India: A cure from the rooftop
Chennai resident promotes a wide variety of medicinal plants
By Liffy Thomas
The Hindu
February 26, 2022
Excerpt:
When the Swaminathans’ vegetable garden failed years ago, everyone was inclined to give on it. They concluded they did not have green thumbs.
There was one exception. Instead of grumbling, Gayithri Swaminathan switched to growing medicinal plants.
From basics like karpuravalli and betel leaves to exotic varieties sourced from Samanarmalai and Marudamali, Gayithri’s 1000 sq ft terrace at her home in RA Puram is now an oasis of greenery.
While some in the neighbourhood know her as the one who is from the house with the maadu (cow); for many others, Gayithri is a ‘herbal pharmacist’. The over 120 varieties of plants on her rooftop are believed to provide a natural cure for many ailments.
“You have stomach ailments, you want to look good or you want to go green, there is a herb for every need,” says Gayithri, explaining how she maintains her pesticide-free and organic garden.
Like many households that depend on the basics, Gayithri used to try out natural herbs to cure cold and other common ailments of her children. Her late father-in-law’s chronic ailment came as an eyeopener. “He was being treated for problems in the heart and kidney and was prescribed 13 medicines, which bought about a lot of side effects,” says Gayithri on how she started researching and experimenting about natural medicine.
