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.

Papaya uses and health benefits

papaya

What is Papaya?

Papaya is a tropical fruit tree that is native to the tropics of America and commonly found out in the Philippines. It is the fruit tree which is being referred to the classic Tagalog song "Leron, leron sinta". The papaya tree has in my one single stem that grows up to 10m tall. The leaves are large palm shaped that grows wide for about 30 inches in n diameter. Ripe papaya usually colored light orange of light yellow. The fruit is eaten raw, cooked, ripe of half ripe. The fruit texture is soft like a jelly and tastes sweet. It has many small black seeds inside.

Papaya Uses

Papaya when blend with milk, ice and sugar can be a perfect fruit shake. It can also mix in fruit salad as ingredient. Papaya can be eaten half ripe dipped in vinegar with garlic, black pepper, salt and sugar just like the way we eat pipino. Raw papaya is cooked to prepare a meal. Some dishes that uses papaya are: tinola,  achara and saute vegetables. Raw papaya has the ability to tenderize meat because of its papa in content. Ripe sweet papaya is served as dessert.

Some nutrients of papaya
Vitamin A/carotene- protects eye from various disorders. Audsvin achieving healthy skin.
Dietary fiber- prevents indigestion and constipation
Vitamin C- among those tropical fruits, next to guava,it has the highest content of vitamin C which strengthens the immune system

Medicinal Uses

In some countries, dried papaya leaves when boiled in water is a perfect tea that treats "malaria"
They say that papaya has a power to increase platelet level of most dengue virus patients and fasten recovery. It is proven that papaya  can cure intestinal discomfort. Because of the fruit's high content of vitamin C, eating too much of it can possibly cause miscarriage or abortion.

Lanzones Facts and its Health benefits

Family: Meliaceae
Scientific Name: Lansium Domesticum
Other Names:
Philippines: lanzones
English : Langsat, Lanzones
Indonesian: Duku, Langsat, Kokosan
Malay: Langsat, Langsa,Langseh
Spanish: Lanzones
Vietnamese: Lon bon,Bon bon

WHAT IS LANZONES?

Lanzones is a fruit bearing tree which commonly found in the Philippines especially in the province of Laguna. The plant is native in Southeast Asia. The tree grows up to 30 meters tall. The fruit is yellow like small potato, round or oval shaped that usually measures from 5 by 4 cm. It has a combination of sweet and sour taste with green seeds inside. It can be too sour or too sweet depending on its breed.

Health benefits of lanzones

Per 100 g  fruit

Moisture (86.5 g) - helps to moisturize skin and keeps the body hydrated.
Carbohydrates (9.1g)- gives the body enough energy
Protein (0.8 g)- helps in muscle build.
Fiber (2.3g)- helps in healthy digestion
Calcium (20 g)- keeps healthy teeth and bones
Vitamin A (13 IU)- prevents eye disorder, maintains healthy skin, because it contains carotene, it also acts as our body's anti oxidant that detoxifies the body and kills free radicals that causes serious diseases.
Riboflavin  (124 mc)- helps the body in producing red blood cells and support the body's growth.
Thiamin (89g)- uses the body to break sugar.
Ascorbic (1g)- strengthens the body's immune system.

USES OF LANZONES

Medicinal use- the of lanzones tree when boiled in water is boiled in water to make a tea is used to treat diarrhea. The fruit  is use to rehydrate the patient.

Insecticides -the dried bark and peel  is used as insecticide, the unique aroma if lanzones drives mosquitoes away.

Lanzones fruit has so many health benefits but eating too much of lanzones will cause difficulty in breathing, that's why it is not recommended to people with asthma particularly children.

Basic Facts about Pandan

Family: Pandanaceae

Scientific narme: Pandanus Tectorius

 Other names: 

English- fragrant screwpine

Bangladesh-ketaki

Indonesia- pandan wagi

Burmese- soon mhway

Thai-bai tooey

What is pandan?

It grows up to 3-5 meters tall, branched and leafy plant that grows in tropical areas of Asia. Pandan leaves have a sweet flavor and a very unique aroma that is commonly used in Southeast-Asian countries as flavoring to enhance taste of prepared dishes like dessert and rice cakes (puto). The leaves are long and shiny green. I remember when i was young, my mother used to put tied pandan leaves on top of a rice cooker. The sweet aroma of pandan will then make the rice smell more attractive and good taste as well.

There are many uses of pandan leaves. Many pepole uses pandan as materials in woven products. Dried long leaves of pandan is use to make craft like basket, hat, bags, shoes, slippers and many more.

Medicinal uses

The elderes believe that pandan can be used as medicinal plant. Below are some beliefs that until now is being followed by many people especially here in the Philippines.

The roots of pandan plant has aphrodisiac and cardiotonic properties, when boiled is best remedy for headache, arthritis, stomach and spasms.

Poultice of fresh leaves mixed with oil also used for headache.

 Pulverized dried leaves used to heal wounds. also used for arthritis and avoid spontaneous abortion. Chewing the roots believed to strengthens gums.

