(i) Safflower:
Botanical name – Carthamus tinctorius
Family – Asteraceae
Utility – Traditionally, the crop was grown for its seeds, and used for colouring and flavouring foods, in medicines, and making red (carthamin) and yellow dyes, especially before cheaper aniline dyes became available. For the last fifty years or so, the plant has been cultivated mainly for the vegetable oil extracted from its seeds.
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In April 2007 it was reported that genetically modified safflower has been bred to create insulin. Safflower oil is flavorless and colorless, and nutritionally similar to sunflower oil. It is used mainly in cosmetics and as a cooking oil, in salad dressing, and for the production of margarine. It may also be taken as a nutritional supplement.
(ii) Rosewood
Botanical name – Dalbergia nigra
Family – Fabaceae
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Utility – Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery (billiard cues, the black pieces inchess sets, etc), handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.
(iii) Amla :
Botanical name – Phyllanthus emblica
Family – Phyllanthaceae
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Utility – n traditional Indian medicine, dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used. All parts of the plant are used in various Ayurvedic/ Unani Medicine [Jawarish Amla] herbal preparations, including the fruit, seed, leaves, root, bark and flowers. According to Ayurveda, amla fruit is sour (amla) and astringent (kashaya) in taste (rasa), with sweet (madhura), bitter (tikta) and pungent (katu) secondary tastes (anurasas).Its qualities (gunas) are light (laghu) and dry (ruksha), the post-digestive effect (vipaka) is sweet (madhura), and its energy (virya) is cooling (shita). Culinary use
Particularly in South India, the fruit is pickled with salt, oil, and spices. Amla is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes. In Andhra Pradesh tender varieties of amla are used to prepare dal (a lentil preparation), also amle ka murabbah a sweet dish indigenous to the northern part of India (where in the berries are soaked in sugar syrup for a long time till they are imparted the sweet flavor) is traditionally consumed after meals. Religious use
In Hinduism, amla is regarded as a sacred tree attributed to Lakshmi
Other uses:
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Popularly used in inks, shampoos and hair oils, the high tannin content of Indian gooseberry fruit serves as a mordant for fixing dyes in fabrics. Amla shampoos and hair oil are traditionally believed to nourish the hair and scalp and prevent premature grey hair.
(iv) Guava:
Botanical name – Calyptropsidium
Family – Myrtaceae
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Utility – The fruit are not only relished by humans, but by many mammals and birds as well. The spread of introduced guavas owes much to this fact, as animals will eat the fruit and disperse the seeds in their droppings. In several tropical regions, including Hawaii, some species (namely Strawberry Guava, P. littorale, and to a lesser extent Apple Guava Psidium guajava) have become invasive species. On the other hand, several species have become very rare due to habitat destruction and at least one (Jamaican Guava, P. dumetorum), is already extinct.
Guava wood is used for meat smoking in Hawaii and is being used at barbecue cotnpetitions across the United States. In Cuba the leaves are also used in barbecues, providing a smoked flavor and scent to the meat.
(v) Sunhemp
Botanical name – Crotalaria juncea
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Family – Fabaceae
Utility – Crotalaria juncea, known as Sunn or sunn hemp, is a tropical Asian plant of the legume family (Fabaceae). Grown as a source of green manure, fodder and the lignified fiber obtained from its stem, it bears yellow flowers and elongate, alternate leaves. Sunn Hemp is also being looked at as a possible bio-fuel
(vi) Blue Vanda
Botanical name – Vanda coerulea
Family – Orchidaceae
Uses – the name “Vanda” is derived from the Sanskrit name for the species Vanda tessellata. Vanda coerulea is one of the few botanical orchids with blue flowers (actually a very bluish purple; there are no truly blue orchids), a property much appreciated for producing interspecific and intergeneric hybrids. Some have flat, typically broad, ovoid leaves (strap- leaves), while others have cylindrical (terete), fleshy leaves and are adapted to dry periods. The stems of these orchids vary considerably in size; there are miniature plants and plants with a length of several meters.
Botanical name – Andrographis paniculata
Family – Acanthaceae
Uses – useful in hyperdispsia, buring sensation, wounds, ulcers, chronic fever, malarial and intermittent fevers, inflammations, cough, bronchitis, skin diseases, leprosy, colic, flatulence, diarrhoea, dysentery, haemorrhoids etc.
Botanical name – Momordica charantia
Family – Cucurbitaceae
Uses – The plant contains several biologically active compounds, chiefly momordicin I and II, and cucurbitacin B. The plants contains also several bioactive glycosides (including momordin, charantin, charantosides, goyaglycosides, momordicosides) and other terpenoid compounds (including momordicin- 28, momordicinin, momordiciline momordenol, andmomordol). It also contains cytotoxic (ribosome-inactivating) proteins such as momorcharin and momordin.
Digestive aid:
Like most bitter-tasting foods, bitter melon is claimed to stimulate digestion, and thus help treat dyspepsia and constipation. However it is suspected of causing heartburnand ulcers, although these negative effects appear to be limited by its action as demulcent and mild inflammation modulator.
Antimalarial:
It has been claimed that bitter melon’s bitterness comes from quinine. Bitter melon is. traditionally regarded in Asia as useful for preventing and treating malaria. Anticancer
Two compounds extracted from bitter melon, a-eleostearic acid (from seeds) and 15, 16- dihydroxy-α-eleostearic acid (from the fruit) have been found to induce apoptosis of leukemia cells in vitro. Diets containing 0.01% bitter melon oil (0.006% as a-eleostearic acid) were found to prevent azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis in rats.
Botanical name – pigeon pea
Family – Fabaceae
Uses – Pigeon peas are both a food crop (dried peas, flour, or green vegetable peas) and a forage/cover crop. They contain high levels of protein and the important amino acidsmethionine, lysine, and tryptophan. In combination with cereals, pigeon peas make a well-balanced human food. The dried peas may be sprouted briefly, then cooked, for a flavor different from the green or dried peas. Sprouting also enhances the digestibility of dried pigeon peas via the reduction of indigestible sugars that would otherwise remain in the cooked dried peas.
Botanical name – Areca catechu
Family – Arecaceae
Uses – The Areca palm is also used as an interior landscaping species. It is often used in large indoor areas such as malls and hotels. It won’t fruit or reach full size. Indoors it is a slow growing, low water, high light plant that is sensitive to spider mite and occasionally mealybug.
The areca nut is also popular for chewing throughout some Asian countries such as Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippine, Malaysia, and India and the Pacific notably Papua New Guinea where it is very popular.
Chewing areca nut is quite popular among working classes in Taiwan. The nut itself can be addictive and has direct link to mouth cancers. Areca nut in Taiwan will usually contain artificial additives such as limestone powder. The extract of Areca catechu has been shown to have antidepressant properties. According to traditional Ayurvedic medicine, chewing areca nut and betel leaf is a good remedy against bad breath (halitosis).