Herb Library
Browse our comprehensive collection of traditional medicinal plants and herbal remedies.
Neem (Kohomba): The Village Pharmacy, and the One Rule About Neem Oil
(Azadirachta indica)
Neem (Azadirachta indica) is called the village pharmacy for good reason — a single tree supplies a
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Gotukola (Centella asiatica): The Brain Herb Sri Lankans Eat for Breakfast
(Centella asiatica)
Gotukola (Centella asiatica) is unusual among medicinal plants in that most Sri Lankans consume it w
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Mukunuwenna (Alternanthera sessilis): Sri Lanka's Everyday Leafy Green
(Alternanthera sessilis)
Mukunuwenna (Alternanthera sessilis) is the most unassuming plant on this site and one of the most u
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Karapincha (Murraya koenigii): Curry Leaves Are Not Just Flavour
(Murraya koenigii)
Karapincha (Murraya koenigii) suffers a peculiar fate: it is put into almost every Sri Lankan dish a
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Maduru Thala (Ocimum tenuiflorum): Holy Basil, Tulsi and the Mosquito Leaf
(Ocimum tenuiflorum)
Maduru Thala (Ocimum tenuiflorum) carries two identities at once. To Ayurveda it is Tulsi, the elixi
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Inguru (Ginger): The Universal Medicine, and What It Is Proven To Do
(Zingiber officinale)
Inguru (Zingiber officinale) earns its Ayurvedic title vishwabhesaj — universal medicine — more hone
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Kaha (Turmeric): The Golden Spice, the Supplement, and the Lead Problem
(Curcuma longa)
Kaha (Curcuma longa) is the most researched medicinal plant in the world and the most oversold. It i
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Komarika (Aloe Vera): Excellent on Skin, Complicated to Swallow
(Aloe vera)
Komarika (Aloe vera) sits in a pot by countless Sri Lankan kitchen doors for one very good reason: w
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Polpala (Aerva lanata): The Traditional Kidney and Urinary Herb
(Aerva lanata)
Polpala (Aerva lanata) is a modest, woolly weed that most people would step over without noticing. I
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Iramusu (Hemidesmus indicus): Indian Sarsaparilla, the Cooling Root
(Hemidesmus indicus)
Iramusu (Hemidesmus indicus) is known first by its smell. Break a piece of the dried root and it rel
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Wel Penela (Cardiospermum halicacabum): Balloon Vine for Joints and Skin
(Cardiospermum halicacabum)
Wel penela (Cardiospermum halicacabum) is easy to identify and easy to overlook: a slender vine scra
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Hathawariya (Asparagus racemosus): Shatavari, the Women's Tonic
(Asparagus racemosus)
Hathawariya (Asparagus racemosus) carries a name that tells you how it has been understood: shatavar
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