Health benefits of Bitter Gourd or Ampalaya and its natural healing properties

Scientific name: Momodica Charantia
Commom Names: Ampalaya, Bitter melon, Bitter Gourd
Other Names: papailla, melao de sao caetano, bittergourd, sorosi, a'jayib al maasi, assorossie, balsam apple, balsam pear, chin li chih, ejinrin gule khandan, fu-kua, karela,k'u kua kurela, kor-kuey, ku gua, lai p'u t'ao, pava-aki, salsamino, sorci, sorossi, sorossie, sorossies, pare, peria laut, peria

Ampalaya is a Tagalog term for "bitter melon" or "bitter gourd". It's a tropical vine which easily grows in the South East Asia such as the Philippines. It is called "bitter gourd" because the ampalaya fruit and leaves have a bitter taste and it's more intense when cooked.

Ampalaya is one of the Philippine vegetables which is considered herbal medicine and well known for its many health benefits and natural healing properties.

Nutritiona Facts of Fresh Ampalaya/ 100 grams

Vitamin A - Every 100 grams of ampalaya has 471 IU or equivalent to 16% of recommended value per day. Vitamin A is good to maintain healthy eyesight and prevents all other eye defects.

Vitamin C - every 100 grams of ampalaya contains 84 mg of Vitamin C which is equal to 140% of recommended value per day. Vitamin C is good to boost immune system, and it helps keep the skin, hair and teeth healthy.

Folates - every 100 grams of ampalaya has 72 µg of folate which is equivalent to 18% of recommended value per day.

Lutein-zeaxanthin - every 100 grams of ampalaya has 170 µg of luthein, the most essential phyto-nutrients that protects the eye from damage.

Dietary Fiber - it helps in better digestion and healthy colon.

Aside from these essential nutrients,ampalaya also has carbohydrates, protein, energy, niacin, thiamine, calcium, magnesium, manganese and Zinc. (basede on USDA,mommyyah.com)

Medicinal Properties of Ampalaya
Filipino people consider ampalaya as medicinal plant and it is supported by the Department of Health. Ampalaya is recommended to use as an alternative medicine for liver disease and diabetes.

Based on scientific research, regular eating of ampalaya can increase the production of beta cells in the pancreas which is the most important substance to produce enough amount of insulin.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows your body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the food that you eat for energy or to store glucose for future use. Insulin helps keeps your blood sugarlevel from getting too high (hyperglycemia) or too low (hypoglycemia) (endocrineweb). Therefore ampalaya is highly recommended for diabetics.

In some refions, ampalaya is also used as herbal treatment for HIV, coughs, skin diseases such as eczema, and as purgative.

Like the fruit, ampalaya leaves are also excellent sources of Vitamin B, iron, calcium, and phosphorus. It is also rich in beta carotene.

There are many kinds of ampalaya recipes in the Philippines such as pinakbet, ginisang ampalaya with eggs (saute ampalaya with eggs) and ensaladang ampalaya.

Because ampalaya has so much health benefits, it is now one of the top seller food supplements. Food supplement manufacturers uses ampalaya or charantia as the main ingredient of their health products.

Like this Ampalaya plus which has been very popular here in the Philippines and abroad. Ampalaya plus is made of pure ampalaya which is best to maintain the right level of insulin.

Since there are many Filipinos who are diabetics, this product became very popular. Many diabetics don't want to regularly inject insulin, so they turned into using this ampalaya plus capsules to increase their insulin levels. Today, many people trust natural way of healing rather than taking drugs and undergoing to surgical treatments.

Amazing Facts about Water melon

water melon

Water melon is a vine bearing flower plant that endures in watery soil. It is believed to be originated in South Africa and some parts of Asia. In the Philippines, it is called pakwan. There are two kinds of water melon, the and the newly breed yellow.The outer cover of water melon can be plain dark green or yellow green with map-like print. Water melon  commonly has small, brown seeds, but some breed are seedless.

Health Benefits of water melon

Antioxidant - water melon contains 91% of water which is good in internal cleansing. The juice is believed to cure kidney failure.

Vitamin C -as with many other fruits, water melon is rich in Vitamin C which is good in boosting body's immune system, it like wise takes care of our bones, skin and teeth to keep them healthy.

