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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Citrus Bioflavonoids
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. 
There have been animal experiments and observation in humans indicating that calcium and vitamin D may decrease risk for breast cancer. However, in most of these experiments and observations, the data appear to be inconclusive. Researchers Jennifer Lin and colleagues studied 20,909 postmenopausal women 45 years and older and 10,578 premenopausal women who were part of the Women’s Health Study (cancer free and no cardiovascular disease at baseline) in the US with an average follow up of 10 years. It was found, using self reported questionnaires that higher intake of calcium and vitamin D was associated with lower risk for invasive breast cancer (this is a more aggressive form of breast cancer) for premenopausal women but not for postmenopausal women. This study shows that calcium and vitamin D protects premenopausal women from developing breast cancer. 
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