The lesson titled ‘Around a Medicinal Creeper’, presents a few anecdotes which tell us interesting stories about Indian medicinal plants growing in their natural habitat. To cite a few examples, in the first part of the lesson the author tells us about a medicinal creeper which was plucked by Sanna so as to tie up a bundle of bamboo shoots. Incidentally, Mara, his friend, informs that the creeper has a lot of medicinal properties and they need to secure it by tying it to a nearby tree. If he does not secure it that way carefully, it will disappear because it has been cursed by a sage.

Next, he tells another story in which he had used the leaves of some plant to stop a bleeding wound. However, when he went to the doctor, there was no sign of the wound. In another incident, Mara tells us how he lost the teeth on the right side of his mouth. In the next part of the lesson, the author tells the story of a Malayali Sadhu who had given Krishna, the author’s farmhand, the bark of some tree as medicine and had cured the boils on his body. However, the next time, when Krishna went to him seeking his help to cure his piles, the godman asked Krishna himself to search for the tuberous root, mix it with milk and drink it for five days.

Finally, in the concluding part of the essay, the writer opines that Indian native medicinal systems are on the verge of extinction because of the superstitious beliefs of the native doctors who fear that if they disclosed the secrets of these medicines, the medicines would lose their potency. What the author has said is undoubtedly true because the author has given enough anecdotes which cannot withstand any logical examination.