Sawtooth Corriander – Thai Name : Pak Chi farang

 Pak Chi farang has a serrated dandelion shaped leaf with a strong  taste that is used in  Thai food. This flavorful leaf is found in a real good Tom yam .

 

 

 

 

Chilli – Thai Name : Prik Ki Nu Sot Met Yai (Daeng)

 Without chilli Thai food would not be what it is today. A shrub like herb, its adds the spice to most Thai dishes. It has many different species and come in colors of yellow, red or green all of which contain capsaicin, a biologically active ingredient beneficial to the respiratory system, blood pressure and the heart.

 

 

Galangal – Thai Name : Kha

 Resembling ginger in its effects, galangal is an aromatic stimulant in Thailand as well as the roots the flowers are also eaten ( See picture to the left)

 

 

 

 

Lemon Grass – Thai Name : Takrai

 Lemongrass is a very popular herb used in Thia cooking that provides a zesty lemon flavor and aroma to many Thai dishes an  one of the important plants of the grass family.

 

 

 

 

Acacia – Thai Name : Cha om

 The feathery shoots are used in soups, curries, omlettes, and stir fries.

 

 

 

 

 

Pandan Leaf – Thai Name : Bai toei

Long narrow green leaves of a herbaceous plant used for flavouring and colour

 

 

 

 

 

Okra – Thai Name : Grajiab

Okra Seed Pod and flower

The versatile little pod can be used in a variety of ways. Here  are just a few

• It is cooked in soups, stews, battered, fried, dried,  grilled or steamed
• It is used as thickening agent for soups
• It is ground into a fine powder and added to food such as cous cous to stop the grains from sticking
• Its seeds can be pressed to make good quality oil and are  also high in protein
• Mature, dried okra seeds were ground and used as a coffee substitute in Central America, Africa and parts of Asia

 

Water Mimosa  - Thai Name :Pak kra ched

Water mimosa, Neptunia oleracea, is a vegetable commonly eaten raw or stir-fried . It is  an aquatic plant cultivated muchike rice. The young leaves,  shoot tips and young pods are eaten, and the roots are used medicinally.

 

 

 

Marsh Mint – Thai Name : Bai Sa la Nae

The fresh leaves of this herbaceous plant are used as a flavouring and eaten raw in Thai cuisine. Volatile oil contents give the plant several therapeutic uses, including carminative, mild antiseptic, local anaesthetic,  diaphoretic and digestant properties. Mint (Sa la nae in Thai) is used in larb and other salads and is served with noodle soup.

Musk Plant, Misty Plume Bush, Ginger Bush

 A higly aromatic shrub  with ginger-scented velvet leaves and showy white flowers, used medicinally. Easy to grow, wonderful fragrance!

 

 

 

 

Coriander  -Thai Name : Pak chee

 This plant is grown for its leaves, roots and seeds. This  delightful and pungent herb belongs to the carrot or Umbelliferae  family, and lends its unmistakable flavour to cuisine as diverse as Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean.

 

 

 

Yellow Velvetleaf (burhead) – Thai Name : pak gaan jawng

 This is a perennial herb that prefers shallow, still water where it roots in mud. Yellow burrhead is a native of Central America (from Mexico through to Paraguay) and the Caribbean Islands. It has naturalised in the USA, Sri Lanka, India and south-east Asia including Indonesia, where it is threatening wetlands and has become a problematic weed of rice fields and irrigation channels. In Thailand it is  used as a food source but severe infestations have forced some farmers to abandon their rice paddies.

 

Thistle like plant  – Thai Name : Ngeuak Blaa Mor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kratom

 Kratom is a tree native to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar [Burma], Kratom is in the same family as the coffee tree. The leaves of kratom are used as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at higher doses. It is also used as recreational drug, pain killer, medicine for diarrhea, and treatment for opiate addiction.

In Thailand, Kratom leaves are often chewed fresh. Dried leaves can also be chewed, but since they are a bit tough, most people prefer to crush them up or powder them so that they can be swallowed. Powdered kratom can be mixed with fruit juice or apple sauce. This partially masks the taste and allows it to be quickly swallowed. Dried kratom leaves are often made into a tea that is strained and then drunk.

Kratom is now banned in Thailand,Burma and Australia – the plant I found has now been destroyed ( Honestly)