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Soursop

Annonas muricata L.

While we were eating dinner, my husband mentioned that his officemate started to drink Soursop leaves or Guyabano leaves for almost 3 months now. And the lump on his back started to disappear.

This made me dig further for more information about this plant.

The Soursop tree or the Guyabano tree originated from Central America and some parts of Southern America. But it is abundantly cultivated and grown in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Philippines and Indonesia where it is available all year round.

In the Philippines it is known as Guyabano and in Indonesia it is known as Sirsak. The fruit is abundantly sold in the market and in groceries and supermarkets.

The Soursop is a tree that grows up to 12-24 cm in height. The leaves are alternate, oval in shape, pointed at both ends, smooth and shining, 7 to 20 centimeters long and with petioles about 5 millimeters long and the fruit is green in color and has spines. When ripe it is soft to the touch.

The Soursop plant can be propagated by grafting, cutting and budding.

The fruit, seeds , leaves and bark has medicinal uses.

The fruit when taken as a drink or even eaten raw is a good source of Vitamin C and thus a good boaster for the immune system. It is also good in treating liver ailments.

The seeds when pulverize can be used to treat head lice and even bed bugs.

The leaves when mashed can be used to treat skin eruptions and a good anti-inflammatory agent for the skin.

The leaves and the bark when boiled in water for 8-10 minutes and then strained. And the water is used as a drink can treat cancer patients. Studies have been made that it effectively targets and kills malignant cells in 12 types of cancer, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer.. 

With all these medicinal uses, we can say that the Soursop or Guyabano is  miraculous. So why don’t you drink one today.
Recently, i found  a good source of Dried Sirsak leaves in capsule form. Recent studies from Purdue University shows that the leaves, stems and bark contains a phytochemical called Annonaceous Acetogenins which has antitumorous and anticancerous properties. People have started using it as an alternative to chemotherapy.  If you are interested, please send me your email.

Kalamansi

Citrus microcarpa L.

This wonder fruit is cultivated and grown in the Philippines. This is a must for every household. The plant is a shrub that grows with tiny spines.  The fruit is normally green but when ripe it turns yellowish.

The fruit is rich in Vitamin C. 34 pcs of the medium ripe Kalamansi can meet the dietary allowance of Vitamin C which is 90 mg/day.

The fruit is used to treat cough, colds and a sorethroat. It can also be a bleaching agent for freckles and helps clear up acne. It is also used as a face mask if used together with milk. The fruit crushed with gugo is used to wash the hair and can stimulate hair growth.

Why not grab a calamansi today and make a fruit juice.

References:

www.stuartxchange.org

www.fnri.dost.govt.ph

Guava

Psidium guajava L.

The guava tree and its fruit has a lot of medicinal use. Guava is scientifically known as Psidium guajava L. It belongs to the Myrtaceae family.

It is cultivated in tropical countries. In the Philippines, it grows almost anywhere. In Indonesia, the ripe fruits which turns red inside are mostly found in Java Island and they are so sweet.

I became interested in this fruit when my two sons had dengue. The Vitamin C content of 160 g of a red guava fruit is almost 377 mg (Nutrient data source: US Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database from Nutritiondata.com). This much of Vitamin C can help increase the immune system.

The fruit is also rich in phosphorus and calcium. Some varieties are rich in beta-carotene.

The leaves are boiled and the water is used to cleanse wounds and also used to apply on inflamed areas of the skin. The leaves has a good antiseptic  and disinfectant property. In fact, the water can also be used to gargle to relieve toothaches and cleanse gum sores.

Sources:

http://cvsingh.hubpages.com/hub/health-benefits-medicinal-properties-Guava

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guava

Saw Palmetto

I became interested on this because some of my relatives and friends have used it.
So what is Saw Palmetto? It is a plant and the extract of the ripe seeds are the ones used for medicine. The scientific name of Saw Palmetto is Serenoa repens.
http://www.tanyadokteranda.com/artikel/2008/05/pembesaran-prostat-vs-saw-palmetto
It is rich in fatty acids such as lauric, myristic, oleic and palmitic  .It also contains phytosterols. And some polysaccharides.
Saw palmetto is used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) – which is the enlargement of the prostrate gland and thus makes it hard for one to urinate . Because the enlarge prostrate presses on the urinary tract.
Saw palmetto prevents testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone ( DHT). The latter is the main cause of the enlargement of prostrates and also causes hair loss in men.
Although there are no conclusive evidences on this but it would be best to consult a physician before drinking this medicine.
However, the recommended dosage for this is 160 mg/day.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_palmetto_extract
http://www.bodybuildingforyou.com/health-supplements/saw-palmetto.htm

Garlic

Alium sativum L.

Have you ever wondered what food in your refrigerator or in your garden is good for high blood pressure? Yes, there is one. Its the white thing that you use always when you saute your food. YES! It's the GARLIC bulb that you use everyday. So what can garlic do? First let us know more about garlic.

The fresh cloves are the ones that we need. It is available everywhere. Go to a marketplace  and its there. Choose the ones that are fresh.

The scientific name of garlic is Alium sativum L.
The active component of Garlic is Alicin, which is primarily responsible for its medicinal uses.

Garlic is a perennial that grows all over the world. The bulb is use for medicinal purposes. It contains 4-20 cloves.

The Garlic clove is termed "wonder drug" it is used to cure a lot of diseases from the ordinary cold to managing blood cholesterol levels. It can also cure acne. It has an antioxidant property that helps build our immune system and helps prevent cancer. It is also a good antibacterial agent.

Garlic is a natural blood thinner, thus it helps increase blood flow.

Recently, i just read that cloves of garlic can be eaten just before a flight. It helps prevent nausea, giddiness, headache, malaise and extreme fatigue caused by the reduced oxygen level in the airplane.

Garlic can be eaten raw, fried or roasted. Garlic Oil and standardized garlic powder are now used to make the drug.

Although too much consumption of garlic can induce hyperacidity.

So just eat the right amount. 6-8 cooked cloves daily is enough.