October 10, 2008

MURRAYA KOENIGII

Plant Name: MURRAYA KOENIGII




En
glish Name: Curry tree

Local Name: Curry tree, Curry leaves

Family: Rutaceae (Citrus family).

Uses:
The leaves are used as an important food flavoring in Indian and Asian cuisine. When cooking, the leaves are generally used fresh off of the tree. The yellow "curry powder" that is common in Western countries is actually not curry at all, but a mix of spices intended to mimic the true curry flavor. The yellow color comes from turmeric root. Another plant, Helichrysum italicum, commonly called "curry leaf plant" is actually a small herbaceous annual and completly unrelated to the curry leaf tree. Volatile oil is used as a fixative for soap perfume. The leaves, bark and root of the plant are used in the indigenous medicine as a tonic, stimulant, carminative and stomachic.