Application submitted for GI tag for medicinal Kumbakonam betel leaves

According to Sanjai Gandhi, Kumbakonam Vetrilai (betel leaf) is a local and traditional cultivar that is grown particularly in the Cauvery Delta region of Kumbakonam taluk of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu by small and marginal farmers. The leaves are pungent, sweetish, bitter acrid in nature. It has got a lot of biomolecules which show pharmacological activity along with carminative tonic activities. It is used for treating cough, foul smells in the throat.

He said, Kumbakonam vetrilai stands unique from other betel leaves mainly because the water source for this leaf is from Cauvery delta water and the soil fertility. As a masticatory, it is aromatic, digestive, stimulant and carminative. The leaves are antiseptic and the leaf’s juice is used in eye afflictions. The research paper was authored by Harihara Mahadevan. Vanmathi Palraj paper named “Literature Review on Siddha Herbal Formulations (Kudineer) Available for The Management of Dengue”the siddha kudineer which is used for curing dengue includes the ingredient of vetrilai (betel leaf). Paste of betel leaves mixed with salt and hot water can be administered for filariasis. For treating obesity, one betel leaf mixed with Piper nigrum is prescribed for two months. Betel leaf juice along with honey or a liquid extract is useful to treat coughs, dyspnoea, and indigestion, among children.

The antimicrobial potential of Piper betel oil against tested pathogens it is found that it may serve as a source of antimicrobial agent for dental caries in commercial toothpaste. The tender nature of the betel leaves grown in Thanjavur district do not allow for market beyond the state as the leaves cannot withstand long range transportation. In Thanjavur district, growers prefer Vellakodi and Pachakodi varieties of betel vine, but mostly they prefer Vellakodi leaves.“We have submitted the application on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore and would certainly receive the GI tag for the divinely product”, Sanjay Gandhi stressed.