GARDENING: A PLANT THAT GROWS ON YOU -- THE CAMPHOR PLANT

Indians have always had an excellent sense of oneness with existence and nature and, because of this, as one of the extensions, have developed a collective keen eye, a keen nose and a keen taste for the uses of herbs in the natural environment to improve health.
Go to any Indian household in Malaysia and you are sure to find herbs and medicinal plants being grown. These plants are revered, if not respected.
Besides Indian basil (tulasi), one plant you are sure to come by often will be karpuravalli. The latin name for it is supposed to be ‘coleus amboinicus’. Varyingly, it is also often spelt ‘ambonicus’.
This succulent plant with a pleasant herbal smell, grows very easily from cuttings.
And what's more, once it takes root, karpuravalli thrives, as if to beg you to give cuttings of itself to your friends who might be in need of it, in true Indian fashion of selflessness!
Once you do get cuttings of this brilliant green plant, it is best to leave it in a container of water. After a few days, roots will start sprouting and the shrubby plant is ready for a transplant into a pot.
As for soil, the black fertile soil sold in nurseries is perfect for a pot setting.
(A truly humble and undemanding plant, karpuravalli also grows easily on the ground with the minimum of care.)
If planted in a pot, it needs regular watering and a well-draining container. Water-logged pots will result in root-rot.
Since karpuravalli grows abundantly with ease, it is a good idea to trim and prune it regularly. I have found that this herbaceous wonder thrives is a semi-shaded area (i.e. exposure to direct sunlight for only a few hours a day, preferably the early morning sun, which Indians prefer).
Like the thick leaves, which are heart-shaped, the plant's stem is also soft and succulent.
Indians always turn to the karpuravalli leaves for respiratorial relief.
The leaves are either eaten raw, or placed in a cup of warm water (some even boil the leaves) which is then drunk. Alternately, the juice is hand-squeezed out of the thick leaves onto a spoon -- people use any of these ways to ingest the juice from the leaves -- to alleviate coughs as it has expectorant properties.
Although I love munching on the karpuravalli leaves in the mornings or evenings, I am afraid I am at a loss as to how to describe the taste.
If you search the Internet, in this respect, you might come across descriptions that say it is ‘camphor-like’ in smell and taste or a teensy-weensy ‘warm’ tasting. There’s definitely a hint of bitterness and sharpness to its taste. Now, what I'd like to see is an oenophile having a go at trying to wax lyrical about the complex taste of karpuravalli!
The leaves are also taken for indigestion and old school thought has it that if you place the squeezed leaves (paste) on your forehead (while lying down, and not wandering about, I am sure!), it also helps one to deal with headaches. Ditto for insect bites, apparently.
In Klang Valley and in Penang, karpuravalli is easily found in most Indian households. If you don't see it in someone's house, just ask around and you're sure to come across the plant before your six-degrees-of-separation options run out!
Personally, I have found that if you place the luxuriant and luscious green plants at the porch area or around the back of the house, the pleasant herbal smell is quite exhilarating to inhale when your open the doors in the morning, afternoon or night!

Photo: Karpuravalli (centre) is a plant that is as useful just as it is pleasant and soothing. Photo by Francis Dass (please credit Francis Dass if you want to use this photo. Thanks.)