Adhathoda Vasaka is a herb that has been used in Indian traditional medicine for centuries to alleviate cough, cold and asthma. It is also called Malabar nut . The name 'Adhathoda' comes from Tamil, which means that goats do not touch this plant.
The Indian Borage, Plectranthus amboinicus is a no-trouble plant which grows with very little fuss wherever you plant it. The leaves have a pungent smell, reminiscent of aniseed. There are two types, a green one and a vareigated one. Both are good herbs, used in cooking and healing.
Delicious preserves are made using the flower. My grandmother was given a diet of boiled hibiscus flowers when she had the typhoid, in an age when typhoid was a deadly disease, and she was cured.
Brahmi, or Centella asiatica is a common herb growing near rice fields in India. Yogis have used this herb since ancient times to increase their powers of concentration necessary for meditation. It strengthens capillaries, and so is helpful for varicose veins and hemorrhoids.
This is lemon grass, which is used extensively in Thai and Cambodian cooking. A small piece of lemon grass added to your tea refreshes you greatly. It is also a mosquito repellent, and so it is planted near bedroom windows. But beware! The blades of lemon grass are razor sharp. I have cut my hands many times trying to pull out a blade.
The Ixora is seen everywhere in the west coast of India. The flowers range in colour from red to orange to pink to white and yellow. It is used by the people of the region for decoration and for worship. An interesting story about the origin of its name goes like this: An early Portuguese botanist saw a woman taking these flowers to the temple and asked her whose temple it was. The woman replied "Ishwara", which is another name of Shiva, one of the Hindu Trinity. The Portuguese recorded it faithfully in his language,"Ixora".
