Jasmine
We lost several large jasmine container plants due to the harsh winter. Once we had Jasminum sambac (Grand Duke of Tuscany), Jasminum (creeper), and a jasmine bush. All withered due to lack of care (gardener’s absence) and a brutal cold winter. I should have saved small cuttings in the fridge for subsequent rooting (of new plants). Alas, wisdom dawns only after terrible losses. Last summer I procured a jasmine cutting. Though I took all the routine precautions the cuttings did not grow rapidly; but a cutting with a single leaf did survive the intervening winter. Now it is growing healthily with new shoots. It may develop flower buds any day. Jasmine (officianale) (common Jasmine) gives blooms even during the cold months indoors. With sufficient light (either from sunny windows or artificial lighting) it produces intoxicating fragrant flowers. This is often observed during the springtime. Pinching the tips soon after the drying of flowers will produce fresh shoots with more branching; in turn it leads to a new set of flower buds in the process. Even a few freshly opened jasmine white blooms brighten the room with sweet aroma. Jasmine flowers are in great demand in Asian countries for a number of uses: garlands for religious festivals, marriages, and decorations. The flowers are highly prized for their perfume and they are utilized for making “attar” in India and other Asian countries.
On the medicinal side, all the parts (roots, leaves, flowers) of jasmine are valuable. They are used for eye diseases, control of lice in hair, and even for cancerous tumors. Of course their use as aphrodisiac is well known, hence the popularity of fresh jasmine blooms and jasmine garlands, especially during marriage seasons.
Pan Leaf Plant (Piper betle)
This plant has many medicinal uses. The leaves are useful in controlling cough, phlegm (mucous), bad breath, and throat hoarseness. Musicians (vocal singers) use it to keep vocal cords and throat in good condition. The plant’s root and stem are also useful. Much of the information at Wikipedia is focused on its deleterious effects on the body - particularly the plant’s cancer causing properties. But here we are considering its use in carefully controlled Ayurvedic practice. Ayurveda and the Indian Materia Medica consider Pan as a very valuable item for treating or managing several symptoms: excessive saliva in the mouth, thick mucous, bad breath (halitosis), phlegm, indigestion, and hoarseness of throat/voice. Before the advent of modern Calcium supplements (ex: Caltrate) expecting mothers used to chew one pan with a bit of lime daily; usually it would follow midday lunch to provide much needed calcium for the ladies. In the college hostels we too indulged in this type of mild pan chewing after a heavy lunch or feast, to aid digestion.
Initially I just slipped the cutting in a glass of water with a bit of cinnamon or aspirin. After seeing some small root growth the cutting was transferred to loose fertile soil. Later I left the betel leaf plant on the deck in full sunlight area; later I moved the plant to semi-shaded area. With a bamboo stake support and occasional liquid fertilizer (Miracle Grow, cow manure) doses the plant exhibited vigorous growth with side shoots. It also bloomed once (small white filamentary flower). (Dedicated to a dear friend of plants - V G B) Copyright 2026 by the author
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