Allergy Tree

A mere touch of the tree is known to cause allergic reactions on the skin such as dermatitis, blackening and blistering similar to burns.

My sister R1 and I share a memory from childhood of a plant that “bites”. On the way back from the customary morning temple visit, walking through properties sans compound walls, we suddenly jumped and started scratching our feet wildly. We reached home crying and complained to our parents that a plant bit us. They laughed at us, plucked some other greens and rubbed it on the itchy spots to relieve us of our troubles. Since then, we have been extremely careful while walking in yards in Kerala .

While writing this post I found out that the said plant is called “tragia involucrata”. Tragically the wikipedia page does not mention anything about what it can do to you, instead it innocently dishes out its names in various languages. I have been told that Choriyanam was also used on the backs of mischievous boys to teach them lessons they supposedly needed to learn.

This post though is not about Choriyanam. Recently, I discovered another flora species that can do harm much worse than the simple Choriyanam. The Choriyanam is but a baby compared to the potential of the “Cheru” (Holigarna Arnottiana) or the “Black Varnish” tree. A mere touch of the tree is known to cause allergic reactions on the skin such as dermatitis, blackening and blistering similar to burns. The allergies can be mild or severe person to person. The wikipedia page mentions its description, ecology, phenology and uses in Ayurveda etc. leaving out all the important information that might be useful for laypersons like us. Anyway, you need worry about the “Cheru” only if you live or work in the “Western Ghats” as it is endemic to this region.

Somewhere inside this greenery, Cheru trees grow wild.

Now, why am I writing about a tree that almost none have ever heard of? It is because we are the proud owners of a few such trees. A sacred serpent grove (Sarpa Kavu) is part of the ancestral property in Kerala that we inherited from our mother in which these trees thrive. This Sarpa Kavu is in one corner of our property bordering two neighbours.

The Sarpa Kavu

There was a huge “Cheru” tree bordering the Sarpa Kavu. One of the neighbours was very upset with the tree as his wife was severely allergic to it. So, he lit a fire under the tree to kill it several years ago. Now, it is very difficult to kill trees that want to live. The tree was weakened but did not die. During the storm last year the tree fell on the said neighbours compound and cowshed causing much damage to their assets and our pockets.

Because the tree is from the Sarpa Kavu and moreover a Cheru tree, no lay person will/can touch it. Any cutting/clearing work in the Sarpa Kavu is the right of the “Ulladans” , a scheduled tribe of Kerala who were originally forest dwellers. Before starting work the Ulladans pray and make an offering at the nearby “Dhanwanthari Temple”. They say that the Cheru affects them as well but not as much as it would affect others. As per them their problems are superficial compared to what it can do to others.

Apparently it takes close to three weeks for one to completely heal once afflicted by allergies caused by Cheru. There is another tree called “Thanni” (Terminalia Bellirica) which has some antidote properties to the Cheru. The folklore says that taking a bath with water boiled and infused with the leaves, bark etc. of the Thanni tree helps alleviate symptoms a bit. It is even recommended to get close to the tree and sit under its shade to get relief from the allergic reactions caused by Cheru.

The other neighbour mentioned that due to the fruits dropping from the tree, lots of Cheru saplings sprouted on the corner of his yard neighbouring ours. Since they were small he plucked and threw them away with his bare hands, for which he had to pay by visiting a Doctor that also left him poorer by Rs. 1500. He suggested that we remove all the useless trees from the Sarpa Kavu and leave only the “Aal Maram” (Peepal tree) there. Others are of the opinion that we get rid of the Cheru trees alone as that is the one causing all the trouble. Yet, another suggested “mercury poisoning” for the Cheru.

And then there are those who say that everything within the Sarpa Kavu is sacred and we should not be fooling around with anything at all. For now, we have decided to go with this opinion, while praying hard that the Cheru trees do not cause trouble for neighbours and others who use the path behind the Sarpa Kavu.

They say “ignorance is bliss”. This is true in all senses. How I wish for simpler times when we had no clue what a “Cheru” was. Green leaves, brown trunk, same difference, No? Most importantly, we had the wall of our “Mother” standing between us and our ancestral property, protecting us from all the good, the bad and the ugly associated with it.

PS: If you or anyone you know has any experience with this, please do share in the comments.