Herbal Blog

• 29Jan

  Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile)

  Herbal & Preventive Nutrition News, Home Remedies, Medicinal Plants 4 Comments
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  Chamomile Flower is a mild relaxant useful for nervousness, stress and anxiety. It can induce sleep. It can be used used for an anti-inflammatory, an antispasmodic and digestive complaints, especially too much tummy gas. The flowers are edible and medicinal. It contains essential oils angelates & tiglates which can relax. Prepared as tea; or body wash or for aromatherapy.

  Essentially, stressful or anger conditions can be helped by chamomile, however we recommend you to take the tea in the evening before bedtime for a good sleep and a relaxing evening.

  

  How to Prepare a Chamomile tea

  from http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Chamomile-Tea

  Chamomile tea is known well as an aid to sleep.It is also used to calm nerves, dispel stomach gas and aid  digestion.Making your own at home is easy.

  Ingredients:

  *2-3 tsps dried chamomile flowers per cup (use German Chamomile, Matricaria recutita)
  *Hot water

  Procedure:

  1. Put the dried chamomile flowers into a cup.
  2. Pour in hot water.
  3. Allow to infuse for 3 minutes.
  4. Strain into another cup. Use a tea strainer to catch the chamomile flowers.
  5. Drink. If wished, you can add honey or lemon juice to adjust the taste if wished.

  Note:

  Do not consume chamomile tea if you have ragweed allergies unless advised that it is all right by your regular health professional. Chamomile is related to ragweed and some people can have allergic reactions. Those taking blood thinners should not drink chamomile tea either.

  Photo from: http://leda.lycaeum.org/Images/Chamaemelum_nobile_Specimen.7163.jpg

  Tags: Chamomile

• 08Jan

  Moringa oleifera (Malunggay) – local plant for an affordable detox

  Food and Meals, Home Remedies 33 Comments
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  Medicinal value: Malunggay contains phytosterols (Pterygospermins) that removes free radicals in the body.

  Dr Aligui’s Version of Malunggay Juice

  

  Ingredients:

  1cup of malunggay

  1/2 cup water

  1/2 cup of chopped green apple or a slice of  pineapple or squeezed dalandan.

  Procedure:

  Blend all then strain excess fiber.

  Take daily for 1 week or more; coupled with meat free diet (no beef, pork or chicken) or for a continuous detox two times weekly.

  Nutritional value: per 25 grams or 1 cup = Protein 42%, Calcium 125%, Magnesium 61%, Potassium 41%, Iron 71%, Vitamin A 272%, and Vitamin C 22% (2 cups enough for a daily requirement of an adult)

  Tags: malunggay

• 26Jul

  Passion flower for insomnia and nervous tension

  Home Remedies, Medicinal Plants 24 Comments
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  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.

• 16Sep

  Apple Sauce or Jelly for Nutrition in Diarrhea

  Food and Meals, Home Remedies 74 Comments
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  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

• 29Jul

  Banaba Tea Preparation

  Home Remedies 13 Comments
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  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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