antioxidant activity of Uncaria gambir in three different solvent extracts. Characterization and quantification analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) has confirmed that the major chemical constituents of Uncaria gambir are mainly catechins. It was revealed that the ethyl acetate gambir extract gives the highest catechin content and antioxidant activity compared with other solvent extracts.“
[Determination of total phenol, condensed tannin and flavonoid contents and antioxidant activity of Uncaria gambir extracts, M. Hazwan Hussin, Majalah Farmasi Indonesia, 22(1), 50-59, 2011]

Kohl,F.G., Die officinellen Pflanzen der Pharmacopoea Germanica, t.147 (1891-1895)
http://plantgenera.org/species.php?id_species=1042232