Panikoorka- Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Panikoorka, also called Plectranthus amboinicus and karpooravalli, is a common treatment for coughs and colds in children in South Indian states. The plant is popular in Kerala because it is known to have many healing properties. People in South India say that if you have kids, you should grow panikoorka at home. Tradition says that the herb is one of the best and most commonly used natural medicines for sick children.

Panikoorka can be taken in various forms, such as a decoction or powder. It is also sometimes added to milk or ghee and taken internally. externally, the leaves are bruised and applied as a poultice on the chest to relieve congestion.

Can panikoorka help a nursing mother?

Panikoorka is said to help nursing mothers make more milk. By drinking the juice, the mother also gives her child the health benefits of the plant.

If you are a nursing mother, you can mix the leaf extract with rock sugar (kalkandam) and put it on your breast. When the baby drinks the milk, the extract will go into his or her body. Some moms use honey, but it's best for kids who are at least 12 months old. The leaves can also be put on the child's lips.

How to use panikoorka used during cough and cold?

Colds in Children: Give 2–3 drops of panikoorka leaf juice to an infant with a cough, cold, or chest congestion. You could also mix the extract with rock sugar and give it to toddlers that way.

Colds in adults: Take a mixture of leaf extract, honey, and lemon juice twice a day to relieve a cough.

The leaves can be put on the head by frying them in oil and then putting the mixture on the head to relieve throat pain and fever.

Panikoorka plant:

Panikoorka is a perennial herb that grows in warm, tropical places like India, Australia, and Africa. It has a very strong smell. Panikoorka is a succulent plant that can grow to be almost a metre tall. It grows wild in India's villages.

You can easily find Panikoorka plants in any village in South India. On our farm, there are a lot of Panikoorka plants growing all over the place. The leaves are thick and fleshy, and they smell like oregano. They can be used in cooking instead of oregano.

If we just touch Panikoorka leaves, the beautiful, refreshing smell will stay on our hands for a long time. The leaves can also be used to make an essential oil, which has a lot of bioactive compounds and can be used as a great medicine.

The Panikoorka plant is easy to grow in small pots at home. It grows well in both full sun and some shade, so it is easy to grow on a balcony. Karpooravalli needs soil that drains well. If we water the plant too much, the roots will start to grow underground. Most of the time, it grows from stem cuttings. It can survive long periods of drought and needs little to no care.

Traditional uses of Panikoorka or Karpooravalli:

• Panikoorka has been used for a long time to treat colds and coughs. 
• Panikoorka is used to treat fevers, especially those caused by malaria. When someone has a cold, cough, or fever, karpooravalli rasam is often given to them.
• Panikoorka has also been used traditionally to treat skin diseases. It works very quickly to heal boils and cuts.
• Panikoorka is often used to help both babies and infants with chest congestion. When you boil the leaves in water and breathe in the steam, it helps babies with chest congestion. You can also rub the juice on the chest.
• People also use Panikoorka to treat headaches. Applying the juice of the leaves to the front of the head is a common way for people in Tamil Nadu to treat headaches at home.
• Panikoorka can be used to fix hair problems. During the winter, karpooravalli can be added to other ingredients for an oil bath. This helps prevent colds, headaches, and dandruff.
• Panikoorka can also be  used to treat hiccups,  skin infections, mouth ulcers, asthmatic colic, and upset stomach.

Health benefits of Panikoorka:

• Panikoorka leaf extract, Panikoorka leaf decoction, and Panikoorka i essential oil all have strong antibacterial properties. They have been shown to work against bacteria like Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, and others.
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• Antifungal Properties: Both the leaf extract and the essential oil of Panikoorka have antifungal properties, and they stopped fungi from growing by about 60%. They work well against different types of fungus, such as Aspergillus Niger, Aspergillus Ochraceus, Penicillium, and so on.
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• Panikoorka has antiviral properties, and it has been shown to be effective against HIV, HSV1, and VSV. One amazing thing about Panikoorka  is that it can protect a person from getting the deadly HIV virus when it is put on the skin.

• Helps with breathing problems: In India, coughs, asthma, colds, and sore throats are all things that Panikoorka is often used to treat. We use both the water decoction and the fresh leaf extract, and now we also use the essential oil. This is because it has a lot of thymol and carvacrol, which are both great at making you cough.
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• Panikoorka is full of antioxidants, so eating it in any form will reduce oxidative stress and boost your immune system. The essential oil also has a lot of antioxidant properties, and it has been shown to be effective against stress caused by lung cancer caused by cell lines

• Properties that help heal wounds: Panikoorka also has great properties that help heal wounds. In the past, the leaf was crushed into a paste and then put on a wound as a poultice.
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• Anti-inflammatory and pain killing: The anti-inflammatory and painkilling properties of keelanelli are what make it work so well for colds and flu. It helps get rid of headaches, body pain, and inflammation, all of which are common when you have a cold or flu. If you have a fever or cold and are getting better, drinking karpooravalli rasam or soup for a few days will help a lot.
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• For Oral Diseases: Panikoorka can also be used as a mouthwash to prevent many dental problems. This is a less well-known but very effective use of the herb. All we have to do to make mouthwash is boil the leaves in water. The high amount of carvacrol in karpooravalli makes it very good at stopping bacterial infections.
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• For Skin & Hair: Panikoorka treats many skin and hair problems. It helps with hair problems like dandruff and an itchy scalp. To treat dandruff, mix the essential oil with a base oil and apply. When used as a poultice, Panikoorka can help with many skin problems, such as cuts, burns, and allergies.
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• Heals bites from insects and animals: Panikoorka is put on the outside of the body to treat scorpion and centipede bites. When you bruise the leaves and put the juice on your skin, it works as a natural mosquito repellent. You can also bring the leaves with you when you go camping to keep mosquitoes away.
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• Anti-Cancer Properties: Both Panikoorka and Panikoorka essential oil are very good at fighting cancer. Panikoorka leaf extract has been shown to stop breast cancer cells from growing, and Panikoorka essential oil has been shown to stop lung cancer from spreading. Here is where you can read the study that shows it.
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• Good for Diabetic Patients: Panikoorka is a real blessing for diabetic patients because it helps lower high blood sugar levels and treats other problems related to diabetes. One problem with diabetes is that wounds take longer to heal, but Panikoorka extract helps wounds heal much faster. This has been shown in people with diabetic foot ulcers.
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• Treats indigestion: Panikoorka is used to treat digestive problems like indigestion, diarrhoea, and dyspepsia. Another thing about Panikoorka that is both interesting and important is that it has prebiotic properties. Prebiotics help probiotic bacteria grow, which is very important for the health of the gut.
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• Panikoorka Helps People with Arthritis: Panikoorka is great for people with arthritis because it helps reduce both pain and swelling. Many people over the age of 60 have arthritis, and some of them have to take painkillers every day because the pain is so bad, even though these drugs have a lot of side effects.