How2Day: Uses of Curry Leaf

Curry leaf is largely used in South Indian cooking to enhance the flavor of various dishes. Terry J Alcorn/Photodisc/Getty Images
Curry leaf is a shrub or small tree grown in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Its leaves are glossy and look similar to bay leaves. Curry leaf has many uses including enhancing the flavor of foods, medicinal healing, hair and skin care, and use in items such as soap and wood products.

Curry leaves are used widely in South India and Sri Lanka. In South Indian cooking, curry leaf provides flavoring for various dishes including vegetables, soups, pickles, chutneys, scrambled eggs and curry powder blends. Vegetarian food is predominant in South India, so curry leaf is rarely used in meat dishes. Curry leaf is also used as a spice. While it is often fresh, it can be dried or powdered. Common techniques include toasting or oven-drying prior to use or short frying in butter and oil. Nutritionally, curry leaf offers vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous and iron.

Curry leaf has been known to aid in digestion. It has also been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People will use one or two teaspoons of fresh curry leaf juice mixed with a few drops of lime juice, for flavor, to treat these symptoms.

Curry leaf can help to maintain natural hair color. In fact, regular intake may prevent premature graying. Boiling 200 ml of coconut oil with a handful of curry leaves for 15 to 20 minutes can create a hair tonic that nourishes the hair and its roots. Curry leaf juice has also been known to treat skin problems such as burns, bruises and skin eruptions.

Curry leaf is also used in other items such as soap and wood products in South Asia. Fresh curry leaves are distilled with steam to produce an oil that is used in soap. The wood of the curry leaf plant is durable and hard and is used to make agricultural tools.

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