It is *Vitex negundo *var. *purpurescens*, called as 'Karu nochi' கரு நொச்சி or 'Oodha nochi' ஊதா நொச்சி in Tamil. The name 'karu nochi' (a mythical plant) is one of the most popular 'miracle herbs' in Siddha, if I am right. Karu nochi is said to be used to convert iron into gold through some unique processes, as written in an old palm-leaf script. And there has been a mad rush in search of this much sought-after plant. There are some smart guys who (mis)used this madness of aspirants and made money by selling this Vitex as 'Karu nochi'. I was told that a single leaf of the 'so-called' karu nochi was sold for Rs. 3000 at Kolli hills of TN.
So far I haven't heard anyone succeeded in making gold from iron ;) But, the search is still on, I guess. Regards Vijayasankar Raman National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi On Thu, Sep 29, 2011 at 2:04 PM, Prudvi Raj <prudviraj.sa...@gmail.com>wrote: > check out the link of vitex negundo black.. I shall post a new topic with > better photos with my D90 later... > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/8384193@N05/ >
