Curry tree
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Curry tree ( Murraya koenigii ) |
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| ( L. ) Spreg. |
The curry tree ( Murraya koenigii , syn .: Bergera koenigii ) is a species of plant that belongs to the diamond family (Rutaceae). The leaves of this kind, which is native to Asia, called curry leaves, are mainly used as a spice in South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisine . The term "curry leaf" refers to the use of the leaves in curry dishes. There is no direct connection with curry powder .
distribution
Murraya koenigii is native to tropical to subtropical Asia, especially on the entire Indian subcontinent to the foothills of the Himalayas and in Sri Lanka . Their distribution area now extends from Nepal, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam to China. Murraya koenigii grows at altitudes up to 1500 meters. In India it is mainly planted privately, but to a small extent also commercially cultivated.
description
Murraya koenigii grows as an evergreen tree or shrub and reaches heights of 4 to 6 m. The crown is up to 4 m wide. The trunk has a dark gray bark and reaches a diameter of 40 cm.
The alternate, dark green and stalked leaves are pinnate with 11-31 pinna leaflet . The rachis is more or less finely haired. The main feature of the short-stalked, thin-leather and mostly bald leaflets with mostly uneven blades is the crooked base of the blade. They are usually egg-shaped to rhombic, less often obovate and 2 to 5 cm long and 0.5 to 2 cm wide. The leaf margin is whole to notched or finely serrated, at the tip they are rounded to pointed.
Many flowers stand together in terminal, umbrella-like and more or less short haired inflorescences . The small, fragrant and hermaphrodite, stalked flowers are five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five egg-shaped, minimal sepals are smaller than 1 mm. The five white and elongated flower petals are 5 to 7 mm long. There are two circles with five stamens each. The two-chamber ovary is upper constant with a thick, relatively short stylus . The fleshy, weakly lobed scar is head- shaped and there is a small disc .
The small, shiny, smooth, black-purple, spherical or egg-shaped to ellipsoidal fruits with minimal stylus remains on the permanent small calyx are 1 to 1.5 cm in size, sweet and hot and edible. However, they do contain a poisonous seed or two that are spread by birds.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 18.
Systematics
The first description of the Basionyms Bergera koenigii was in 1771 by Carl von Linné. The reallocation to Murraya koenigii took place in 1825 by Kurt Sprengel in Systema vegetabilium 16 [Sprengel] 2: 315. Another synonym is Chalcas koenigii (L.) Kurz .
use
Use in the kitchen
The aroma of the curry leaves is fresh, slightly fruity to smoky. They are popular in South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines . Since the leaves are thin, they do not need to be removed from the finished dish, but are eaten with the food.
Due to their round and at the same time clear aroma, they are used in many dishes as a spice in addition to salt and chilli. Mostly, they are first fried in hot oil or ghee (clarified butter) in a pan before adding the other ingredients. Diced, fried panir (Indian cheese) is considered tasty even without additional spices. In other dishes, curry leaves are combined with coconut and tamarind. Popular combinations of spices are, for example, curry leaves with chilli and black mustard seeds for dal (lentil dishes) or curry leaves with finely grated coconut meat, tamarind and chilli for rice dishes.
In India you can buy ready-made curry leaf powder (not to be confused with western curry powder ). This is a seasoning powder made from crushed curry leaves fried in fat, which is used to enrich rice dishes, parathas (filled flatbreads) and much more. However, its aroma is less intense than that of the fresh leaves.
Curry leaves can also be used as a tea .
During food inspections, curry leaves from India are repeatedly criticized as being contaminated with pesticides.
Alternative medical use
In Ayurveda , the traditional Indian natural medicine, the leaves, the bark, the roots and the fruits of the curry tree, i.e. all parts of the plant except the poisonous seeds, are used. The range of applications is wide:
- Gastrointestinal tract: Against diarrhea or flatulence one should grind a leaf (feather with stem) several times a day and drink it in buttermilk. Against stomach upset and indigestion, curry leaves are crushed with ginger and mixed with rice with potassium chloride .
- Hair: Against premature graying, the same mixture is applied to the hair, in addition to a copious consumption of curry leaves. Leaves cooked in coconut oil are used as a hair restorer.
- Eczema: An infusion of crushed curry leaves and turmeric root is said to act against eczema when applied to the skin.
- Diabetes: To prevent hereditary diabetes and to treat diabetes due to obesity, ten curry leaves should be eaten in the morning for three months.
