Last Updated on October 15, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
A popular video shared across social media shows a plant. The claim is it is a medicinal plant called Oodhu Paavai and is available in the rain forests. We fact-checked and found that the claim is false.
The Claim
“This medicinal plant is called as OODHU PAAVAI in Tamil and found only in rainy dark forests. To keep itself developed, it blows out its pollen grains periodically through its funnel like structure,” reads a Twitter post.
Fact Check
Is there a plant called OODHU PAAVAI?
No. We could not find any plant that is called OODHU PAAVAI in Tamil. It was not listed in any directory in India and no equivalent English name could be traced too.
Is this a plant with any other name?
No. This is an imaginary plant created a by a digital graphics artist.
A closer look to the video reveals a watermark that reads ‘LUKE PENRY EXR’. This is the Instagram account of the artist Luke Penry. The Instagram account has many such 3D creatives of imaginary plants and fungi.
Exploring the potential of herbal plants like Oodhu Paavai can open doors to natural remedies. Similarly, the discussion around creating treatments at home, such as using grapefruit and lemons to make hydroxychloroquine, highlights the growing interest in alternative health solutions.
Penry had also taken to Twitter to clarify that his work is being circulated with a false claim associated to it.