Common purslane, pusley, pigweed or hogweed, as it is commonly called, is an annual succulent native to the Indian subcontinent and now widely distributed across the continents actually as a wild weed. Pusley is widely grown in many Asian and European regions as a staple leafy vegetable and long used in salads and as a…
Commonly called lavender or English lavender formerly L. officinalis, it is a flowering plant native to the western Mediterranean, primarily the Pyrenees and other mountains in northern Spain. English lavender is commonly grown as an ornamental plant. It is popular for its colourful flowers and its fragrance. The flowers and leaves are used either in the form…
Commonly called Brahmi, mandukparni and Indian pennywort, it is a small, herbaceous, annual plant native to India, Sri Lanka, northern Australia, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Melanesia, Papua New Guinea and other parts of Asia. Brahmi has great value in Ayurvedic medicine as a memory enhancer and a brain tonic. It is used to treat Alzheimer’s disease,…
Its seeds popularly called sesame yield a pale yellow oil upon expression. Sesame oil and sesame seeds have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. Crude expressed sesame oil can be used as a food item with little or no refining. Sesame oil is consumed primarily as a cooking and salad oil and is…
Cocos nucifera (Arecaceae) Commonly called the coconut palm it is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. Widely grown throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, its fresh kernel and kernel oil are an essential part of the diet of the people in the regions in which it is grown. The edible, tasty and…
Commonly known as mountain arnica, leopard’s bane, wolf’s bane or mountain tobacco, it is a European flowering plant with large yellow flowers grown in herb gardens and has long been used medicinally. Cosmetic use A. montana flower extract available commercially is an important herbal ingredient of a variety of personal care formulations such as skin care products,…
Extensively grown as a cultivated crop for production of the popular beverage tea from its leaves and leaf buds, it is the subject of much scientific research for its influence over human health. Of the several varieties of tea commercially available and consumed world over, green tea is being promoted for use in hair care…
The flower of this evergreen flowering shrub native to East Asia is commonly called ‘hibiscus’ or ‘shoe flower’. Bearing large red flowers in the original variety, different varieties of the shrub with flowers varying in colour from white to shades of red are widely grown. Cosmetic use Flowers and leaves are commonly used in homemade…
Lawsonia inermis (Lythraceae) Commonly referred to as henna, this flowering plant is native to southern Asia, tropical and subtropical Africa, and the semi-arid areas of northern Australia. Use of henna leaves as a dye for skin, hair, finger nails, leather, wool etc. is a well-known practice since antiquity. Cosmetic use Henna has been used as…
Commonly called stinging nettle or common nettle, it is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica. The plant has many hollow stinging hairs called trichomes on its leaves and stems, which act like hypodermic needles injecting histamine and…