More
on Herbal Remedies and Philippine Vegetables
…that
I personally tried
By Apolinario Villalobos
I would just like to emphasize that
discipline is very necessary if one shall try herbal remedies which require
consistently patient preparation. On the other, conviction resulting from
“conversion” to the nutritional benefits of Philippine indigenous vegetables is
necessary before one can make the edible leaves and roots part of his or her
diet – for consistency’s sake. The following are enhancements to what I have
already written on this subject:
MALUNGGAY (MORINGA) – this plant is a
“must” in every Filipino’s yard; for
those living in the city, it can be planted in plastic containers that saw good
old days as “water bottles” on dispensers; the juice of the mashed leaves can
stop bleeding even of open wounds in seconds; the dried seeds can lower the
level of bad cholesterol; one of the discoveries of archaeologists in Africa
were several thousand year-old water jars with dry malunggay seeds at the
bottom, proof that the seeds were used as anti-bacterial; it is considered as
among the “miracle” plants, infused by nature with plenty of nutrients, that is
why, it is being used as enhancer for instant noodles and rice porridge to make
them healthy, and fed to the children in feeding programs; it is not bitter as
many people believe; the leaves can be air-dried, crumpled or powdered and
stored; a teaspoon in powder form can be added to a mug of coffee, while the
crushed dried leaves can be added in
pasta sauce, as well as, vegetable dishes, especially, monggo, or in fried
rice.
SOFT, YOUNG GUAVA LEAVES – in my earlier
blog, I forgot to mention that the guava leaves tea can alleviate the diabetes;
the finely chopped young leaves can be added to salads, to lessen the tangy
taste and odor of onion; it is suggested that the tea be always ready on hand
as an after-meal deodorizer of the mouth; the fruit, I still maintain, to be
more laden with vitamin c than citrus; my day is not complete until I drink at
least two mugs of this tea.
LEMON GRASS (TANGLAD) – this herb can be
frozen even for one month (I have tried it), but first, each root with stem
must be cleaned thoroughly and entwined or interlaced before being kept in a
plastic bag, to save on space in the freezer; the tea can alleviate colds aside
from purportedly weakening cancer cells; before the “guyabano craze” hit the
herb market, lemon grass was already very popular in Europe; an Israeli travel
agent enhances his Holy Land package tours for Europeans by offering a side
trip to a “desert garden” for unlimited
cups of lemon grass tea;
PAPAYA – the green fruit is full of vitamin
C and has anti-cancer properties; the leaf has similar use as “tawa-tawa”
grass, as the tea from the boiled leaf can increase the red blood cell count of
the dengue victim; the ripe fruit can give one comfort in moving his or her
bowel; the seeds can be dried, peeled and eaten as they are also full of
nutrients; the dried seeds can also be added to guyabano and other leave to be
boiled into tea.
LUPỘ - this is a wild indigenous vegetable
more known among the Ilonggos, and lately, found to have anti-cancer
properties, as just like the turmeric, it also blocks the passage of food to
the cancer cells, thereby, starving them; it grows in rice fields and swamps;
the vegetable can combine well with mongo or any fish dish, especially, milk
fish or bangus.
CHILI
– strengthens the immune system; its ‘hotness’, however, poses a problem to
those who are suffering from hemorrhoid; if it cannot be avoided by people with
the mentioned problem, suggested is drinking plenty of water to dilute the “hot
substance” of the fruit, after meal; in my case, I add plenty of pounded fresh
chili to the jar of salt, bottles of olive oil, canola oil, and palm oil to
make them really hot; I add at least two spoons of dry chili flakes in any
dish, or sprinkle them on fried rice, and instant noodles; I also add chili
flakes to tomato sauce for my pasta;
PERIWINKLE
(PAGATPAT) – the tea from boiled leaves can cure cancer as supported by
testimonies of patients who got cured of breast cancer after religiously
drinking tea from boiled leaves; it is really bitter, but if only for its
medicinal value, one should endure the taste which I am doing, as the
bitterness also neutralizes the sugar level in the blood; the tea cleanses the
kidney; suggested intake is every other day of the week.
AMPALAYA
(BITTER GOURD) – the sliced vegetable must not be mashed in salt and squeezed
of its bitter juice as it becomes useless; the best way to lessen or remove the
bitter taste is just to soak the sliced gourd in cold or iced water for about
ten minutes – do not squeeze, just put the slices in a colander and allow them
to drain; the fruit and leaves of this vegetable can prevent diabetes.
The
Philippines is so blessed by Nature with plenty of plants with edible fruits,
shoots, leaves and even flowers. Unfortunately, because of the “colonial
mentality” that developed with the arrival of the Spanish and American
colonizers, many of the Filipinos forgot about them or worse, refuse to eat
them, in favor of the “western” vegetables such as cabbage potato, and many
others, although, considered as nutritious, too, but comparably expensive. This
mentality sort of, got worsened lately, with the influx of imported vegetables
and fruits from other countries, especially, China and the United States. There
is no question about the nutrients found in the imported vegetables and fruits.
What I am driving at here, is that indigenous vegetables and fruit trees can be
planted in our yard or any vacant lot! Can the same be done to the imported
“food stuff” that may have been sprayed with insecticide to preserve them while
in transit?
