Patta Ajwain: Medicinal plant for home

Scientific name: Plectranthus amboinicus
Family: Lamiaceae
Plant part used: Leaves.

Medicinal properties of Patta Ajwain:

Coolant, Stimulant, Digestive, Stomach Gases, Anthelmintic, Wound Healing, Cough, Cold, Reducing ‘Kapha’ and ‘Vata.'

Patta Ajwain information:

• It's a small, erect, perennial, herbaceous, aromatic plant.

• Leaves are fleshy, green, hairy and full of essential oils and aromatic compounds.

• The stem is green and weak; it can tilt or drop with the weight of big leaves.

• The aroma of the leaves can be described as a pungent combination of the smells of oregano, thyme, and turpentine. The taste of the leaves is described as being similar to the one of oregano but, with a sharp mint like pepperiness

• It is widely cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in the tropics, where it is used for traditional medicine, spice, and ornamental plant.

• Note: Patta Ajwain should not be confused with great aromatic kitchen seed-herb Ajwain, i.e., Trachyspermum ammi.

• There is an uncanny resemblance in the aroma of Ajwain seeds and Patta Ajwain leaves. Therefore plant in this blog is referred as ‘Patta Ajwain; rather than just ‘Ajwain’ to avoid confusion.

Patta Ajwain benefits and uses:

• Patta Ajwain leaves help in digestion when consumed with black salt.

• Chew one leaf every day to get rid of gases and bloating.

• A special ‘Bhajia’ is made of Patta Ajwain during the monsoon season.

• Patta Ajwain tastes great along with ginger, lemon, and Jaljeera beverages.

• Chopped leaves of Patta Ajwain and coriander are used to garnish buttermilk.

• Patta Ajwain leaves are added in ‘green masala’ of fenugreek, spinach, potato and mixed vegetable recipes.

• Delicious and fresh chutney is prepared from fried Patta Ajwain leaves and sesame seeds.

• Add a leaf in boiling water and inhale the vapor to clear blocked nose during cold.

• Homoeopathic medicine, prepared from fresh leaves, is used in the affections of urinary organs, especially in painful urination or in burning pains during and after urination.

• The herb can be applied externally to the skin as a mosquito repellent.

How to grow Patta Ajwain plant?

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• The plant should be grown in 8-12 inch pot in a rich potting medium like pot-o-mix.

• Patta Ajwain can be propagated with herbaceous green cuttings or tip cuttings.

• Cuttings can be directly planted in well prepared potting soil added with plenty of organic manure.

• In the humid, rainy climate even the old stems are placed horizontally on the soil surface can start rooting to form a new plant.

• Patta Ajwain plant grows well in shade and partial sunlight. It can be grown in hanging baskets too.

Click here to read about another Medicinal Plant: Betel leaf!