Guyabano The Ultimate Cancer Cure

Scientific name: Anona Muricata Linn

Other names: custard apple, soursop (English)

Guanabana (Spanish)

Corossol (French)

Graviola (Portuguese)

Pawpaw (Brazil)

What is Guyabano? - a fruit which is green in color when raw and a bit yellowish when ripe. The fruit is rich in vitamin C  and the entire plant has so much health benefits that's why it is called a "miracle plant". The guyabano tree can adapt to warm areas such as the Philippines and other tropical countries in South east Asia and South America. The fruit is a combination if sweet and sour taste, clear white color and very smooth like cotton texture. The tree is grown up to 20-30cm tall and the fruit can weigh up to ,15 lbs. Or 6.8 kilos.

USES OF GUYABANO

Fruit shake - blend with milk, ice and sugar and enjoy a very refreshing guyabano shake

Juice- mix the fruit extract with water and sugar then add ice to make a refreshing guyabano juice.

Candy- dry and cook the fruit in sugar.

Medecine- As we all know, guyabano is a miracle plant that can cure and kill cancer. To make a guyabano tea, boil 40 pcs. of matured guyabano leaves into a liter of water for 20 minutes. Let the tea cool down and refrigerate to last for 24 hours. Drink a glass of guyabano tea 3 times a day before meal. Do this for 30 days then visit  your doctor for progress. In an article I read about guyabano tea, it says that taking guyabano tea for more than 30 days can harm your health so you have to stop for a while to refresh your system then you can continue after if cancer still occurs.

Why is it called a Miracle Plant?

According to researches from Purdue University and Catholic University of South Korea, guyabano extract ( bark is more powerful than fruit) is 10,000 times more potent than chemotherapy drugs. Laboratory test shows that it targets and kills damaged and cancer cells alone, leaving the healthy cells alive. Cancer types can be cured by this miracle plant including prostate, breast, ovarian,colon,lung,pancreatic and kidney.Unlike chemo where all cells are killed whether good or bad that decreases the body's immune system.

According to research, guyabano has a nerve tonic effect that aids in maintaining intestinal health. Each part of the guyabano plant have been used and tested for medicinal purposes. It also has a power to lessen pain, prevents urinary tract infection, head ache relief, cures anemia, constipation, bone health, leg cramps,boosts energy level, asthma and other pains.

Amazing Facts about Kamias

Name: Kamias or Kalamias 

Scientific Name: Averrhoa Bilimbi 

English Name:  Bilimbi

Kamias or Kalamias are two tagalog terms for Bilimbi. Kamias based in history is originated in Indonesia. It is commonly found in the Philippines, Sri-Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia and other South East Asian Regions. In our backyard, we have kamias tree and I guess it is almost 10 years old already. Sometimes if the tree bears so much fruit, we tend to eat them with salt or soy sauce or fish sauce. Kamias is very sour, I can't explain it but it has a very high density of sour taste that's why you have to balance it with salty condiments.

When I was young, my mom used to make "kamias jam". I remember how she makes it, she boils kamias in water, "apog" (lime) and sugar until it caramelize or becomes thick. The jam is being preserved in a bottle and we used to make it as sandwich spread. Those were the days with my mom, oh! how I missed her so much! Back to kamias, the lime will make the jam thick and perfect to spread. The taste of kamias jelly is somewhat similar to other jams like strawberry jam.

In the Philippines, kamias leaves are used to first bathe of  mothers who gave birth. The leaves are boiled in water and the cooled  boiled water with kamias leaves will then be used to bathe mothers who recently gave birth and they called it  "after birth tonic". Kamias is also used as recipe ingredient especially "sinigang". It substitutes tamarind, tomato and calamansi in giving sour taste to food. Kamias can be eaten raw, cooked and sun dried. Sun drying of kamias fruit is a method to preseve it. Me, I preferred to use dried kamias in cooking because I find it more tasty and delicious than the fresh ones.

Like any other fruit, kamias also has nutrional contents that gives our body so much health benefits. The moisture that kamias has keeps our skin smooth and healthy.  Kamias also has protein which helps in repairing damaged tissues, providing energy and  keeping the body's immune system healthy. Kamias has Calcium content that aids in keeping the teeth, hair and bones strong. It also has iron, Thiamine,
carotene, Niacin and most of all, it has a high content of ascorbic acid which helps our body fight illnesses.
Some believe that kamias can act as anti-fertility drug, I just don't know if it's true.

There are other uses of kamias. My mom used to make kamias as stain remover, she said that the acid that kamias has helps soften the stain to cloth and therefore it will be easy to remove it. Some traditional textile manufacturers use the flower of kamias as red dye. if you are interested to plant kamias, well, it's easy to grow in well drained soil. It can even be planted on sand and lime stones.

Amazing Health Benfits and Uses of Patola (Luffa or Gourd)

Patola 

Scientific name: luffa acutangula

English: luffa or ridge gourd 

Patola, is a tagalog term for luffa or ridge gourd. It belongs to the family of vegetables which is very common in the Philippines. Patola is the main ingredient in making Filipino soup dish. In my personal experience, patola is best when added to pork sinigang because it adds extra-ordinary taste that you'll surely love. 

