Poisons and remedies

It's conspicuously yellow-orange. It's big. And it looks somewhat strange and obscene. You're looking at... the Nipple fruit plant(otherwise known as the Cow's Udder plant, or the Titty fruit plant), named so for obvious reasons. This is one plant you're unlikely to EVER forget if you've seen it but once.

Nipple Fruit (Solanum mammosum)

This memorable plant is native to South America and is believed to have medicinal properties. Some use the juice of this fruit as a detergent to wash clothes even! But take note, though, that this plant with suggestive fruits is poisonous, so you munching on any part of it is definitely not advisable.

And from the incredibly weird, now we move on to the incredibly beautiful- A plant that is  native to tropical and temperate Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia even(though some believe it was taken there by Homo sapiens bent on disrupting ecosystems, as always).

The Sacred Lotus.

Fruit of the Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)

The seeds can be removed and eaten raw. Makes a pretty good snack actually, and it just happens that it promotes virility too(or at least it is believed to...). Don't all go rushing at once to get yourself some lotus seeds now! As far as we know, there doesn't seem to be conclusive evidence that this is indeed true.

Sacred Lotus flower (Nelumbo nucifera)

Interestingly, the lotus is supposedly able to regulate the temperature of its flowers just as we are able to regulate our own body temperatures! It is believed that it keeps its flowers warm to attract heat-loving insect pollinators(one of many possibilities).

Research has found that beetles that venture into the flower get trapped within it at night when the petals close up. Shielded from the cold night air, they are kept warm within the flower, enabling them to stay active. This possibly encourages a mating and feeding frenzy all night long :) In the process, pollen gets rubbed all over the little guys(and gals). And in the morning, when the flower opens up once more, they fly off to some other flower to repeat the entire process once more, unintentionally helping the plant as well.

They're not completely sure yet, so it's still pretty much anyone's guess for now.

They're not just important to the ecosystem, they're important to us humans as well. Buddhists and Hindus consider this flower to be sacred, for instance. Also, all parts of this plant are believed to have some sort of medicinal value. It is commonly used in traditional medicine to treat intermittent fever, diarrhoea, premature ejaculation, and to prevent excessive bleeding from the uterus and abdominal cramps. These are just a few of the ailments it is used for. Scientific studies also seem to show that this plant truly is a very useful plant. It has been shown to posses a whole list of 'anti-something' properties! : antianxiety, antibacterial, antidiarrhoeal, anti inflmatory, antioxidant and antiviral.

Is it any surprise then that such a plant is considered sacred? We don't think so :)

References
Boo, C. M., & Kartini Omar-Hor, C. L.-Y. (2003). 1001 Garden Plants in Singapore. Singapore: National Parks.

Chua, T. K., Koh, H. L., & Tan, C. H. (2009). A Guide to Medicinal Plants, An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Trade Winds Fruit. (n.d.). Nipple Fruit. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from Trade Winds Fruit:
http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/nipple_fruit.htm

Yoon, c.k. (1996, October 1). Science: Heat of Lotus Attracts Insects and Scientists. Retrieved March 11, 2010, from The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com