Last Saturday we had an unwanted visitor to our wet kitchen. My wet kitchen is open concept and facing the garden. My unwanted visitor is very dangerous baby cobra!! It was only a length long but the hisses it makes can makes you run for your life! Luckily my husband was around. My husband have no choice but to kill it as it's very poisonous and we can't catch it! I had another visitor on Deepavali eve but it was different type. Somehow it escape when my husband try to catch it. Surprisingly no hisses from it! I learned that cobra make a lot of hisses to warned their intruder!
My housing area is new and construction are on going ....... Clearing of nearby jungle is really making a lot of unwelcome visitor. Monkeys are common and now SNAKE!!!!!!!
My father bought a pot of this plant. The Tamil name is Aruvathaam pachai (அறுவதாம் பச்சை) or some call it as pokok busuk in Malay. It's believe to get rid of snake and other animals too due to it's awful smell! The smell is similar to Sulfur smell. Indians use to crush the leaves and tie it on new born baby wrist to avoid ant or other insect bite. The nearest i can find in Internet is Rue Plant but I'm not so sure.
There are few "Pantang" for this plant that no one can cross it and it should not be planted below the clothes line. It seems this is very sensitive plant and can die due to above action. I don't really know if it's true....
I have planted it right next to my kitchen entrance. Anyway i bought Sulfur powder too! my potted garden might want to try this plant to get rid of the cats!
My housing area is new and construction are on going ....... Clearing of nearby jungle is really making a lot of unwelcome visitor. Monkeys are common and now SNAKE!!!!!!!
My father bought a pot of this plant. The Tamil name is Aruvathaam pachai (அறுவதாம் பச்சை) or some call it as pokok busuk in Malay. It's believe to get rid of snake and other animals too due to it's awful smell! The smell is similar to Sulfur smell. Indians use to crush the leaves and tie it on new born baby wrist to avoid ant or other insect bite. The nearest i can find in Internet is Rue Plant but I'm not so sure.
There are few "Pantang" for this plant that no one can cross it and it should not be planted below the clothes line. It seems this is very sensitive plant and can die due to above action. I don't really know if it's true....
I have planted it right next to my kitchen entrance. Anyway i bought Sulfur powder too! my potted garden might want to try this plant to get rid of the cats!
Malar I am glad your dad gave you a solution! I have heard story about a little cobra which entered a house. The owner thought it was just a coil of rope lying in the toilet. Later she was shock to see the head! The plant expensive? Maybe can also slowly propagate more. You know what, better use this plant as hedge. I think no amount of sulfur can be so lasting with our wet weather nowadays. Btw, I think your hubby so cool... killed that cobra ;-)
ReplyDeleteMalar that was scary, snakes coming into your house, moreover a cobra! Not to scare you but if there's a baby, the mommy is surely nearby too! Luckily your husband was in and killed it. Better take precaution like putting unused clothes at the gap between the kitchen door and the floor to deter any uninvited guests. I know this plant, yes the smell is very peculiar but I didnt know that it can deter snakes or cats, anyway I want to buy that too for my house.I agree with Steph, better plant it as hedges as sulphur can easily be washed away by the rain.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting to know! There were snakes and musang that always come to my house but since i've cleared the compound and cement up most of the land, the problem has reduced a lot. There are still cats coming to my house but i don't bother them much unless they poo on my veggie beds! This plant is good to put at the gate, but i don't know where to get it.
ReplyDeleteMalar, the plant is locally known as garuda. It is true that in India this plant is very popularly grown to ward of cobras and snakes. Where do you live Malar, to have cobras entering your house!? My area also has a lot of cobras, snakes, squirrels, geckos frogs ..
ReplyDeletecina
We call this plant, 'pokok daun roda', I only know the proper name as garuda from cinafong's comment above. Thank you cinafong! This leaves of this plant is known to cure wind or colic in babies. We mix the leaves with some oil (I've forgotten what sort of oil) and rub this on the stomache. Supposedly there are some superstitions when planting this in the house. You may notice in some Chinese houses, there's a red thread tied around this plant, I've forgotten why! Aiyah... old already, cannot remember so many things! Anyway, I did not know that this can keep off snakes and other creepy crawlies! Urgh.... and I thought the cats are a nuisance. I think I prefer the cats anytime than the snake! Please do take care, especially your children! Oh yes... the old Nyonya ladies uses a small amount of the leaves to boil green beans with santan for dessert (they have a reason for this too, which I can't remember!). If this is the correct plant, its' scientific name is Ruta Angustifolia.
ReplyDeleteYou can check further info on this plant from this website, http://www.medicinalplants-kr.org/Ruta_chalepensis.htm
(p/s : I think I should take gingko biloba supplements to boost my memory! He! He!)
Looks like you may have to borrow my dogs too, Malar. Very useful! They chase cats, monkeys and snakes away.
ReplyDeleteMalar, this is an interesting tip. I know this plant, thought it was daun aruda.We had some cobra guests at on time too. Looks like I have to get this plant- or actually banyak2 of these plants!!
ReplyDeleteRosie
I have some rue plants in my garden too... don't know if they can ward off snakes but they are supposed to have an effect on cats... still, cats come by sometimes despite the rue...
ReplyDeleteMalar, be careful! About the plant, we call it Nagadali or Indian Rue. It is supposed to deter snakes, but I have seen a snake slithering through a hedge of this plant in my neighbour's garden. I believe snakes don't like the smell of Carbolic acid (ordinary phenyl).I don't know if this is a myth too!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking the same thing, Ms. Kitchen Flavour would like to have this plant to ward of her cute visitor. When we first move to Paya Jaras, we don't have neighbours so we were surrounded by lalang. Ms. Cobra visits were so common that my father bought a dog to help us fight the cobra to kill it with parang. The dog in his life were bitten 2 times in different occasion by cobra but he survived. I know what heart attack it can give you suddenly appearing in front of you.
ReplyDeleteDear All,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your advice! To tell the truth i'm really terrified of this unwanted visitor! Moreover i have a little boy at home who always enjoy the garden.
I have bought sulfur to get rid of it! Hope i don't encounter them anymore!
I remember my mom used to tuck some leaves from this plant under my infant sister's clothes. It's to protect her from any harm from seen and unseen being. It used to be practised by Chinese family where this plant is believe to protect one from evil. But these days, not many believe in it anymore.
ReplyDelete