Herbal Blog

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.

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.

Citrus Bioflavonoids

Most of us would like to have an affordable supplement that would help us maintain good respiratory health. Citrus bioflavonoids are a group of antioxidants which have been used in folklore medicine and which also been investigated by modern medicine. General properties of citrus bioflavonoids:

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

Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) is a herb that is popular for preparing dishes. This herb can also be taken as a regular tea drink to promote urination, good digestion, appetite stimulant.

In preparing tarragon tea: Use 1/4 teaspoon fresh herbs, washed in 1 cup boiling water, steep for 5-10 minutes and take 2-3x daily.

We recently visited a health center in Los Banos Laguna. What is unique in the area is the combination of a health center, a herbal garden and the agricultural center. The medicinal plant garden is in between the two buildings. This setup is unique because it combines the agreement between medicinal plant use and propagation of medicinal plants. Nowadays, we seldom see herbal gardens in good condition near health centers. Since the value of medicinal plant and nutrition are better placed on the preventive aspect of health, we should appreciate that taking high value food and prevent disease would be better than getting sick and paying all those hospital bills and lifetime medications. Food supplements that are beneficial on a long term, preventive mode, also belong to class of modalities of change in life styles. To “Go Natural” and prevent disease is simply better than getting sick.

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.

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.

Among the secondary outcomes, notable changes in plasma markers of vasodilative nitric oxide (S-nitrosoglutathione) and oxidative stress (8-isoprostane), and bioavailability of cocoa polyphenols were documented.

Source: Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide (A Randomized Controlled Trial ). Taubert et al. JAMA. 2007;298:49-60.