Pandan leaves at ranweli spice garden

Pandan leaves

 

Pandan leaves at Kandy Spice garden

 

 

Pandan leaves or Rampe (Sinhalese term) as it is known in Sri Lanka, is a famous plant all over Asia because of its taste and the smell. But just like curry leaves you can't just take a pandan leaf and eat because it is a little thick and digesting this leaf also is very hard. So one might wonder how exactly to use this spice in cooking. In fact big pieces of pandan leaves are added when cooking and when the curry is cooked we need to take the leaves out. But even if you take these leaves out the curry will have a  lovely aroma and a taste in the dish.

Pamdan leaves in New Ranweli Spice Garden Kandy

Pandan leaf is known for its medicinal or herbal uses as well. Some People boil pandan leaves and drink to treat wounds. Some people as a habit chew panda leaves to get rid of bad breath. It is also a good home remedy for minor headaches, inflammation and so on.

citronella

citronella

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citronella plant is very much common in sri lanka and all over Asia. Indeed, you may even be looking at your own citronella plant in your home garden at this moment. This very much adored plant is basically prized for its strong aroma, which is believed to keep away mosquitoes and flies.

This plant is ordinarily found under various names, for example, citronella plant, mosquito killer according to Sri Lankans, citrosa geranium and Pelargonium citrosum. In spite of the fact that a large number of its names leave the feeling that it contains citronella, which is a typical fixing in bug repellent, the plant is really a mixed bag of scented geranium that essentially delivers a citronella-like fragrance when the leaves are pulverized. The mosquito plant geranium is a hybridized plant that came to fruition from Chinese citronella grass and African geranium.

So the main question still remains. Do citronella plants truly keep away mosquitoes? Since the plant releases its smell when touched, it works best as an anti-agent when the leaves are squeezed and rubbed on the skin as mosquitoes can't stand its strong smell. Not only does citronella extract keep away mosquitoes and flies but also when they sting your skin, you can also apply it on your skin to get rid of the itchiness. It has this amazing healing power to make you feel better once you are stung by a mosquito.

Citronella plant looks just like the lemon grass, but one can distinguish between a citronella plant and lemon grass from the fragrance. Citronella plant has a strong smell whereas lemon grass has a very subtle smell. And the other thing is citronella is not eatable. One must not even attempt to chew a citronella leaf as it is very strong.

These plants need six hours of sunlight for its proper growth. Nevertheless we can plant citronella inside our homes near a window. Because it also has the ability to survive under cold conditions. These plants grow up to 4 feet high and only then it is recommended to pick the leaves for processing.