The Tamil Names Behind the Botanicals

Names that travelled and names that did not

Some of these botanicals acquired English names because they were traded, catalogued or grown elsewhere. Hibiscus and neem both have names that work internationally.

Others never left. Sangu poo is the clearest example in this range: the flower of Clitoria ternatea has an English common name, butterfly pea, but sangu poo — the Tamil name, meaning conch-shell flower for its shape — is the one you will actually hear used.

A short glossary

The Tamil name is often the one you will hear in a shop or from an older relative, so it is worth knowing both.

• Moringa — murungai (Moringa oleifera)
• Amla — nellikai (Phyllanthus emblica)
• Hibiscus — sembaruthi (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
• Neem — vembu (Azadirachta indica)
• Tulasi — thulasi (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
• Bhringraj — karisalankanni (Eclipta prostrata)
• Vetiver — vettiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides)
• Sangu poo — no widely used English name (Clitoria ternatea)

Why we print both

Every THENVANAM ingredient page carries the botanical name, the English name where one is genuinely in use, and the Tamil name. This is not decoration — it is the only reliable way to be certain two people are talking about the same plant.

The botanical name is what settles it when common names overlap or a plant is better known regionally than internationally — which is exactly the case for sangu poo.