Feb 19, 2011

Curry leaf plant


My fascination for curry plant started just few months back. Being a south Indian curry leaf is not a stranger to me. I have seen it in almost all food recipes made at home and every relative I visited in south India.
It has no specific taste but it does add a special aroma to any south Indian food preparation. Last few months I have been diligently researching about herbs and home remedies for growing healthy hair. Not to my surprise, just like old tales I have heard from my parents and grand parents, curry leaf is most sorted herb in aurvedic medicines for hair fall/loss.
Well then ...my next step was to find out how I could grow them at home. I wasn't sure given the extreme temp I live in if the plant could survive.
Like every thing has a way to enter in your life when you ask for them...I saw a curry plant in my tax consultants house. They have been growing their plant for 25 years and indoors!! After a quick lesson about how to take care water grow etc... The proud owner promised me a cutting my next visit as it was late in the evening and she did not want to disturb her plant:-)

Curry leaf is also called karrivepallai in Tamil. Karri=curry vepala=neem ellai=leaf.
It's botanical name is Murraya koenigii

I will post you a picture of my curry plant when it reaches home. Till then enjoy these pics from the net.
Grandmas stories: curry leaf eaten first thing in the morning in empty stomach (raw) helps stop hair fall! No scientific basis to this...but yeah what's wrong in trying out:-)