Neem leaves are known for the bitter taste; tamarind leaves and Gongura leaves are sour; stevia is the sweetest; leaves of Geranium are Astringent and Radish leaves are the pungent in nature. But there is only one plant that possesses the leaves with all five different tastes. It is botanically known as Begonia malabarica Lam, belonging to Begoniaceae family.
The leaves of this plant are only one-of-its-kind, and when chewed the five different flavours come out, starting with sour followed by bitter, sweet, pungent and ending with astringent. These leaves are used in the Siddha system of medicine as one of the kaya kalpa species (reversing the ageing process and removing all impurities and toxins).
The shape of the leaves is like a conch shell, which is why it is also called Sangu Narayana Sanjeevi in Tamil. The leaves are used to treat blood cancer, heart diseases, skin infections and respiratory issues. B. malabarica is a sub-succulent herb, up to 60 cm tall. Stems are usually reddish-pink with many branches. The leaves are 5 to 18cm long and 3-10cm broad. The inflorescence is dichotomously branched cyme.
Male flowers have many stamens, and the flowers are bright yellow. Female flowers are pink and curved into twisted branches. The herb is found in India and Sri Lanka.