Cuban Oregano (කප්පරවල්ලිය) and Vicks Plant (iriweriya ඉරිවේරිය)

Cuban Oregano (Coleus amboinicus synonym Plectranthus amboinicus) කප්පරවල්ලිය Kapparawalliya grows wild in Sri Lanka. This photo is from my sisters garden. Brought a few cuttings to plant. 

 

There is a very similar plant called Vicks Plant (iriweriya ඉරිවේරිය) (Plectranthus hadiensis/tomatose) which was originally native to South Africa.  The Cuban Oregano කප්පරවල්ලිය Kapparawalliya has a narrow leaf   The Vicks Plant iriweriya / ඉරිවේරිය wider oval leaf which is covered by woolly hair.

Below The Vicks Plant iriweriya / ඉරිවේරිය 


Wiki says "with a pungent oregano-like flavor and odor" and The aroma of the leaves can be described as a pungent combination of the aromas of oregano, thyme, and turpentine The taste of the leaves is described as being similar to the one of oregano, but with a sharp mint-like flavor..

I'll try it out on an unsuspecting tourist and get a "blind test" for comparison with Italian Oregano. Italian Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaves look the same as Cuban Oregano.

Sinhalese and Tamil names are similar Kapparawalliya. Very common plant in childhood and trying to recall why. Also think there was another Sinhala name too, I think. Will need to go to my plant specialist class mate Sajith Dantanarayana.   Danta came thru and says

There are two types of the plant. One is called Kapparawalliya which has a narrow leaf.  The other is called iriweriya ඉරිවේරිය.  කොලය ටිකක් විතර පලල්. 

I have both plant at home and use them when preparing koththamalli for common cold or  caugh.

Or I put them both when making kola kanda  කොල කැඳ. කළවම් කොල කැඳ ඉතා ගුණයි.

ඉරිවේරිය,  කප්පරවල්ලිය, වැල්පෙනෙල, රත් කරල්හැබ, මොණර කුඩුම්බිය,  ගොටුකොළ,  බටු කොළ, හාත වාරිය, හීන් උඳුපියලිය  දමා සාදන කැඳ ඉතා ගුණයි රසයි. I have all these stuff at home and we drink regularly for breakfast.

For those who cant be bothered looking for plants and just want to order online.
https://www.arunaluplants.com/product/kapparawalliya/

Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleus_amboinicus?

Savandara (සැවැන්දරා)

Savandara (සැවැන්දරා) Tamil: Vettver, Kuruver Vetiveria zizanioides, or Chrysopogon zizanioides
closely related to Sorghum but shares many morphological characteristics with other fragrant grasses, such as lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), citronella (Cymbopogon nardus, C. winterianus), and palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii).


bring down body heat and are packed with natural antioxidants that reduce inflammation in the body. As for the roots, the essential oil extracted from them via steam distillation is an important base ingredient in perfumery.

Long before Zara and Dior used vetiver in their luxury perfumes, Indians had been using this aromatic grass in their everyday life.

A part of the contraption was filled with water, drenching the vetiver mats. The hot air from outside would cool as it passed through the wet mats into the cage, and the fan would blow this cool, moist air into the room. Relief was brought by this sweet-smelling air.

This concept was used in Fiji a few decades ago when severe erosion endangered its sugarcane farms. After using vetiver, the land regained its health, erosion all but disappeared, and yields doubled. Today, the farmers of Fiji swear by this grass.

As the Vetiver Network International says, “If applied correctly, the Vetiver System could be an important tool to reduce erosion (by up to 90%), reduce and conserve rainfall-runoff (by as much as 70%), improve groundwater recharge, remove pollutants from water, reduce the risk of flooding, and improve economic benefits to communities.”

Savendara Sugandayen .. by MS Fernando

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eNAOESOd4o

Excerpts from
https://www.thebetterindia.com/264330/vetiver-wonder-grass-khus-sherbet-indian-summer-sikki-craft-traditional-knowledge/

Also read

https://www.vetiver.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysopogon_zizanioides

Sinhala Wiki
https://si.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B7%83%E0%B7%90%E0%B7%80%E0%B7%90%E0%B6%B1%E0%B7%8A%E0%B6%AF%E0%B6%BB%E0%B7%8F