The plant that I longed for...

In Kerala during primary school days we used to carry our slates, slate pencils and twigs of a plant that was called ‘vedi pacha’ in Malayalam. This plant was primarily to wipe the slate clean after writing, as it was a juicy plant and provided enough moisture for the job.

The second use, from which its name came, was from the way kids used to play with it. A portion of the branch with a knot on one side would be separated, leaves removed and the portion except the knot twirled between the fingers to remove the water from inside. Now it became like a tube with the knot on the side to prevent escape of air. Air would be blown by mouth into the tube through the open end, close the end with fingers and hit it on the forehead, which would produce a ‘pop’ sound with the escape of trapped air, which we kids used to enjoy. This sound is called ‘vedi’ in Malayalam. Once one branch is made ready, it can be used to play for long time.

Moving away....

After marriage I moved out of Kerala, and used to miss plants like coconut trees,  vedi pacha and some others. Once we settled down in Belgaum, we managed to have many of those plants. But vedi pacha I used to miss. In 35 years of our stay in Karnataka, I have never seen that plant anywhere in this state.

Imagine my surprise when I saw one plant coming up by itself in one of the pots in our house. I kept searching for it in the areas around our house, from where the seeds must have come. But none could be spotted. It is beyond me to think how it could have come up.

Theories

I was contemplating various theories on the appearance of the plant. One is that  my intense longing for the plant helped to manifest the seed in the pot and it germinated. Second is based on the eternal truth that five elements can manifest and transform into  any physical form. So seed of some other plant must have morphed and germinated as this plant. Third assumption is that some bird from Kerala must have come to our compound and the seed came from its droppings and germinated.

Birds and animals do come to me for healing after I became a Reiki channel. May be the seeds can also follow a Reiki channel?

August 2020

Only now I came to know that this plant is called Peperomia pellucida and it is an edible plant, having many medicinal uses in treatment of headache, abdominal pain, acne, boils, colic, fatigue, gout, renal disorders, abscesses, and rheumatic joint pain. In the Philippines, it belongs to the 'preferred list' of medicinal plants, being studied for its use in the treatment of arthritis and gout. 

The leaves are sometimes harvested from the wild and used as a food, medicine and tea. The plant is sometimes cultivated as a medicine and food crop in parts of the tropics, and is sold as a food and medicine in local markets. Leaves and young shoots are eaten in salads or used as a potherb. We now use it as salad.

This plant has a strong mustard-like odour and pulling it up can cause asthma-like symptoms. 

References:

http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Peperomia+pellucida