Category: medicinal plants
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Madras Pea pumpkin – Cucumis maderaspatanus
Madras pea pumpkin, with edible leaves and fruits is from the family of cucumbers. I noticed this plant growing in my Amma’s garden during the Corona era. A farmer friend who had visited us during that time, told me to have the leaves along with black pepper as an effective remedy for cough! And may…
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Trianthema portulacastrum – Desert Horse-purslane
After Common Purslane, Wild purslane, I thought of covering one more so-called-purslane(but it is not really a purslane) which I am aware of. This plant is often mistaken as Punarnava as the plant look similar to actual punarnava/thazhuthama(Boerhavia diffusa). While some call this plant as Shwetha Punarnava(as there are two varieties in this species- with…
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Turkey berry – Solanum torvum
If you’ve got a backyard garden, or you’re lucky enough to live in a small town or village, you know the deal. Alongside the “usual suspects” like papaya, banana, and curry leaves that practically grow themselves and show up for free(from your neighbors too)… there’s always that one extra guest: Chundakka. It is one of…
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Plant-aids from Nature’s pharmacy
Growing up, one of my fondest memories was watching The Jungle Book on DD National. I remember a particular scene vividly: Mowgli, injured in the jungle, is helped by a ‘human’ who quickly plucks some leaves, chews or crushes them, and applies them to Mowgli’s wounds. That simple act resonated with me, sparking an early…
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Peperomia pellucida – Shiny Bush
If you are from Kerala, born in 90s or before, you would remember this little plant. We call it ‘Mashi pacha’ or ‘Mashi thandu’, ‘Slate pacha’, ‘കോലുമഷി’ which was used to wipe our slates after scribbling. And to remove the excess ink (Gosh !the Hero fountain pen days) dripped on note books. It was fun…
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