Throughout November I will be reflecting on gratitude with a focus today on the Prayer Plants!
Members of the genus Maranta, aka. Prayer Plants, are rhizomatous perennial herbs native to tropical rainforests with distinctive oval leaves which display striking herringbone-patterned veination with variable coloring and patterns depending on species and variety
🙏 🌿 They are particularly renowned for their remarkable nyctinastic leaf movements: folding upward at night in a posture resembling praying hands, then reopening during the day. This behavior has inspired their symbolic association with gratitude, devotion, and spiritual awareness.
Most people would be familiar with one main species, M. leuconeura, which is used commonly as decorative/symbolic houseplants.
Traditional medicine uses of Maranta species, particularly Arrowroot (M. arundinacea), are well-documented in indigenous healing practices throughout the Americas, where the plants are traditionally employed for indigestion, diarrhea, and urinary infections. Indigenous groups in Panama incorporate Maranta herbs into healing ceremonies as protective and restorative agents, and for inflammation and digestive disturbances. The genus has ethnobotanical significance as a multipurpose plant family known for both nutritional and medicinal applications.
Rhizomes and tubers of Arrowroot are processed to produce premium-quality starch used extensively in infant foods, puddings, sauces, custards, and as a culinary thickening agent, serving as a gentle, easily-digestible carbohydrate source.
Fresh leaves of various Maranta are traditionally used for wrapping foods, covering cargo, and as bottle stoppers in food preservation and storage.
Indigenous communities throughout South and Central America weave Maranta leaves and stems into baskets, mats, and decorative wares, while some species produce natural dyes for traditional textile coloring and artistic applications.
Contemporary research has explored arrowroot fibers remaining after starch extraction as a source of prebiotic dietary fiber with antioxidant properties suitable for food applications and nutritional supplementation.
Known pharmacological activities across the Maranta genus include antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antidiarrheal properties.
A phytochemical study across Marantaceae species discovered that Maranta species contained rosmarinic acid and chlorogenic acid. Rosmarinic acid possesses substantial antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, demonstrating activity against pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli, with documented synergistic effects when combined with conventional antibiotics and capacity to inhibit bacterial biofilm formation.
Prayer Plants to Kick Off a Month of Gratitude-