Vitamin A - a vitamin that we need to have healthy eyesight and.

Watermelon has a low content of fat, cholesterol and sodium.

bawang- bawangan

bawang-bawangan plant

orchids flower

Violet orchids

Different Spicies of Santan

Bonsai santan

yellow santan

red santan

White santan

pink santan

Bogaimbilla

Bogaimbilla

Alugbati facts and Uses

From the kingdom of plantae and belongs to the family of basellaceae, Alugbati is also known as malabar spinach, one of the most nutritious vegetables that can be found in the Philippines. Alugbati has violet vines that sometime fades to color maroon. The leaves of alugbati are heart shaped and green in color. The plant is easy to grow in a tropical weather like we have in the Philippines. This leafy vegetable has so much health benefits to enjoy. In the Philippines, alugbati is well known in recipes like "bulanglang" (stew) and "ginisa sa sardinas" (saute vegetables with sardines). And because alugbati is very healthy to eat, some vegetarians use this as one salad ingredient. Alugbati leaves has a sticky texture when cooked and this maybe why it's good to eat to eases constipation. The taste of alugbati is a bit similar to camote tops and they are also similar when it comes to health benefits and uses.

Alugbati as Medicinal plant

Alugbati is also considered as medicinal plant. The leaves as I mentioned is a very good laxative that aids to relieve constipation because of its fiber content. Boiled alugbati tops aids in headaches, stomach discomfort that includes ulcer and also helps reduce inflammation. In an article written Dr. Bahram Tadayyon, he mentioned that alugbati contains a very important phytochemicals called "saponins" which is known to help prevent heart disease and cancer. Indeed, alugbati can be considered as wonder plant.

Here are some nutritional facts about alugbati.

Per 1/2 cup serving

5 g calories
0.17 g of non-saturated fat which is good to maintain your diet.
0.5 g of fiber for a healthy digestive system
13 microgram of Vitamin A to help maintain good eyesight, healthy hair and skin
0.33 mg of iron that gives us extra energy and keeps our brain healthy and alert
25 g of folate promotes proper DNA and healthy brain

Ginisang Alugbati

1 cup Alugbati tops
1 can sardines
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium sized chopped red onion
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 pieces chopped red tomatoes
Salt
seasoning

Procedure :

Heat cooking oil on a pan
Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes
Add sardines
Saute for 3minutes with continuous stirring
Add Alugbati tops
Add salt and seasonings then cover. Lower down the heat to below medium
Boil for at least 3 minutes
Share and Enjoy!

Sampalok or tamarind facts

Sampalok (tamarind)

Sampalok is a Tagalog term for tamarind with a scientific name of Tamarindus Indica. It came from the kingdom of plantar and belongs to the family of fabaceae. Tamarind trcee is believed to have only species so it is considered as extra ordinary fruit. The tree is common in tropical areas like Philippines. It is easy to cultivate and doesn't need extra care. Tamarind plant can easily survive in sunny weather and dry soil. Planting tamarind is easy, just plant a matured seed in a dry soil and it will show its spring after a week or two.

Tree- can grow up to 40 feet tall. It leaves spread widely like umbrella. I remember when I was a kid, we an old sampalok tree in our farm where I used to play. Ripened tamarind fruits fall on the ground and we patiently pick them one by one and spread a pinch of salt on it and eat it. Those were the days...Tamarind tree indeed was one of those things which remind me my childhood.

 Leaves-when boiled in water is considered as cough relief as well as cure to some illnesses like malaria, intestinal problem, stomach discomfort and head ache. The tamarind leaves are boiled in water and cooled down to make an after birth tonic for mothers who just recently gave birth. It is done on the first after birth bathe.

 Fruit- the tamarind fruit is color brown outside ripe or raw, green inside when raw and dark brown inside when ripened. It has seeds that colored green and brown. Seeds are not advisable to eat. The fruit is one of the main ingredients in a Filipino stew "sinigang" it's either fish sinigang, shrimp sinigang or pork sinigang that usually added with vegetables. The ripened fruit when cooked with a sugar caramel is a very yummy fruit candy.

 Health Benefits- tamarind is high in ascorbic acid which is a good source of Vitamin C. It also contains calcium to help in maintaining bone health and healthy teeth. It also contains sugar than supplies energy to our body.