14

Curry leaf
J. Salikutty and K. V. Peter, Kerala Agricultural University

14.1 Introduction
Curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng) (Syn. Bergera koenigii Koen (N.O. Aurantiaceae),
Chaleos koenigii Kurz ex Swingle) is a perennial leaf vegetable. It belongs to the family
Rutaceae and is named ‘Murraya’ after John Adam Murray, Professor of Botany at
Gottingen and editor of many of Linnaeus’s works. It is a native of the mountainous parts
and grows up to an elevation of 1500 m. The curry leaf is found growing throughout India
including the Andaman Islands up to an altitude of 1500m.1 It is recorded wild in
Garwhal to Sikkim, Bengal, Assam, the Deccan, Circar mountains, Western ghats,
Coromandel and Travancore – Cochin. The leaves of the plant are used extensively for
seasoning and flavouring dishes. Curry leaf is exported as curry leaf and as curry leaf oil
from India (Table 14.1).
The leaves of the plant are employed extensively as flavourant in curries like ‘dal’,
‘South Indian Sambar’, ‘rasam’ and chutneys and mulligatawny. Ground curry leaf
with mature coconut kernel and spices forms an excellent preserve. ‘Veppilakkatti’, a
very famous preparation of South India, can be made with the following ingredients:
curry leaf (100 g); tender leaves of malta lemon (50 g); common salt (50 g); seedless
tamarind (40 g); red chilli powder without seed (20 g); fenugreek powder (2 g);
asafoetida (6 g); black pepper powder (2 g); gingelly oil (10 g). For preparing

Table 14.1 Export of curry leaf from India during 1993–94 to 1997–98 (quantity in tonnes, value
in Rs. 1000)

Product 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98

Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value

Curry leaf 15.2 989.7 10.9 618.8 39.0 1604.4 68.6 2185.1 152.8 3334.2
Curry leaf oil – – – – – – 0.4 115.4 – –

Source: Spices Statistics, IVth edition by Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, Cochin,
682025.
 Curry leaf 169

‘veppilakkatti’, fry the asafoetida in gingelly oil and powder it. Mash the tender leaves
of malta lemon in a mixi and remove all the fibres. Then add curry leaves, red chilli
powder and other ingredients and grind well. If kept in airtight containers it can be
stored for a long time.

14.2 Chemical structure

The leaves contain the following free amino acids: asparagine, glycine, serine, aspartic
acid, glutamic acid, theonine, alanine, proline, tyrosine, tryptophan, amino butyric acid,
phenylalanine, leucine, isoleucine, and traces of ornithine, lysine, arginine and histidine.
The leaves also contain a crystalline glucocide, koenigin and a resin.
By analysis of concentrated essence of curry leaf, Macleod and Pieris2 obtained
mainly terpenes. They also found that M. koenigii produced less than 4% of other
components with eight monoterpene hydrocarbons (Ca 16%) and seventeen
sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (Ca 80%). According to them the most important
constituents of M. koenigii are -caryophyllene, -gurjunene, -elemene, -
phellandrene and -thujene.
Bhattacharya et al.3 reported a carbazole alkaloid-isomurrayazoline from M. koenigii
with a structure of 9a,10,11,12,13,13a-hexahydro-5,9,9,12 tetramethyl-1, 12-epoxy-9H-
indolo(3,2,1-de) phenanthridine (C23H27NO2). Alkaloids like muconicine, mahanimbine,
koenimbine, koenigicine, cyclomahanimbine, mahanimbidine, girinimbine, iso-
mahanimbine, murrayacine, mahanine, koenine, koenigine, koenidine and scopolin were
reported by various workers.4
From the stem of M. koenigii, a new C23-carbazole alkaloid, mahanimbinol, was
isolated. It is the key precursor in the biosynthesis of some 20 other carbazole alkaloids.
Bhattacharya et al.5 identified two carbazole alkaloids namely 2-methoxy carbazole-3-
methyl carboxylate and 1-hydroxy-3-methyl carbazole from the stem bark extract of M.
koenigii. From the stem bark, alkaloids like mahanimbinol, mukonal, murrayanine,
murrayacinine and murrayazolidine were isolated and characterised by various workers.4
The fruit is edible. It yields 0.76% of a yellow volatile oil with neroli-like odour and
pepper-like taste, accompanied by an agreeable sensation of coolness on the tongue. The
characteristics of the oil are as follows:
• specific gravity (13º) 0.872
• refractive index (0º) 1.487
• optical rotation (0º) 27.24
• boiling point 173–174º
The fruit is reported to contain koenigin. A yellow clear and transparent oil is procured
from the seeds which is known as limbolee oil.
Chowdhury6 reported that leaves on hydrodistillation gave 0.5% essential oil on fresh
weight basis, having dark yellow colour, spicy odour and pungent clove-like taste. It has
the following characteristics:
• specific gravity (25º) 0.9748
• refractive index (25º) 1.5021
• optical rotation (25º) + 4.86
• saponification value 5.2
• saponification value after acetylation 54.6
170 Handbook of herbs and spices

