Let’s Know the Science (Native) — Vallarai (English: Centella)

Vallarai is one of the medicinal herbal products, it is named as Vallarai because it is a powerful spinach.

There are many tamil proverbs for Vallarai (Below is English transcript):

“Don’t fight with people eating Vallarai”

“To become champion, eat Vallarai”.

Vallarai is rich in vitamin A, C, moisture, protein, fat, mineral salts, fiber, sugar, iron, calcium, and magnesium. It has the right amount of nutrients required for blood. The whole plant including the leaves of vallarai is used as food and medicine.

There are two types of vallarai, the species with large leaves and the species with small leaves and large roots. The species with larger roots and smaller leaves is more medicinal

Vallarai Keerai is also called Saraswati Kerai and Yosanai Valli. It is also called Complete curer because it cures all kinds of ailments from head to toe.

Medicinal Uses of Vallarai:

Memory Enhancement:

• If you include Vallarai in your food regularly, the memory of small children will increase. The chance of developing dementia decreases with age. Vallarai is also known as Saraswati (Goddess of studies) spinach as it improves memory. It is known to strengthen the central nervous system and it cures neurasthenia, relieves brain fatigue and increases the brain’s ability to think.

Protects teeth:

• Brushing your teeth with Vallarai greens will remove yellowness from your teeth and strengthen your gums. If dried powdered leaves is rubbed on the teeth every morning and night, the stains on the teeth will disappear.

To increase visibility:

• It relieves eye irritation and watery eyes; it increases the vision of the eye nerves. If detected earlier, problems such as redness in the eyes caused by heat and watery eyes can be cured with Vallarai.

Cures intestinal ulcer & mouth ulcer:

• Placing Vallarai leaves in the mouth and swallowing them will cure intestinal ulcers, intestinal diseases, dysentery, and bad breath.

• If you take four leaves of Vallarai and chew them in the morning and in the evening, the sore in the stomach will heal.

• Whether you have stomach ulcer or intestinal ulcer, chewing Vallarai leaves can cure intestinal ulcer. People who cannot chew vallarai can smash vallarai and eat it — it will give you good benefit. Not only this, vallarai keerai heals the sores on the body.

Prevents anemia:

• Vallarai keerai purifies the blood and cures many problems that people get affected today including anemia. Especially young people with hemoglobin deficiency will be improved. Vallarai significantly increases hemoglobin levels and prevents anemia.

• Anemia is prevented by increasing hemoglobin in the blood. It also purifies the blood.

• It has the power to cure various diseases:

- Swelling caused by tumors in the body, by grinding vallar leaves on the tumors the swelling can be reduced.

- Vallarai keerai is generally good for cardiovascular health.

- Vallarai keerai helps to reduce sore throat, fever and cold.

- Dry the vallarai leaf, grind it well, mix it with milk and drink it every day during night before going to bed to get rid of insects in the stomach.

- Cures issues related to physical fatigue and skin diseases like rash, scabies, scabies.

- It is also an excellent remedy for the problem affecting the leg veins called varicose veins.

- If you eat Vallarai continuously for months, the grey hair will disappear, and the youthful appearance will return.

- Cures indigestion.

- Vallarai is an excellent remedy for diseases like venereal diseases and leprosy.

- Elephant foot disease can be easily cured if people affected with disease keep tying Vallarai greens on their feet. Grinding Vallarai spinach and eating it cures testicular swelling, flatulence, muscular dystrophy etc.

- To improve the mother health post-delivery, vallarai leaves can be crushed and extracted and given along with Palm sugar.

- Cures nervousness, mineral problem, jaundice, leprosy, rheumatism, diabetes, colds, kidney disorders etc.

- Siddha doctors change the valarai keerai in the form of legiyam, suranam, tablet etc. and use it in medicine.

Let us continue to include Vallarai in regular diet for our healthy future.