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.