- Kidney disease: A juice is made from the roots against kidney diseases.
- Eye diseases: fresh curry leaf juice is dripped into the eyes for shining eyes and to prevent cataracts.
- Insect bites: Against insect bites, the juice of the ripe, purple curry tree berries is mixed with lemon juice and used externally.
These traditional forms of application are now being examined in modern laboratories for their commercial applicability. It turns out that the curry tree contains some medicinally effective substances. The blood sugar levels decreased in rabbits and rats given extracts of curry tree leaves. The extract is therefore possibly suitable for the accompanying treatment of diabetes mellitus .
Antimicrobial alkaloids were found in the bark of the tree trunk.
Other uses
The essential oil of the leaves is used to perfume soap.
The wood is occasionally used for wood carving.
Naming
The name " curry leaf " comes from English ( curry leaf ) from the Dravidian languages of South India. In Tamil , the curry leaves are called kaṟivēppilai ( கறிவேப்பிலை ), “curry neem ”. As a minor form there is also karuvēppilai ( கருவேப்பிலை ), "dark neem". Both names refer to the similarity of the curry leaves with those of the neem tree ( Azadirachta indica ). The term "curry neem" can be understood as a reference to the use of the leaves in curry dishes. In the case of the term “dark neem”, however, the attribute refers to the darker color of the curry leaves. It cannot be determined which name is the original. Similar terms exist in the other Dravidian languages of South India. Thus, the curry leaves are called in Malayalam kaṟivēppila ( കറിവേപ്പില ) to Telugu karivēpāku ( కరివేపాకు ) and Kannada karibēvila ( ಕರಿಬೇವಿನ ).
The type epithet koenigii honors the botanist Johann Gerhard König (1728–1785) of German origin , a student of Linnaeus who spent the last 12 years of his life as a naturalist and missionary doctor in southeast India, in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu.
See also
literature
- Bendre Kumar: A Text Book Of Practical Botany. 2, Seventh Edition, Rastogi, 2007-2008, ISBN 81-7133-877-1 , pp. 98 f.
- Dianxiang Zhang , Thomas G. Hartley: Murraya in der Flora of China , Volume 11, p. 87: Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengel.
Web links
- Curry leaves on Gernot Katzer's spice pages .
- Murraya koenigii at Useful Tropical Plants.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bergera koenigii in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
- ↑ a b Indianspices , India. ( Memento of the original from July 23, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Dianxiang Zhang & Thomas G. Hartley: Murraya in der Flora of China , Volume 11, p. 87: Murraya koenigii (L.) Sprengel - online .
- ↑ Wyevale Garden Centers, UK ( Memento of the original from April 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Murraya Species at Dave's Garden, USA.
- ^ Murraya koenigii at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis.
- ↑ Multilingual Plant Name Database from the University of Melbourne, Australia .
- ↑ More pesticide than vegetables In: NZZ . June 18, 2013.
- ^ Ayurvedam Online , Kerala, India. ( Memento of the original from January 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Divine Remedies , Ayurveda Products, USA. ( Memento of the original from April 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ TO Kesari, RK Gupta, G. Watal: Hypoglycemic effects of Murraya koenigii on normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits . In: J. Ethnopharmacol . tape 97 , no. 2 , 2005, p. 247-251 , doi : 10.1016 / j.jep.2004.11.006 , PMID 15707761 .
- ↑ P. Arulselvan, GP Senthilkumar, D. Sathish Kumar, S. Subramanian: Anti-diabetic effect of Murraya koenigii leaves on streptozotocin induced diabetic rats . In: Pharmacy . tape 61 , no. 10 , 2006, p. 874-877 , PMID 17069429 .
- ^ MM Rahman, AI Gray: A benzoisofuranone derivative and carbazole alkaloids from Murraya koenigii and their antimicrobial activity . In: Phytochemistry . tape 66 , no. 13 , 2005, pp. 1601-1606 , doi : 10.1016 / j.phytochem.2005.05.001 , PMID 15955541 .
- ↑ Murraya koenigii at KEW electronic Plant Information Center (ePIC).
- ^ Tamil lexicon, Madras: University of Madras, 1924–1936, entry கறிவேப்பிலை kaṟivēppilai .
- ^ Tamil lexicon, Madras: University of Madras, 1924-1936, entry கருவேப்பிலை karuvēppilai .
