Philippine Medicinal Plant: Ginger or Luya

Scientific name: Zingiber officinale Roscoe; English: Ginger; Tagalog: Luya

History proves that Ginger or luya is a very effective medicinal plant. it is used in treating:

Ginger or Luya

1. Cold and flu
2. It enhances the heart helping to regulate its function to beat more strongly and slowly and that blood pressure lowers by 10 to 15 points after its ingestion. A component of ginger has a balancing effect, lowering high blood pressure and raising low blood pressure.
3. It proves to remove cholesterol from both the blood and liver.It also helps prevent rise in blood choilesterol levels that accompanies cholesterol-rich meals.
4. It also soth the stomach, helping digestion, it facilitates the breakdown of fod in the stomach and the absorption of food in the small intestine.
5. It helps prevent nausea both due to postoperative and chemotheraphy as well as motion sickness. it also reduced nausea caused by pregnancy. Daily intake of ginger will not stimulate uterine contraction.
6. It is found to be useful in treatment of migraine.
7. It also act as natural aphrodisiac
8. It also help boost weight loss by increasing the calorie you can burn.
9. It also releives sore throat.
For  sore throat medications: wash and peel a small piece of ginger. Chew slowly for a few minutes. swallow the juice. or, keep a small piece in the mouthm chewing it little by little.

Medicinal Plant: Garlic

Medicinal Plant: Garlic (Allium sativum)

Bawang or Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic has been a medicine in many cultures for thousands of years. This herb is one of the most widely used herbal medicines in the Philippines.Its medicinal properties have been proven during World War II when it was used to treat wounds and infections of soldiers. Garlic’s antibacterial compound known as allicin, prevented the wounds from being infected and developing into gangrene by extracting the juice of bawang or garlic and applying to the wounds.

Bawang or garlic is know as nature's antibiotic. Its juices inhibit the growth of fungi and viruses thus, prevent viral, yeast, and infections. This medicinal herb showed some positive results in the treatment of AIDS. Several clinical tests that followed and published studies have shown the efficacy of garlic in lowering cholesterol in the blood and is beneficial to the circulatory system of the body. Today, as more research is done on garlic, more medicinal and therapeutic properties become more evident. As of the present time, lowering of the blood pressure, reduction of platelet aggregation, and the boosting of fibrinolytic activities are among the list of herbal functions of garlic, which is supported by medical findings. Although more clinical studies are needed to support the contention stronger, marked improvements in benign breast diseases have been traced to make progress because of the regular intake of supplements, of which the primary ingredient is garlic.

The department of Heath has endoresed garlic as one of the top ten Philippine herbs with therapeutic value.

Garlic is rich in antioxidants, which help destroy free radicals -- particles that can damage cell membranes, interact with genetic material, and possibly contribute to the aging process as well as the development of a number of conditions, including heart disease and cancer. Free radicals occur naturally in the body, but environmental toxins (including ultraviolet light, radiation, cigarette smoke, and air pollution) can also increase the number of these damaging particles. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause over time.

Health Benefits of Bawang-Garlic:

• Good for the heart

• Helps lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL)

• Aids in lowering blood pressure

• Remedy for arteriosclerosis

• May help prevent certain types of cancer

• Boosts immune system to fight infection

• With antioxidant & antibacterial properties

• Cough and cold remedy

• Relives sore throat

• Aids in the treatment of tuberculosis

• Helps relieve rheumatism pain

• Relief of toothaches

• Kills skin fungus i.e. athlete’s foot

• With anticoagulant properties

- Cancer (colorectal malignancies & gastric cancer)

- Bledding cases (surgeries & dental activities)

Preparation of Bawang-Garlic:

• For disinfecting wound, crush and juice the garlic bulb and apply. You may cover the afflicted area with a gauze and bandage.

• For sore throat, peal the skin and chew for several minutes. Swallow the juice.

• For toothaches, crush then bite garlic.

• For athlete’s foot, soak feet in salty water then apply garlic juice. Do this 3X day for a week.

• Cloves of garlic may be crushed and applied to affected areas to reduce the pain caused by arthritis, toothache, headache, and rheumatism.

• Decoction of the bawang bulbs and leaves are used as treatment for fever.

• For nasal congestion, steam and inhale: vinegar, chopped garlic, and water.

- Juice extracted from garlic bulbs can be used as tick and mosquito repellant when applied to skin.

Medicinal Plant: Bitter Melon (Ampalaya)

Herbal Plant : Bitter melon (ampalaya)

Ampalaya (Bitter Melon) with a scientific name Momordica charantia, it belongs to family of Cucurbitaceae.The bitter taste of the ampalaya fruit is due to the presence of a substance known as momorcidin.

Ampalaya has been a folkloric cure for Diabetes. Ampalaya contains a mixture of flavanoids and alkaloids make the Pancreas produce more insulin that controls the blood sugar in diabetics. Aside from Ampalaya's medicinal value, it is good source of vitamins A, B and C, iron, folic acid, phosphorous and calcium.

Herbal Benefits of Ampalaya:

• Diabetes
• liver problems
• HIV
• Skin diseases
• cough
• increase sterility in women
• Good for rheumatism and gout
• And diseases of the spleen and liver
• Aids in lowering blood sugar levels
• Helps in lowering blood pressure
• Relives headaches
• Disinfects and heals wounds & burns
• Can be used as a cough & fever remedy
• Treatment of intestinal worms, diarrhea
• Helps prevent some types of cancer
• Enhances immune system to fight infection
• For treatment of hemorrhoids
• Is an antioxidant and parasiticide
• Is antibacterial and antipyretic

Preparation & Use of Ampalaya:

• For coughs, fever, worms, diarrhea, diabetes, juice Ampalaya leaves and drink a spoonful daily.

• For other ailments, the fruit and leaves can both be juiced and taken orally.

• For headaches wounds, burns and skin diseases, apply warmed leaves to afflicted area.

• Powdered leaves, and the root decoction, may be used as stringent and applied to treat hemorrhoids.

• Internal parasites are proven to be expelled when the ampalaya juice, made from its leaves, is extracted. The ampalaya juice, and grounded seeds is to be taken one spoonful thrice a day, which also treats diarrhea, dysentery, and chronic colitis.

Medicinal Plant: Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

Names: Malunggay, horseradish tree, drumstick tree, and dool in some regions.

Medicinal Plant: Drumstick (Moringa oleifera Lam.)

This medicinal plant, the malunggay plant, which belongs to the Moringaceae family, can grow as high as nine meters.It is rich in vitamins A, B & C, minerals such as iron and amino acids.

The leaves of this herbal plant proved to be a good source of calcium, iron, ascorbic acid and phosphorus. The other parts of this herbal plant such as the seeds, the young pods, and the flowers have been established to benefit individuals as far as anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, circulatory stimulations. Malunggay can be used to lower blood pressure, aid in pains caused by rheumatism, headaches and migraines, as well as its being an anti-tumor plant. Malunggay is also used for purgative and anti-fungal purposes,

How to use (JC Kurian, 2010):

• The bark of the root promotes the flow of urine.
• A hot decoction of the bark is used to foment inflamed parts
• The juice of the root-bark is used in earaches.
• A few drops of the juice of the root-bark are placed in the cavity to relieve toothache.
• The bark of the stem is used as a cardiac stimulant in asthma, cough and other respiratory disorders.
• The young leaves are cooked and eaten to fight scurvy.
• The poultice of the leaves is applied in wounds and swellings
• The juice of the leaves, mixed with honey is used for the treatment of eye diseases.
• Oil extracted from the seeds is locally applied for painful gout and rheumatic joi