- Botanica Green Living Festival(41 days)
India
The Dutch and British East-India companies introduced the west to some of the exotic tastes and fragrances that are part of the rich land of India.
Familiar spices found in the Indian section include: Cardamom, curry, Tamarind and the versatile “horse radish tree”.
Medicines: shrubs prized for their medicinal qualities include the neem tree whose leaves and fruit kill intestinal worms, and the oil extracted from the fruit taken for rheumatism and leprosy. Research into the properties of neem tree oils show promising results for cancer treatments.
The elephant apple is found on the main track past “Africa”. Its large fruit is prized by elephants and monkeys in particular. An acquired taste, the fruit may be used for jellies, curries and cooling drinks.
An outstanding tree is the Ficus religiosa, more commonly known as the Bo tree, Banyan or Peepul tree. Guatama Buddha once meditated cross-legged beneath a Peepul tree in order to gain enlightenment. The light clatter of the leaves in a breeze, and the coolness in the shade is indeed calming and meditative.
Look also for another holy tree of India - the Tree of Sadness. Its perfumed flowers are snowy white with a vivid orange tube and fall after blooming at night.
Bauhinia shrubs are planted along the northern track in India bordering on China.
