CURRY TREE

CURRY TREE

INTRODUCTION

Murraya koenigii, commonly known as curry leaf or karipatta in Indian dialects, belonging to Family Rutaceae which represent more than 150 genera and 1600 species. Murraya koenigii is a valuable plant for its characteristic aroma and medicinal value. It is an important export commodity from India as it fetches good foreign revenue. A number of chemical constituents from every part of the plant have been extracted. The most important chemical constituents responsible for its intense characteristic aroma are Pgurjunene, P-caryophyllene, P-element and O-phellandrene. The plant is the rich source of carbazole alkaloids. Bioactive coumarins, acridine alkaloids and carbazole alkaloids from family Rutaceae were reviewed by Ito.

CURRY LEAVES

Murraya koenigii is widely used in Indian cookery from centuries and has a versatile role to play in traditional medicine. The plant is credited with tonic and stomachic properties. Bark and roots are used as the stimulant and externally to cure eruptions and bites of poisonous animals. Green leaves are eaten raw for a cure of dysentery, diarrhoea and vomiting. Leaves and roots are also used traditionally as bitter, anthelmintic, analgesic, curing piles, inflammation, itching and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders. Several systematic scientific studies are also being conducted regarding the efficacy of the whole plant or its parts in different extract forms for the treatment of different diseases.

Traditional uses

Fresh leaves, dried leaf powder, and essential oil are widely used for flavouring soups, curries, fish and meat dishes, eggs dishes, traditional curry powder blends, seasoning and ready to use other food preparations. The essential oil is also utilized by soap and cosmetic aromatherapy industry. Curry leaves are boiled with coconut oil until they are reduced to a blanked residue which is then used as an excellent hair tonic for retaining natural hair tone and stimulating hair growth. It is traditionally used as a whole or in parts as antiemetics, antidiarrheal, febrifuge, blood purifier, antifungal, depressant, anti-inflammatory, body aches, for kidney pain and vomiting.Antibacterial activity
The essential oil from Murraya koenigii leaves showed the antibacterial effect against B. subtilis, S.aureus, C. pyogenes, P. vulgaris and Pasteurella multocida. The pure oil was active against the first three organisms even at a dilution of 1: 500. The acetone extract of the fresh leaves of Murraya koenigii on fractionation gives three bioactive carbazole alkaloids named as mahanimbine, murrayanol and mahanine, which has shown mosquitocidal, antimicrobial and topoisomerase I and II Inhibition activities.
Antifungal activity
The essential oil from leaves of Murraya koenigii showed antifungal activity against C. albicans, C. tropicalis, A. niger, A. fumigates, Microsporum gypseum and Murraya koenigii was effective against C. albicans even at a dilution of 1:500. The ethanolic extract of the leaves showed fungitoxicity against Colletotrichum falcatum and Rhizoctonia solani. The ethanolic extract of the roots and also the whole plant excluding roots of Murraya koenigii, however, did not show any antifungal activity against Cryptococcus neoformans, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum Canis.