Cuban Oregano is a precious herb with very intense and deep flavour. The leaves of this herb have abundant medicinal properties and pack in lot of health nutrients. There is a particular variety of Cuban Oregano which you get in India which goes by the scientific name of Coleus Aromaticus. They are also known as Dodda Patre in Kannada. The plant grows as a shrub and spreads easily in gentle weather with minimum care. The leaves are round, spongy with a very aromatic flavour.
Growing up, we always had a small shrub and many a times Mom would pluck a leaf or two, boil it in water and given me the potion to sip when I was sick and recuperating from stomach ailments. Interestingly, the herb is recommended a lot for child care and well being. Only few specialty stores sell these in powdered form in India which can be used if one can't find the sapling.
Few recipes for which we used Dodda Patre at home is Tambli, Pakoras (Bhajji) and Chutney. The Tambli tastes very delicious and is soothing on the palate when combined with yoghurt.
Few health benefits of Dodda Patre are as listed below:
- The herb is used for curing stomach related ailments hence their popularity for curing various stomach related diseases like Cholera, Diarrhoea, Dysentery, etc.
- The herb is very effective for various skin ailments and skin related diseases.
- A light juice or Kashaya made out of the leaves boiled in water serves as an excellent medicine for curing common cold.
*** This is a WIP post; will update with more information as and when I find it ***
Just to let you know you had a reader today...in Honolulu, January 1, 2012. I'm growing this plant by our pool - and have been using it daily in a smoothie - it's giving me ani-oxidants (so I read in research on line) and more. When I've finished the smoothie (with bananas and various other things - yeast, chocolate !, some spirulina, and even some seaweed) - I feel a tingle all over the body which tells me the very fresh herb is benefitting me immediately. All at no cost to me and the herb is easy to grow and grows quickly. Happy new year fron Nandarani.
ReplyDelete@ Nandarani -
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the lovely comment! Happy New Year to you too! I feel great when I get to hear from my readers. My Ma uses a lot of herbs in her cooking and that's how I got motivated to use them in my kitchen. Its very powerful when given to kids who are battling cold/flu. We also make Pakoras out of them, they are super delicious! Thanks again...:)