The small leaf used extensively in Tamil dishes has more to it than meets the eye.
How many times have you had Tamil food where you came across several curry leaves in it? Many of us might have even put it aside on our plates instead of eating it when we were younger.
This leaf which we call karuveppilai (கருவேப்பிலை/curry leaf/Murraya koenigii) is from a plant native to India and Eelam used in a plethora of Tamil dishes including curries, sambal, chutneys, poriyals, rasam, thosais, upumaa, vadai, and oorugai (pickle). It’s basically a mandatory ingredient. Karuveppilai is usually sauteed in oil to release its aromatic properties. Karuveppilai is also infused in oils for hair and skin care.
Karuveppilai is related to veppilai (neem) and both have several medicinal uses but the latter is known to have a bitter taste and not used in cooking while its cousin is. The use of karuveppilai in dishes has been documented in the Sangam Period literature Perumpaanatrupadai [1].
As a leaf being used in almost every dish, we might take for granted what benefits it holds. However, our ancestors have identified its unique benefits thousands of years ago and made it an important part of our diets and traditional medicine.
What is so special about this small leaf?
Many studies have been conducted on karuveppilai and its extract which revealed interesting properties. Nutritionally, the leaves are a rich source of carotenoids, beta-carotene, calcium and iron [2].
Curry leaves contain many compounds that have antioxidant effects [3,4,5]. This means they can scavenge potentially harmful compounds known as free radicals. Our bodies may produce free radicals as a by-product of its regular processes and through external stresses such as air pollution and UV rays [6,7]. An excess of free radicals leads to oxidative stress which can cause tissue and DNA damage in cells [6,8]. This in turn contributes to chronic diseases.
In studies performed on rats, karuveppilai extract taken orally has shown to protect against medication-induced stomach damage and reduced markers of oxidative stress [9].
The same extracts shown to lower body weight gain in rats and lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels improving cardiovascular health [10,11].
Moreover, curry leaf extracts have shown strong anti-cancer activity reducing breast cancer cell viability by at least 53% at concentrations of 0.3 g/L compared to 87% at the same concentration with the chemotherapy drug tamoxifen [12]. In studies comparing cancer rates between different nationalities, Indian populations have shown to have lower cancer rates [13,14], showing a potential correlation between karuveppilai and cancer prevention.
Karuveppilai is also known for its medicinal uses outside of cooking. Many Tamil people prepare oils and pastes and apply them on their hair, scalp and skin to reduce graying, thinning, pimples, and blemishes and improve the overall health of these organs.
From these few facts, the term Unave Marunthu (Food is medicine) keeps reinforcing itself. Though we’ve looked at a small portion of how power packed this small leaf can be. Next time we eat our favourite Tamil dishes, let’s remember the benefits of karuveppilai and take it in with our meal, appreciating its benefits and our ancestors for making it a staple in our cuisine.
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