Miracle Fruit or Magic Fruit

Our nature is blessed with plenty of fruits. We have consumed variety of fruits such as Grapes, Orange, Strawberry, Watermelon etc. Many of us may be unaware of a special fruit named "Miracle Fruit". From the name itself we understand this fruit is a special one.

The miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) or miracle berry, when eaten, cause sour foods (such as lemons and limes) subsequently consumed to taste sweet. The berry itself has a low sugar content and a mildly sweet tang. It contains an active glycoprotein molecule, with some trailing carbohydrate chains, called miraculin. When the fleshy part of the fruit is eaten, this molecule binds to the tongue's taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet. The effect will last from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending mostly on what you eat. When the effect wears off, everything tastes as before . This fruit was first documented by explorer Chevalier des Marchais.

Miracle berry plant is an evergreen plant that produces small red berries, with flowers that are white and which are produced for many months of the year. The seeds are about the size of coffee beans. The plant grows in bushes up to 20 feet high in its native habitat, but does not usually grow higher than ten feet in cultivation. It usually produces two crops per year.

There are no known side effects from consuming Miracle Fruit other than the effect lasting approximately 2 hours on average. Miracle Fruit has many benefits and attempts have been made to commercialize the product in the United States. Recently “Miracle Fruit Tabs” or Miracle Fruit Tab are being sold internationally in convenient freeze dried tablets. The consumption process of the Miracle Fruit Tabs are the same; swirling the tab around the tongue until dissolved.

our neighbourhood birds

Kerala, the heart of the Western Ghats is a known destination for rare species of birds. It harbours over 400 species of birds both resident and migratory. Dr. Salim Ali, the birdman of India undertook explorative bird surveys in Travancore and Cochin areas. The description of some common birds which are found in kerala are given below.

Magpie Robin

This is a sleek looking bird with a tapering tail found very commonly in kerala. The male is predominantly black with white patches on the wings and belly. In the female the black is replaced by a slate grey or a brown. The magpie-robins do mimic other bird calls with great accuracy. It has a sweet sound and will cry in different tones in morning and evening. This bird which is commonly known in kerala as 'Vannathipullu' or 'Vannathi kili' is found in deciduous forest, secondary jungles and areas adjoining human habitats.

Common Myna
Common Myna is readily identified by the brown body, black hooded head and the bare yellow patch behind the eye. The bill and legs are bright yellow. There is a white patch on the outer primaries and the wing lining on the underside is white. Locally known as “Kavalamkili”, these birds are known for their singing and "speaking" abilities. They breed through much of the year depending on the location. They used to build their nest in a hole in a tree or wall.

Coucal

Greater Coucal also called Crow-pheasant or Coucal is a clumsy, glossy black bird with noticeable chestnut wings and long, broad, black, graduated tail. It is a largely terrestial and nonparasitic cuckoo. It is seen singly or in pairs, stalking along the ground in the undergrowth. The bird feeds on caterpillars, large insects, snails, lizards, young mice and birds' eggs. This bird is locally known as “Uppan” or “Chempothu”.

Drongo
This bird is glossy black with a wide fork to the tail. Adults usually have a small white spot at the base of the gape. They are aggressive and fearless birds and will attack much larger species that enter their nesting territory, including crows and birds of prey. The Black Drongo is found predominantly in open country and usually perches and hunts close to the ground. Black Drongos feed mainly on insects such as grasshoppers, cicadas,termites, wasps, bees, ants, moths, beetles and dragonflies. This bird is locally known as “kaaka tampuraati".

Treepie
Indian Tree Pie is a long-tailed chestnut-brown bird, with sooty head and neck. It has a black-tipped tail and greyish-white wing patches conspicuous in flight. It is usually found in residential compounds and gardens. These birds produce variety of sounds some loud, harsh and guttural, others pleasing and melodious. These birds are omnivorous like crows. Their diet consist of fruits, insects, lizards, frogs, centipedes and even carrion and eggs. Its nestig season is from February to July.

White-cheeked Barbet

White-cheeked Barbet (Megaliama Viridis), also known as Small Green Barbet is a 23 cm long medium sized barbet, commonly seen in South India. It is a green and brown color bird with a prominent white cheek patch and white spots on the underparts. The bird is seen in wooded areas in towns and villages. These birds are mostly frugivorous, but will take on termites and other insects opportunistically. They breed from December to July.

Scarlet Minivet

The Scarlet Minivet is 20-22 cm long with a strong dark beak and long wings. The male has black upperparts and head, and scarlet underparts, tail edges, rump and wing patches. The shape and colour of the wing patches and the shade or orange in the male varies across populations. The female is grey above, with yellow underparts (including the face), tail edges, rump and wing patches. This bird nests high up in the treetops. They mainlt feed on insects.