07.26.08
Posted in Home Remedies, Medicinal Plants at 6:40 pm by Doc Emil
Passionflower ( Passiflora incarnata )
It is said that passion flower is beneficial in cases of insomnia and nervousness with over 200 years of use in Europe. Traditionally, it can be used for anxiety, seizures, hysteria, attention deficit disorder and in the relief of pain; it is considered a mild sedative. The German Commission E had approved passion flower for nervous unrest in 1985. While FDA had banned it in 1978, it is in FDA’s GRAS (generally regarded as safe) list.
Although it is not well understood why passion flower works and what the active ingredients are responsible for its effect, it is considered a useful and safe medicinal plant. It contains flavinoids, cyanogenic glycosides, alkaloids (harman and harmaline) and saparin. Considered as one of nature’s safest and most effective tranquilizers, a tea can be prepared from the flower or leaves; 1 tsp dried flower or leaves plus 1 cup boiling water, steep for 5-10 mins, taken daily until sleep is normalized or when nervous tension is abated. Caution: any hypnotic-sedative can be potentiated by passion flower.
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07.20.08
Posted in Herbal & Preventive Nutrition News, Medicinal Plants, Health Tips at 6:54 am by Doc Emil
Malunggay has been in focus in recent months. Not only is it a vegetable for good health and many ailments, it is now being investigated as a biofuel and a clean one which does not give any toxic by-product on combustion. Considered to be a “miracle vegetable” we have abundant material for our food and we hope we will not miss the boat here since it’s becoming an important economic product or raw material.
We know that malunggay has been in our diet but we only think of this vegetable for mothers who want more milk production. In an analysis by FNRI-DOST (Food and Nutrition Research Institute - Dept of Science and Technology) 100 grams (1 cup cooked) of malunggay leaves contain 3.1 g. protein, 0.6 g. fiber, 96 mg calcium, 29 mg phosphorus, 1.7 mg iron, 2,820 mg ß-carotene, 0.07 mg thiamin, 0.14 mg riboflavin, 1.1 mg niacin, and 53 mg ascorbic acid or vitamin C. It also has a high antioxidant activity ( 71% relative to Vit E). What we really do not know is the form in which the minerals occur. For some of us who have heard about “chelated minerals” it makes us wonder if such forms are present in malunggay. Chelated minerals are defined as minerals bonded with amino acids. This binded form enables many plant derived minerals to be assimilated by the body in minute amounts to meet the daily requirements. Unlike synthetic minerals, we need only a small amount of chelated minerals to meet the body’s requirement. The reason is that synthetic minerals have to be given in large amounts in order for them to get transported into the cells. The implication is that if the minerals of plants are mainly in chelated forms, we don’t need to use synthetic supplements for our daily needs. A cup of malunggay will be enough for our health maintenance or higher than that would also mean our ability to raise our anti-oxidant intake if we are a cancer patient. Malunggay has also been reported to be able to lower blood sugar. So in addition to ampalaya, banaba, luyang dilaw, we have malunggay. Aduts who want calcium supplementation will thus benefit for the prevention of osteoporosis.
So extend your horizon, eat malunggay, plant malunggay and we should be healthy (if we eat this vege often). Someone told me she is taking malunggay shake, well why not, we can make it better tasting by adding pineapple juice. Try this: 1/2 cup fresh (raw) malunggay leaves + 1 cup water -blended and strained. Add another 1/2 cup of pineapple juice for a health drink taken 2-3 x a week. Two times daily for cancer survivors. Always make a fresh blend, to be consumed with 2 hours. Maybe this should be comparable to wheatgrass juice, which is imported from the US.
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Posted in Herbal & Preventive Nutrition News, Health Tips at 6:08 am by Doc Emil
Citrus Bioflavonoids
Most of us would like to have an affordable supplement that would help us maintain good respiratory health. Citrus bioflavonoids are a group of antioxidants which have been used in folklore medicine and which also been investigated by modern medicine. General properties of citrus bioflavonoids:
1. Respiratory health
2. Hastens the repair of tissues and has been useful in reducing the duration of damage from injuries, especially sports injuries
3. It helps improve our natural defense against infectious diseases
4. If applied locally, it can help whiten the skin - maybe a good substitute for gluthathione
Citrus fruits such as calamansi (Citrus microcarpa), dalandan and lemon are just the common sources of citrus bioflavonoids. The rind of citrus fruits is a rich source of bioflavonoids. Taken daily it will help strengthen our immune system.
Calamansi Juice with more citrus bioflavonoids.
Buy calamansi, which is almost always available. Squeeze the juice of about 5 medium pieces, save the squeezed fruit (rind) and remove the seeds. Blend the rind with a small amount of water and strain. This material is your added citrus bioflavonoid which you can either mix with your drink or rub on your skin with a small amount of soap to whiten it. Simple and affordable.
