Showing posts with label screw pine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label screw pine. Show all posts

12 February 2010

The Screw Pine

For those of you interested in learning more about the infamous Screw Pine, which is allowed in the worship of Shiva only during the night of Mahashivaratri, below is information about this fragrant, beautiful flower:


Screw Pine

The Screw Pine is a shrub found wild in Southern India. It is a small, slender, branching tree with a flexuous trunk supported by brace roots. With rosettes of long-pointed, stiffly leathery, spiny, bluish-green, fragrant leaves. The shrub’s botanical name is Pandanus Odoratissimus of the Pandanaceae Family with common names: Fragrant Screw Pine, Umbrella Tree, Screw Tree, Thazhampoo (Tamil) and Ketaki (Sanskrit). The term ‘screw’ in this shrub’s name is motivated by the spiral, screw like arrangement of its leaves.The flowers of the male tree are 2-3 cm long and fragrant, surrounded by narrow, white bracts. They are fragrant, white in colour and attar is obtained from them - "Kewda attar" is one of the most popular perfumes extracted and has been used in India since ancient times.






All the parts of the plant have tremendous medicinal value. The roots are used as anti-septic. In ayurveda these are useful in vitiated conditions of "kapha and pitta", skin diseases and leprosy. The roots juices are used for curing wounds, ulcer, fever, diabetics, sterility and spontaneous abortions. The leaves are said to be valuable in the treatment of leprosy, scabies and diseases of heart and brain. The anthers of the male flowers are given in earache, headache and diseases of blood. The juice of the flowers is useful in rheumatic arthritis. Kewda oil is considered as stimulant and antispasmodic and is useful in cephalagia and coxalgia. The Screw Pine (like the mandrake in Europe), is viewed in parts of India as both a soporific and aphrodisiac.

For more extensive information of this fragrant flower go to this link here.


5 September 2008

Arunachala Newsletter -- September, 2008


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In the September 2008 issue of Arunachala Grace News there is a narrative of the dispute between Brahma and Vishnu and information about the Navagraha Mercury, of which Vishnu is the God. In keeping with the Vishnu connection (re: Krishna Jayanti August 23rd), the Arunachala flower highlighted this month is that of the Screw Pine, which features prominently in the story of the Column of Effulgence. To mark the anniversary of Sri Ramana (September 1st), there is a narrative of his first visit to Arunachaleswarar Temple upon his arrival at Tiruvannamalai. And to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi (September 3rd) there is an account describing three lesser known Ganesha legends.

As for the rest of Arunachala Grace News, September 2008 issue, there is a potpourri of poems, inspirational anecdotes, folk tales (this month the folk tale deals with Nasruddin and Money), Arunachala Tidbits, an update on the work of the Arunachala Kattu Siva Plantation and finally a short description on a bird found throughout Tiruvannamalai District, i.e., the Common Woodshrike.