Herbal Blog

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.

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.

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: