Justicia Wynaadensis is the botanical name for a climbing herb or bush that can be found in the Western Ghats (flowersofindia.net) mainly in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra in India .
The leaves are elliptical in shape and the plant has tiny lavender-colored flowers as seen in the picture below. This plant grows in the wild and is also planted in most homes.
Come monsoon, this plant takes a special place in every Kodava home, in Kodagu district in Karnataka, where it is called Maddu Thoppu (medicinal leaf). During the monsoon, one month, generally starting from mid-July to mid-August is regarded as the month of “Kakkada” by the Kodavas. The 18th day of the month of Kakkada, which falls on August 2nd (which was yesterday) or 3rd, is celebrated as “Kakkada Padinett” (18th day of Kakkada).
On this day, Justicia Wynaadensis is believed to have a coming together of 18 medicines and the plant emits a pleasant fragrance. The leaves and stem of this plant are harvested and boiled to yield a dark purple extract as can be seen in the picture below. This is so magical!
This extract is believed to boost immunity and promote good health. It is used to make a porridge (maddu kool) and cake (maddu puttu) as shown in the pictures below. One can also drink the extract early in the morning on an empty stomach. To know how to make the extract and use it to make the porridge or the cake click on the links below.
The Joy of Mindful Moments 
Maddu Thoppu! Learned something very interesting today. Thanks for sharing
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Thank you Kashmira! Happy to share!
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Maddu Thaoppu! Learned something very interesting today. Thanks for sharing.
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