• acid value 3.8

• soluble in 80% alcohol with slight opalescence
The constituents of the oil are:
• dl--phellandrene 4.6%
• d-sabinene 9.2%
• d--pinene 5.5%
• dipentene 6.8%
• d--terpineol 3.2%
• caryophyllene 26.3%
• isosafrol 4.4%
• cadinene 18.2%
• cadinol 12.8%
• lauric acid 2.7%
• palmitic acid 3.4%
On examination by GC-MS the oil contained aromadendrene, -bisabolene, butyl
myristrate, carvomethone, cis-caryophyllene, -costol, citral, trans-caryophyllene, iso-
caryophyllene, camphene, dehydro aromadendrene, dipentene, -elemene, -eudesmol,
farnesol, junipene, linalyl acetate, isomenthone, menthol, spathulenol, stearyl alcohol,
ateraldehyde, stearic acid, -terpineol, palmitic acid, -pinene and zingiberene.
The essential oils hydrodistilled from leaves of Murraya koenigii were analysed by
GC and GC-MS. Both essential oils contained mainly monoterpenes and oxygenated
monoterpenes. The main constituents are -pinene (19–19.7%), sabinene (31.8–44.8%),
-pinene (4.2–4.7%), -terpinene (1.3–4.3%), beta-phellandrene (6.5–7.9%),
tauterpinene (3.9–7.1%) and terpinen-4-01 (5.2–9.9%).7 Madalageri et al.8 reported 21
different compounds in the hydrodistilled essential oil out of which only seven were
identified. A commercially important odouriferous compound -caryophyllene is among
them.

14.3 Production
The leaves retain their flavour even after drying and hence these are marketed both in
fresh and dried forms. There is not much loss of volatile oil during drying either in sun/
shade or in cross flow dryer. Oven drying at 50ºC is recommended as the best technology
for conversion of fresh leaves into dry powder.8 Higher temperatures during drying
deteriorated powder quality.
Fresh leaves on steam distillation under pressure (90 lb/in2) yield 2.6% of a volatile oil
(curry leaf oil). According to Madalageri et al.8 hydrodistillation of fresh leaves at 70C is
a cheap and non-cumbersome method of extraction of essential oil. Leaf maturity
influenced oil composition, the youngest leaves tested being the best. An extended period
of extraction caused loss/decrease in certain components while there was gain/increase in
other components.

14.4 Functional properties

On analysis the leaves contain the following nutrients:
 Curry leaf 171

• moisture 66.3%
• protein 6.1%
• fat (ether extract) 1.0%
• carbohydrate 18.7%
• fibre 6.4%
• mineral matter 4.2%
• calcium 810 mg/100 g of edible portion
• phosphorus 600 mg/100 g of edible portion
• iron 3.1 mg/100 g of edible portion
• carotene (as vitamin A) 12 600 IU/100g
• nicotinic acid 2.3 mg/100g
• vitamin C 4 mg/100 g
• thiamine and riboflavin absent
The leaves are a fair source of vitamin A. They are also a rich source of calcium, but due
to the presence of oxalic acid in high concentration (total oxalates, 1.35%; soluble
oxalates, 1.15%), its nutritional availability is affected.
Curry leaf is used in traditional medicine, for example ayurvedic and unani
medicine.9–11 The plant is credited with tonic, stomachic and carminative properties.
The undiluted essential oil exhibited strong antibacterial and antifungal activity when
tested on microorganisms.12 Even the crude leaf extracts of curry leaf plant are reported
to possess antibacterial activity.13
Curry leaf has a potential role in the treatment of diabetes. Hypoglycemic action on
carbohydrate metabolism was reported in rats fed with curry leaves.14 Hepatic glycogen
and glycogenesis, as evident from the increased activity of glycogen synthetase, were
increased and glycogenolysis and gluconeogenesis were decreased as evident from the
decreased activity of glycogen phosphorylase and gluconeogenic enzymes.
Curry leaf is found to exert antioxidant properties in rats fed a high fat diet.15 There
were lower levels of hydroperoxides, conjugated dienes and free fatty acids in the liver
and heart of rats supplemented with curry leaves compared to rats fed on the high fat diet
alone. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione transferase were
increased in the heart and liver of rats supplemented with curry leaves. Activities of
glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase
were also increased in the liver and the concentration of glutathione was decreased. Thus
supplementing a high fat diet with 10% curry leaf can prevent the formation of free
radicals and maintain the tissues at normal levels.
Patel and Rajorhia16 reported that ghee samples treated with 1% curry leaves during
clarification showed higher resistance to oxidation and higher sensory scores than those
treated with a mixture of BHT (butylated hydroxy toluene) + BHA (butylated hydroxy
anisole), due to the presence of naturally-occurring antioxidants. The curry leaves at 1%
concentration could be used instead of BHT and BHA for extending the shelf-life of ghee.