Patola is very easy to grow. In Philippines' temperature, when you plant patola seeds, you just have to wait for 4-7  and you'll see its spring. The patola plant is considered as aerial plant because it grows creeping on trees or trellis. A single patola plant can bear more than 100 fruits if taken care. But patola plant doesn't live long, after it bears fruit it will eventually die after a month or two.

Health Benefits of Patola

• The raw patola fruit is a great source of calcium and iron and an incredible source of phosphorus and vitamin B. 
• The root is utilized as a stomach cleanser, it has the power to discharge the unwanted substance of the stomach.
• The decoction of the leaves is utilized within Java for uraemia and amenorrhea. Uraemia is aggregation in the blood of nitrogenous waste items (urea) that are typically discharged in the pee 
• The leaves are applied in the skin to cure splenitis, hemorrhoids, and leprocy. 
• The juice of the fresh leaves is dropped into the eyes of youngsters in granular conjunctivitis and is also known to be the best aid to diabetes. The juice also applied to injuries and the bites of poisonous creatures. 
• The oil of the seeds is utilized as skin lotion to cure skin diseases. 

Uses of Patola:

Patola fruit is vegetable with plenty of health benefits. Raw patola is a good source of calcium, iron and phosphorus. Patola fruit is considered as a fair source of vitamin B.

In some countries, patola leaf is used to  cure amenorhea and hemorrhoids. The leaves extracts is also believed to be a cure for animal bites. Some also believe that patola seeds when eaten can expel intestinal worms, and also leaf extract can be applied to eczema. There are studies that patola seeds can be used as insecticides.



Luffa Scrub

Dried patola fruit is used as sponge. Many sponge manufacturers use patola as the main material in making sponge or bath scrub. 

The rough texture of dried patola fruit when wiped with bath soap is enough to scrub the body's dirt and clods.

Atis (sugar apple)

"Known internationally as sweetsop, sugar apple or custard apple, the Atis is one fruit you can easily grow even if you have only a square meter of soil. The atis tree grow just about anywhere a seed falls. And it grows fast so that you can get to harvest fruits in a little over a year from seedling stage. A tree bears fruits about three times a year: in the summer, during rainy season and towards Christmas. The best batch of fruits, those with thicker and sweeter flesh, comes out in the summer."http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/Tagalog_Default_files/Philippine_Culture/pagkaing%20pilipino/philippine_fruits.htm

Abaca

Abaca

 Also called manila hemp, abaca is extracted from the leaf sheath around the trunk of the abaca plant (Musa textilis), a close relative of the banana, native to the Philippines and widely distributed in the humid tropics. Harvesting abaca is labourious. Each stalk must be cut into strips which are scraped to remove the pulp. The fibres are then washed and dried.
source:http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/fibres/abaca.html

 fibres are then washed and dried.

Kalachuchi

Scientific Names: Plumeria acuminata Air, Plumeria alba Blanco, Plumeria acutifolia Poir
Common Names: Flor de Mayo (Mexico), Temple flower (Engl.),Kalatsutsi (Tag.), Mian zhi zi (Chin.)


This beautiful red flower is called kalachuchi. Plumeria Acuminata is the scientific name of kalachuchi. In some countries, kalachuchi symbolizes death but in Nicaragua and Laos, kalachuchi is their national flower. 

Kalachuchi is a small tree that grows 4-8 meters high with oval shaped leaves that grow 20-40 centimeters long. The trunk is usually colored off white on the outer layer, and when you scratch it will reveal the dark green color. 

In some scientific studies, the bark of kalachuchi contains bitter glucoside plumierid which is used as a purgative.In some parts of the glove, the calcium salt-containing latex when mixed in coconut oil is used to cure tooth-ache and as itchiness remedy.

Kalachuchi flower is a source of perfume called "Frangipani". Here in the Philippines, Kalachuchi is grown as ornamental plant.  But elders have a superstitious belief that the kalachuchi tree when planted causes damage in good relationships. No matter what they say about kalachuchi, this flower has a glamorous attraction to everyone's eyes.  There are different colors of kalachuchi flowers such as: pink, red and white. 

Kalachuchi is easy to grow in ordinary soil. It doesn't require watering although sometimes when heat strikes in the Philippines, you have to water it at least once a week.

Musical notes plant

musical notes plant

Small, bushy and leafy plant that bears many flowers. It can easily grow in a dry soil.

The flowers are like musical notes that's why it's named after it.

  

Mangkono tree

mangkono

The mangkono tree is biggest among the types of trees. It has been found to draw metal minerals out of the soil making its body the hardest among its species thus resulting to calling it  the ironwood and is greatly hard to chop down.This tree lives and grow in tropical atmospheres like the Philippines. The mangkono tree is currently getting to be in peril of ceasing to exist as saplings are chopped down before the tree totallt reach its maturity.

The trunk of a mangkono tree can grow to the diameter of 20 to 36 inches while the leaves of the tree can bloom up to 30 to 40 feet tall. The leaves of the mangkono tree have a leathery texture which are commonly heart shaped and sometimes appear as oval in shape. The tree features rounded flowers which is light reddish in color and at the end of the branches are fruits that split open to reveal the seed which is similar to a half moon image.