INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SOUTH ASIAN PLANTS
(15 February 2005)

Most tea pickers are women from the Hindu community - a minority in Bangladesh. They carry heavy loads of tea leaves in sacks tied around their foreheads. Pic - Srimangal, Bangladesh . Jane Robinson and Tony Woods, 2004.

Tea is the most important non-alcoholic beverage in the world. More than three million tons are grown each year. How hot is hot? The heat of a chilli pepper is measured in Scoville Heat Units, named after the US pharmacist Wilbur Scoville. In 1912 he invented a test to measure how hot chillies could be. On the Scoville scale, a sweet pepper scores 0, a jalapeno pepper around 3,000 and a Mexican habanero a scorching 500,000. Coconut is used in Sikh weddings to test the Groom's intelligence. India produces 94% of the world's supply of turmeric.

The leaf, bark, stem and green unripe and half ripe fruits of the mango are thought to inhibit the growth of bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli.

Neem is believed to be of divine origin in Hinduism. A member of Meliaceae, the mahogany family, it can grow to a height of 35m.

Cannabis sativa is being grown legally in parts of Europe and South Asia to produce hemp for making fibres, with varieties selected for high quality fibres but low levels of the cannabinol compounds associated with other uses! Click here for the Pure Sativa range of hemp-based handbags.

Workers on indigo plantations played a key role in the independence movement in British India. Gandhi led the battle for their rights.

Holy basil (tulsi) is a sacred plant in Hindu Religion, and has been cultivated in India in courtyards or temples, and in pots in homes, for at least 3,000 years.

Powdered ginger was so sought after in England in the 13th and 14th centuries that just one pound in weight was equivalent to the price of a sheep?

So you think you have a sweet tooth? In 2003, India produced over 289 million tons of sugar cane, Pakistan 52 million tons and Bangladesh 6 million tons.

A portable cotton spinning machine first designed by Mahatma Gandhi for the independence movement is still used today in India.

Cardamom is the third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla.

Curry leaf is consumed by diabetics in South Asia. It's anti-diabetic properties are supported by scientific research.

The term 'peppercorn rent' is derived from the high price of black pepper during the Middle Ages in Europe, where it was accepted in lieu of money. Today this term means the opposite - virtually free!

In the Middle Ages many people believed cotton came from 'vegetable lambs' dangling from trees in India. Fake cotton lambs made their way into museums.

The shape of the mango was used in the paisley pattern. It came to Britain via the East India Company when the shape was seen in Kashmiri shawls and became incredibly popular after the introduction of the Jacquard loom that enabled the design to be mass-produced.

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