If you visit any village in South India, you will find karpooravalli plants very easily. It is a tender, fleshy plant with an oregano like flavor that has amazing health benefits and medicinal uses. It's botanical name is Plectranthus Amboinicus. One can easily grow these plants in pots, as it doesn't require much maintenance. But this plant can't be grown indoors, as it needs plenty of sunlight. It's popular health benefits & medicinal uses are: 1. karpooravalli for cold and cough: This is one home remedy that we resort to first when we get a cold and cough, I have given the method of making the cough medicine and dosage below 2. Karpooravalli for Infants and babies: The vapor inhaled by boiling the leaves in water is very effective in removing the chest congestion in babies, you can also apply the juice on the chest. 3. Karpooravalli for headache: The juice of the leaves when applied on the fore head is a very good home remedy for headache, this is a very populay home remedy in Tamil Nadu 4. Homemade mosquito repellent: The juice got by bruising the leaves when applied on the skin acts as a natural mosquito repellent and the leaves can also can be carried if you are going camping to ward of mosquitoes 5. Karpooravalli For hair: During winter season karpooravalli can be added to the ingredients for making oil bath, it prevents cold and headache during winter season. Karpooravalli is also used in the treatment of hiccups, mouth ulcers, skin infections, colic asthma and indigestion. To make the cough medicine from karpooravalli, the karpooravalli leaves are pounded to extract the juice and then the juice is mixed with honey and given to a person with cough due to cold. One gets good relief from cough with this remedy. The juice of these leaves have a very strong distinctive smell, but it is not bitter. Don't substitute honey with sugar for this remedy, as sugar will increase the cough. We even treat small children with this remedy. Try drinking this juice, at least for three days to get good relief from cough. Some people make rasam | soup out of these leaves, but extracting the juice directly like this gives the best results. For children reduce the quantity, for young babies a tsp of this juice will be enough.
1. Wash the leaves well. Pound these leaves in a mortar and pestle. As the leaves are fleshy, it gives out it's juice easily. Add 1-2 tbsp of boiled water when pounding the leaves to make it easier to extract the juice.
2. Strain the juice. When you are straining the juice, press the leaves with your hands to extract the juice from it completely and discard the leaves.
3. Add honey to the extracted juice and your cough medicine is ready!
NOTES:
- Drink the juice immediately.
- If you feel the juice is very concentrated, thin it down with little boiled water.
- We use this remedy to treat cough, due to cold.
