Author: Archana
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Botanical Wonders Unveiled : Medicinal Plant Walk
A glimpse of Medicinal Plant Walk conducted by TDU. Along with some other students & enthusiasts who shares similar interest in plants, I set off on an enthralling trip into the world of medicinal plants. Before starting the walk, we were given a brief introduction of a couple of their herb collections within the herbarium…
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Angola Tree
Last week, during my morning walk, I stumbled upon a tree with white flowers that were buzzing with bees. After some investigation, I discovered that it was an Angola tree (Kannada), also known as Alangium salviifolium/Sage Leaved Alangium. Angolam,Alangi,Arinjil(Malayalam), Azhinjil, Alingil,Elangi(Tam)/Kallu maavu.. are other names in native languages.This thorny tree is considered sacred and is…
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Which is the real Brahmi?
The debate over which plant is the true Brahmi centers on Centella asiatica, Bacopa monnieri, and Hydrocotyle varieties, each with distinct properties and usages in Ayurveda. In Kerala, Bacopa is primarily called Brahmi, while Centella is referred to in other regions. Understanding these differences is crucial for proper identification and use.
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Hibiscus Flower Stir Fry Recipe
In my previous posts, I have mentioned about my Amma making some unique dishes. So thought of sharing one of them today. She calls it Chembarathi upperi, and I named as hibiscus stir fry. The entire cooking process was recorded and my kid wanted it to be in youtube and the link here 😏. The…
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Cnidoscolus aconitifolius- Chayamansa/Mayan Spinach
Botanical Name: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Family: Euphorbiaceae (Castor family)Common name from Flowersofindia: Tree Spinach, Tread Softly, Cabbage Star, ChayaEtymology: Cnidoscolus : This genus name is derived from two Greek words: “knidos” meaning “nettle” and “skolos” meaning “thorn.” This is indicative of the plant’s characteristic of having stinging or prickly hairs on its leaves or stems.aconitifolius: This specific epithet…
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Taro leaves
Finally, I cooked ‘pathrodo’ all by myself for first time after years of hesitance, lazyness, scaredness & all those kinds of related feelings! When some specific food is tagged to the community we live in, & being a woman, it’s mandatory to know how to cook! Not my words guys. This is from many people…
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Multi-greens Chutney – Recipe
When I find edible greens around, it would remind my Amma’s food experiments with all the possible ways. Colorful idlies, mixed green/flowers chutneys, rice varieties, payasams, thorans (dry sabji/curry with grated coconut).. The highlight of those foods is we won’t get to know what all are the ingredients which went in 😝 Amma likes to…
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Sauropus androgynus – Madhura cheera/Multivitamin plant
This versatile leafy green, known by several names in Malayalam, including Madhura cheera, Chekkurmani, Veli cheera, Mysore cheera, Vitamin cheera, Block cheera, and Pressure cheera, Malay Cheera, Ela cheera is a nutritional powerhouse. It goes by common names such as Star gooseberry, sweet leaf, Tropical Asparagus, Vitamin plant. This leafy green is rich in essential…
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Natural drinks for a cool Summer
Stepping out in summer is always a sweat-work! Especially when you are in a humid place, you will feel extra fatigue and thirst. These times the juice shops in Kerala would be crowded for the sarbats and juices. I am sure that you might have heard about the famous ‘Kulukki sarbath’ too :P. Here I…
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Burans drink – An Elixir from Himalayas
Burans/Buransh is Rhododendron arboreum or the tree rhododendron which is an evergreen small tree with bright red,pink or white flowers. It is the state flower of Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh. Also found in regions of Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and all the other neighboring countries. The flowers are widely known for it’s medicinal and ayurvedic purposes. The…
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Leucas aspera – Thumba
Starting the series of edible greens from the list I provided in one of my previous posts. If you missed to see the list, click here. Botanical Name: Leucas aspera Family: Lamiaceae (Mint family)Common names from flowersofindia: Common Leucas • Hindi: छोटा हल्कुसा Chhota halkusa, गॊफा Gophaa • Manipuri: ꯃꯌꯡꯂꯝꯕꯨꯝ Mayanglambum • Marathi: Tamba • Tamil: தும்பை Thumbai • Malayalam: Tumba • Telugu:…
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Pottu-vellari – A natural Summer thirst-buster
This fruit is called as Pottu vellari in Malayalam. Blonde cucumber/Snap melon in English. One of the summer fruit(Read about other Summer fruits of Kerala here) which is easily available in few places in Kerala. Pottu Vellari got its name because of the cracks that appear on its skin when it gets ripe. I used…
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MY LITTLE THOUGHTS LANE 