Jasmine (Jasminum): Flowers for beauty and for money

You are spending a night in some remote village. It is well past midnight. Suddenly you are awake and become aware of an exotic fragrance that wafts in through the open windows. It lingers. The smell is said to arouse erotic feelings.

There is, in all probability jasmine plants in the vicinity.

The jasmine buds start the slow process of opening during the last quarter of the night. That is when they are plucked. These flowers which are usually white (there are a few yellow varieties also) are rushed to many destinations, sometimes airlifted, for use in temple rituals, marriage functions, for decorative purposes, and for women to wear on their hair.

It is big business.

There are about 200 species in this shrub/vine. It is believed be a native of India but spread to many parts of the world millenniums back. Today it is cultivated extensively for the flowers. They are also used in jasmine tea (supposed to prevent certain cancers) and in manufacturing high quality perfumes and other cosmetics. Jasmine scented incense sticks are popular.

It is said that in certain herbal practice, the jasmine flowers are considered effective in calming the nerves and as antidote for snakebites. The leaves could be, it is claimed, used to treat some eye problems.

Jasmine is a money earner. It is easy to cultivate and is relatively trouble free to maintain. Usually stem cuttings are used. Depending on the type it can be planted in pots or on the ground. They grow well in ordinary soil. Sunlight is a must. It can also be inter-planted with other crops.

Again depending on the species the plant can grow from a couple feet height to about 8 feet tall shrub. The larger ones can also be used for hedges. The vines may grow up to 15 feet.

The local names of jasmine include Yasmin, Melati, Sampaguita, Mallika, Chambeli, Mulla, and Malli.

Ends.

Also see: Kerala Flowers?

Kerala: More on coconuts

Jacob Matthan (Jacob's Blog) of Oulu, Finland, has left the following comment on my post ‘Kerala: Of monkeys and nuts’:

“This is quite disturbing. In all our supermarkets the number of coconut related products is increasing exponentially. The number of brands of coconut milk hitting the shelf are growing by the day. And each supermarket is bringing in its own brand. Coconut sweets are also becoming very popular. The products are coming from primarily Thailand which has learnt to exploit the western tastes at good profit. I hope Indian growers in Kerala can get together like the grape growers in Maharashtra as we are really seeing a trend here which must be allowed to become an accepted trend. Then the marginal cost of a coconut plucker should fade into oblivion!”

In 1985 I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, to visit a research company named Scarab, which was doing a great deal of study into coconut products and processing. The CEO (forget his name) of that company was kind enough to pick me up from the airport. He told me to choose at random any one of the several supermarkets we would be passing en route to my hotel.

I was amazed to find an array of coconut-based products on display at the shop
that we went into. There was not a single one from India. The CEO told me that value adding to the coconuts was the way to the survival of the coconut sector in Kerala. He also explained that from their research they had found coconut oil was the ideal base for high quality suntan lotion and that income from coconut trees could be increased by twenty times.

On return to Kerala I tried to organize a project on the lines the Scarab chief had suggested. Unfortunately I couldn’t generate enough enthusiasm. While discussing the coconut situation yesterday at Olavipe, my brother Jacob came out with an answer. Today money comes to Kerala through mail from expats. Those back home still lead a laid back life. Why bother about coconuts?

Last Saturday at my club, a friend who deals in tiles mentioned that he is now importing coconut wood tiles from Philippines! They come in three grades – 30 years old wood, 50 years old, and 70 years old. And they are popular in Kerala, the land of coconuts!

Ends.

Also see: Kerala photos: Coconut palms

Tamanu oil for skin restoration and regeneration and scar removal.

In Launch of a vallom (country boat) I mentioned that Calophyllum inophyllum (punna in Malayalam) was used to build Parayil Rose. It is generally known as ball nut tree. (Click on photo for enlarged view.)

Another name, which is occasionally used, is Alexandrian Laurel though it is not a native of Alexandria. Probably the reason is that its fragrant white flowers look like a bouquet. In Tahiti it is called ati or tamanu, In Hawai the name is kamani and dilo in Fiji.

After doing the post about the boat I suddenly remembered that when I was a child, ball nuts from our properties used to be sold. It was said that my great grandfather Mathoo Tharakan (see A judgment.) financed his presumably well-stocked bar with this miscellaneous income. Of course, those were times of extensive land holdings and innumerable ball nut and other trees. Since I had also heard that oil was extracted from these nuts, I looked it up and found that this product, most commonly known internationally as nambagura or tamanu oil has great medicinal and cosmetic properties and is used in several beauty formulations particularly in Europe.

But before going into that, here is a bit more information on ball nut tree. The Polynesians traditionally build boats using its wood for the keel and planks of breadfruit tree for the sides. In Kerala, entire boat is made from ball nut tree. That makes the craft heavier of course. Ball nut tree is also utilized for masts, scaffolding and several other applications.

Ball nut tree grows well in sandy coastal areas in the tropics, and sometimes reaches heights of 20-25 m. It branches low and has a rich canopy of thick leaves. The nuts are green in color when young and turn to yellowish brown or red on maturity. The size is about 2 to 4 cms in diameter.

They are picked and sun-dried for about two months after which the shell is broken and the kernel taken out for further drying. Then tamanu oil is extracted through a cold-press process and is purified under controlled conditions. The indication of the price for tamanu oil that I found is USD20/oz.

It seems that several scientific studies have been made in Europe and USA about this product.The ingredients that tamanu oil contains are claimed to be effective in restoration and regeneration of skin tissues, removal of scars and physical and chemical burn marks, and general toning of the skin. It is said to cure skin diseases, rheumatism and ulcers. It would of course be prudent to check with qualified persons before using tamanu oil. Other parts of the ball nut tree also have medicinal and pesticide properties.

Wonder whether my ancestors knew about these qualities of ball nut trees. Not that it matters. They were not businessmen.

Ends.