14.5 References
1. COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH, The Wealth of India, New Delhi,
CSIR, 1962 6 446–8.
2. MACLOED A J and PIERIS N M, ‘Analysis of the volatile essential oils of Murraya
koenigii and Pandanus latifolius’, Phytochemistry, 1982 21 (7) 1653–7.
172 Handbook of herbs and spices

3. BHATTACHARYA L, ROY S K and CHAKROVORTY D P, ‘Structure of the carbazol

alkaloid isomurrayazoline from Murraya koenigii’, Phytochemistry, 1982 21 (9)
2432–3.
4. RASTOGI R P and MEHROTRA B N, Compendium of Indian Medicinal Plants Vol. I-IV
New Delhi, Publication and Information Directorate, 1993.
5. BHATTACHARYA P, MAITA A K, BASU K and CHOWDHURY B K, ‘Carbazol alkaloids from
Murraya koenigii’, Phytochemistry, 1994 35 (4) 1085–6.
6. CHOWDHURY A R, ‘Essential oil from the leaves of Murraya koenigii’, National
Seminar Research and Development in Aromatic Plants: Current trends in biology,
uses, production and marketing of essential oils, Lucknow, Central Institute of
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, 1999.
7. MALLAVAPURA G R, RAMESH S, SYAMASUNDAR K V and CHANDRASEKHARA R S,
‘Composition of Indian curry leaf oil’, J. Ess. Oil Res, 1999 11 (2) 176–8.
8. MADALAGERI B B, MAHADEV and HIREMATH S M, ‘Dehydration methods, oil extraction
and flavour components detection in curry leaf (Murraya koenigii Spreng) and
detection of flavour components’, Karnataka J. Agri. Sci, 1996 9 (2) 284–8.
9. DRURY H C, The Useful Plants of India, London, Allen, 1978.
10. DASTUR J F, Medicinal Plants of India and Pakistan, Bombay, Taraporevala Sons,
1970.
11. KIRTHIKAR K R and BASU B D, Indian Medicinal Plants, Dehra Dun, Bishen Singh
Mahendra Pal Singh, 1935.
12. GOUTAM M P and PUROHIT R M, ‘Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of the
leaves of Murraya koenigii (Linn) Spreng (Indian Curry leaf)’, Indian J. Pharm.,
1974 36 (1) 11–12.
13. THAKARE R P, ‘Studies on the antibacterial activity of some plant extracts’, Indian
Drugs, 1980 17 (5) 148.
14. KHAN B A, ABRAHAM A and LEELAMMA S, Hypoglycemic action of Murraya koenigii
(curry leaf) and Brassica junceq (mustard): mechanism of action, Indian J. Biochem.
and Biophys., 1995 32 (2) 106–8.
15. KHAN B A, ABRAHAM A and LEELAMMA S, ‘Antioxidant effects of curry leaf Murraya
koenigii and mustard seeds Brassica juncea in rats fed with high fat diet’, Indian J.
Exptl Biol., 1997 35 (2) 148–50.
16. PATEL R S and RAJORHIA, ‘Antioxidative role of curry (Murraya koenigii) and betal
(Piper betle) leaves in ghee’, J. Food Sci. Technol, 1979 16 (4) 158–60.