Herb Library
Browse our comprehensive collection of traditional medicinal plants and herbal remedies.
Jayapala (Croton tiglium): The Purging Croton — Upavisha, and Why It Stays That Way
(Croton tiglium)
Jayapala (Croton tiglium) is classed in Ayurveda as upavisha — semi-poisonous — and the classificati
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Kinihiriya (Cochlospermum religiosum): The Buttercup Tree and Katira Gum
(Cochlospermum religiosum)
Kinihiriya (Cochlospermum religiosum) performs an annual act of theatre: it drops every leaf, stands
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Rathnithul (Plumbago indica): Chitraka, the Fiery Root
(Plumbago indica)
Rathnithul (Plumbago indica) is a handsome shrub with scarlet flower spikes, and beneath it a root t
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Cardamom (Enasal): The Queen of Spices for Digestion
(Elettaria cardamomum)
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is expensive for a reason: the pods must be picked by hand, slightly
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Nutmeg (Sadikka): The Calming Spice That Must Be Measured
(Myristica fragrans)
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans) is a rare thing among kitchen spices: one where the difference between a
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Sera (Cymbopogon citratus): Lemongrass, Citral and a Calming Cup
(Cymbopogon citratus)
Sera (Cymbopogon citratus) is the stalk you bruise and drop into a curry, and the tea you make when
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Thotila (Oroxylum indicum): The Indian Trumpet Tree of Dasamula
(Oroxylum indicum)
Thotila (Oroxylum indicum) is unmistakable once you have seen it: a slender tree hung with enormous
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Aswenna (Alysicarpus vaginalis): The Traditional Diuretic Herb
(Alysicarpus vaginalis)
Aswenna (Alysicarpus vaginalis) is one of those small plants that most people walk past and cattle e
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Masan (Ziziphus mauritiana): Indian Jujube, the Childhood Fruit
(Ziziphus mauritiana)
Masan (Ziziphus mauritiana) is a fruit most Sri Lankans meet as children, scrumped from a thorny tre
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Heen Undupiyaliya (Desmodium triflorum): The Cooling Groundcover
(Desmodium triflorum)
Heen Undupiyaliya (Desmodium triflorum) carpets Sri Lankan lawns and is mown down weekly by people w
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Nidikumba (Mimosa pudica): The Touch-Me-Not That Folds Away
(Mimosa pudica)
Nidikumba (Mimosa pudica) is the plant every Sri Lankan child has poked. Touch a leaf and it folds s
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Thibbotu (Solanum torvum): Turkey Berry, Food First
(Solanum torvum)
Thibbotu (Solanum torvum) turns up on Sri Lankan tables as a slightly bitter curry of small green be
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