Consoler Called Nepenthes

That night Telemachus' tears were unbearable. Sadness covered his heart when he knew that his father, Ulysses, had been murdered. Even Menelaus who told the incident was unable to hold back the pain. Seeing that, Helen, Menelaus' wife, made a concoction of wine and herbs. She served it in wine glasses. Miraculously after sipping the drink, Telemachus and Menelaus' sadness were vanish. The consoler concoction is known as nepenthe.
That is the story told in the Odyssey, Homer's Greece heroic legend. Carl Linneaus-a Swedish botanist-might have been inspired by that name when he named nepenthes for the specimen of a pitcher plant which he brought from Sri Lanka in 1737. It was not without a reason that the man who was born in 23 May 1707 took that name.
For botanists and taxonomists, the 1700s era was a gloomy period since there was no spectacular plant found. The presence of the unique kantong semar-other term for nepenthes in Indonesia-revived their spirit again. Moreover, according to Carl, the pocket shape of the pitcher plant-other term for kantong semar-resembles a wine glass. Another version states that nepenthe in the story of Homer's the Odyssey in fact refers to a wine glass name.
Carl is not the first to describe about nepenthes. Previously in 1658, Etiene de Flacourt, A French colony governor in Madagaskar, once told a story about the Nepenthaceae family member. Periuk monyet-monkey cup-which was named amramitico is now known as N. madagascariensis.
Yonder, thousands of kilometer from Madagaskar, H.N Grimm discovered a plant which is synonym with N. madagascariensis. In 1683 the monkey cup was named Planta mirabilis distillatoria which means an amazing distillated plant. At that time it was believed that nepenthes pitcher could distillate water for the human consumption. It happened before nepenthes is known as a carnivorous plant. Now, kantong semar is popular as Srilanka endemic N. distillatoria.
Other term arose from Georgius Everhardus Rumphius. In 1690 the german botanist gave kantong semar which he saw in Ambon, Maluku, Cantherifera mirabilis name. After 79 years embedded by various term, eventually nepenthes is the name chosen to call that pitcher plant hitherto. Many terms
Nepenthes is found all the way from Madagaskar in the west part to Kaledonia in the east part. While in the north, nepenthes is found in South Cina and the southern part of Australia. The most variety is found in South East Asia, particularly in Indonesia. In each location, nepenthes has its own name. In Pahang and Malaka, Malaysia, it is called periuk kera or karik-karik. In Payakumbuh, nepenthes is called katidieng beruak-which means bakul monyet (monkey basket). The people in Riau, Karimun Island, and Bintan Island named it akar manipojong or akar tempayan. The name bayung kera is famous in Palembang. Generally, either tahul-tahul or sibara buai is its popular name in Sumatera.
While in Java, nepenthes is known with the term kantong semar. It might be due to the shape which looks like the pot-belly of Semar-a character in traditional Java puppet story. People in Sunda call it paku sorog or sorog raja mantri. The people of Maluku called it tempayan setan. While in Papua it is called kobe-kobe.
In Kalimantan, each tribe has a different term. The tribe of Dayak Katingan in Central Kalimantan called it ketupat napu. Napu means swamp. Long time ago, the pitchers of plants which live in swamps was often used as ketupat wrapper. Dayak Bakumpai tribe in Barito River, South Kalimantan, named it telep ujung. Ujung is the name of a king, while telep is the name of a cylinder tool made of bamboo. The tool is usually used to store poisonous arrows. Usage
Besides various names, nepenthes also has many usage. In Bangka, the stem of ketakung is indeed used to tighten fence and carry heavy goods. Its dry stem substitute rattan due to its strength and flexibility. It can even last longer than rattan. While in Papua, the clayey stem of kobe-kobe is used as a bracelet.
In Singkawang, West Kalimantan, N. ampullaria is often used to make pulut. The half cooked pulut (sticky rice, ed) is put into the pitcher and then steamed. According to Ir Purwaningsih MSi, N. ampullaria is used because it is a detritus type. 'It means, if it is seen from the pitcher, it eats insect less. It eats foliage,' added Ir Chairani Siregar, MSc.
On the other hand, an opened kantong entuyut is normally used as a toy. In their childhood, Chairani, Purwaningsih, and Ir Agustina Liestiawati, MP-they are lecturers in University of Tanjungpura-often played as water trader. To carry water, they made use of nepenthes pitchers. Other usage of an entuyut pitcher is to be used as an arrow container.
Explorers and hunters in jungles drink from a closed nepenthes pitcher to quench their thirst. In Maluku, the water in periuk kera has been used by the people since Rumphius era in 1690. It was not intended to dampen dry throat, but to dampen Ambon soil. Whenever long dry season came, the village elders went quietly to the jungle. They poured out all water inside the nepenthes pitcher to the ground. By doing so it is believed that the rain would immediately come.
Ancient shamans used the water inside the closed nepenthes pitcher as the potion to prevent children wet the bed. The water is poured onto the head of a child who often wet the bed. The rest is given to the child to drink. Some people are also utilize the water in periuk monyet as a cough medicine and as the potion for swollen eyes.
So the legend in Homer's The Odyssey is true. Nepenthe is indeed the consoler for sadness and pain.