If you want to make a body soap solution with this material mix the strained, blended rind with soap chips (use your favorite bath soap) and blend the soap chips ( or grated soap) and blend -you have a body soap solution for whitening your skin.Warning:test a small amount of the mixture on your forearm because too much rind juice will irritate the skin. Find the dilution that will not be irritating to your skin.
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01.30.08
Posted in Food and Meals at 6:34 am by Doc Emil
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09.16.07
Posted in Home Remedies, Food and Meals at 6:43 pm by Doc Emil
Apples (Malus domestica) are a good source of nutrition as well as nutritional support in diarrhea. Apples
contain a substance called pectin. Pectin is a heterosaccharide which is derived from the cell wall of plants and the extraction of this substance is enhanced by cooking. It stabilizes and thickens food; it is an additive to food and as such is a “gelling agent.” Apple sauce or jelly is a good preparation for snacks and food supplement in cases of diarrhea. Ideally, a blender is used to prepare apple sauce but in case one has no blender, the following can be done:
1. Peel and grate apples
2. Cook in low fire with some water until soft and almost sauce-like
3. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to taste; but not very sweet
4. Put over crackers so kids can enjoy
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Posted in Medicinal Plants, Health Tips at 6:13 pm by Doc Emil
Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) is a herb that is popular for preparing dishes. This herb can also be taken as a regular tea drink to promote urination, good digestion, appetite stimulant.
In preparing tarragon tea: Use 1/4 teaspoon fresh herbs, washed in 1 cup boiling water, steep for 5-10 minutes and take 2-3x daily.
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07.29.07
Posted in Herbal & Preventive Nutrition News, Medicinal Plants at 6:18 pm by Doc Emil
We recently visited a health center in Los Banos Laguna. What is unique in the area is the combination of a health center, a herbal garden and the agricultural center. The medicinal plant garden is in between the two buildings. This setup is unique because it combines the agreement between medicinal plant use and propagation of medicinal plants. Nowadays, we seldom see herbal gardens in good condition near health centers. Since the value of medicinal plant and nutrition are better placed on the preventive aspect of health, we should appreciate that taking high value food and prevent disease would be better than getting sick and paying all those hospital bills and lifetime medications. Food supplements that are beneficial on a long term, preventive mode, also belong to class of modalities of change in life styles. To “Go Natural” and prevent disease is simply better than getting sick. 
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Posted in Home Remedies at 6:09 pm by Doc Emil
Boil 1/2 cup fresh chopped leaves in 2 glasses of water. You can drink 1 cup 2x daily. If you use dried leaves as tea, reduce to 1/4 cup. You can put flavor such as pandan, lemon grass or kalamansi. Make sure the leaves are clean. You can collect banaba leaves and hang them to dry at home. Air-drying is the recommended way to dry medicinal plants. Drying them under the sun will destroy the phytochemical such as antioxidants and phyto enzymes.
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07.21.07
Posted in Herbal & Preventive Nutrition News at 5:14 pm by Doc Emil
In a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard for scientific studies) habitual chocolate intake 
can lower blood pressure. In previous short term interventions, high doses of cocoa, as short as 2 weeks, can reduce blood pressure. This was attributable to polyphenols that improved blood vessel inner lining. In this study a low dose cocoa over 18 weeks involving 24 women and 20 men with uncomplicated Prehypertension (PB: 120-139/80-89 or Stage 1 hypertension (BP: 140-159/90-99). The participants were assigned to either dark chocolate or white chocolate group. No observable lowering of blood pressure was noted among those who received white chocolate. So this means we can get good benefits from dark chocolate. 
Among the secondary outcomes, notable changes in plasma markers of vasodilative nitric oxide (S-nitrosoglutathione) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostane), and bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols were documented. 
Source: Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide (A Randomized Controlled Trial ). Taubert et al. JAMA. 2007;298:49-60.
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Posted in Health Tips at 2:41 pm by Doc Emil
Gallstones are hard materials that form in the biliary tract, usually in the gallbladder. Their development is slow and may not be felt for decades. Gallstones are formed because certain substances in bile are present in concentrations that approach the limits of solubility. When there is so much of bile and the material becomes supersaturated or the material cannot be dissolved, the materials of bile form crystals which in time become stone. In the US, more than 80% of stones come from cholesterol.
When stones become large enough, then symptoms appear, usually pain in the right upper abdomen with occasional gas, burping or diarrhea. Pain from gall stones is usually sharp and on/off and may be accompanied by nausea and vomiting. If the stones are large and more than the size of the gallbladder duct or tube, the patient has to be operated. Patients with this condition are usually people who have high consumption of meat and animal fat. It is therefore important to pay attention to persistently high blood cholesterol and have it controlled or brought down by diet and maybe by cholesterol lowering drugs. Herbal plants that can help reduce cholesterol are soy bean derived food, banaba tea or in combination with green tea; also fruits rich in vitamin C.
If stones are small enough to pass through the common bile duct, consider gall bladder flush.
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