Herbal Blog

Orthosiphon aristatus (Cat’s whiskers, a source of essential oils and flavones) –listed in the Philippine Pharmacopeia 1 as a traditional medicinal plant for bacterial and inflammatory diseases of the lower urinary tract and approved by the German Commission E for urinary tract infections and for kidney and bladder stones.  A study by Matsuraba et al  (1999) in laboratory animals had shown that the leaves contain Methylripariochromene A (MRC) which causes increased urinary volume and the excretion of sodium, potassium and chlorides which subsequently lower the blood pressure, vasodilatation.  These findings indicate that MRC decreases cardiac output and induce a diuretic effect.

Do you know that cabbage which belong to the brassica family is rich in tartronic acid. This phytochemical (dicarboxylic acid), which acts not only as free radical scavenger, but also acts as an inhibitor of the conversion of carbohydrates into fat. What this means is that we can limit the fattening effect of carbohydrates by limiting its conversion to fat.

Try a simple recipe of getting most out the brassica family, create your own salad:

1. Chop these ingredients, celery, cucumber,  onions; shred the cabbage.

2. Take about half a cup of each and put 3 tablespoon olive oil, a dash of pepper, and salt.

3. Mix everything and serve cold.

This is now your slimming salad. Eat it 3-4 x a week and it will supplement your slimming regimen. Don’t forget, exercise is need still, for any successful slimming or reducing plan.

Now that dengue is on the rise, would it not be cool to drive mosquitoes away using natural means instead of fumigation which essentially does the same thing and yet introduce a hydrocarbon contaminant into the environment? Neem tree or  Azadirachta indica is a popular tree, indigenous to India and Southeast Asia, fast growing, and can reach a height of 15-20 meters.

While there were reports of its medicinal use, what is peculiar to this plant is that it is a natural insect repellant. Neem derivatives, which are generally known as azadirachtin can neutralize about 500 pests known. These include insects, mites, ticks, and even round worms.  The plant will not generally kill pests but repels them which in a way affects their growth and physiology. It is non-toxic to higher animals and is appropriate to plant in cities and populated areas where mosquitoes and insects.

Let’s stop fumigations but plant neem trees which would be beneficial to the environment.