Yerba Buena ( Peppermint)

Yerna Buena or commonly known as peppermint.

Peppermint/ Yerba Buena/ Daun Mint

Scientific Name is Clinopodium douglasii. Belongs to the mint family. In the Philippines, this plant has been listed in the 10 Medicinal Plants of the Philippines and is recognized for its medicinal value.

It is a small herb with elliptical leaves.

Use the leaves for the following:

a.) Headache and Stomachache : Boil chopped leaves in 2 cups of water for 15 mins. Cool and strain and drink every 3 hours.

b.) Rheumatism, arthritis: Crush the leaves and massage on knees or where pain is

c.) Cough and Colds : Soak in a cup of hot water 10 fresh leaves and drink as a tea.

d.) Menstrual and gas pain: soak a handful of leaves in a glass of boiling water.
Drink infusion. It induces menstrual flow and sweating.

e.) Nausea and fainting : crush leaves and apply at nostrils of patient

f.)  Toothache : squeeze sap of a fresh leaf. Soak a piece of cotton in the sap
and insert this in aching tooth cavity. Mouth should be rinsed by gargling salt
solution before inserting the cotton. To prepare salt solution add 5 grams of
table salt to one cup of water.


g.) Insect bites: crush leaves or pound leaves unitl paste-like then apply juice on affected part

The leaves can also be used for cooking.

This plant can be readily planted on a small pot so that everytime you want to use it. Its readily available.

Why not plant Yerba Buena today so you have it when you need it.

Ginger

Zingiber officinale L.

Ginger is a rhizome (underground stem) that grows almost everywhere. We use it for a lot of purposes, medicinal or as a food.

Ginger has a lot of medicinal benefits. Here are some:

1. For colds and sore throat : Boil grated ginger with enough water for your tea. Add lemon and honey. Sip while hot. Try to inhale the steam for your clogged nose so it will loosen up.

2. As an anti-inflammatory : Pound some ginger and place on inflamed area. Or you can wrap it on a fabric and place on top.

3. For Nausea and indigestion: Finely grate some ginger and eat it.

4. For headaches and menstrual cramps: Boil some ginger and drink the water.

So next time you are sick, why not try this. Let me know whats the outcome is.

http://ping.fm/amzYx

Check it out ..... www.tenetteracho.com

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