Bawang

Bawang or Garlic with scientific name Allium sativum, is a low herb, which only grows up to sixty centimeters high. Its leaves are flat and linear, with bulbs that consist of several tubers. This herb is one of the most widely used herbal medicines in the Philippines and can also be found commonly in the kitchen of Filipino households as it is used to spice up food preparations. The Philippine bawang or garlic variety is more pungent than the imported ones. Its medicinal properties have been known for a long time and have been especially proven during World War II when it was used to treat wounds and infections of soldiers. Garlic’s antibacterial compound known as allicin, saved many lives of the soldiers as this property prevented the wounds from being infected and developing into gangrene at a later stage by extracting the juice of bawang or garlic and applying to the wounds.

Bawang, sometimes spelled as bauang or in English, garlic is known as nature's antibiotic. Its juices inhibit the growth of fungi and viruses thus, prevent viral, yeast, and infections. The preliminary test conducted on 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.

Although controlled trials in terms of anti-cancer activities of garlic have been performed in medical research, it has been proven through population-based studies that substances contain in garlic help in reducing the risk of some types of cancer. These would include colorectal malignancies, and gastric cancer. Regular consumption of raw garlic has been proven to aid in many bleeding cases, especially those cases that are associated with procedures in surgeries and dental activities. All these considered, it appears that garlic have no concrete scientific basis to claim a significant effect in the level of glucose in our blood. It is remarkable to note though that the Philippine Department of Health has endorsed garlic as one of the top ten Philippine herbs with therapeutic value and the department recommends its use as an alternative herbal medicine in view of the positive results of thorough research and testing, which had been conducted on this herbal plant. Juice extracted from garlic bulbs can be used as tick and mosquito repellant when applied to skin.

Bad breath, due to the strong odor of garlic, is the most common side effect of taking this herb. Fresh garlic applications to the skin have been reported to cause skin burns and rashes. This goes true both for those who are in the initial stages of their garlic therapies, and those who consume it as an ingredient in food preparations.

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 properties
• Cough and cold remedy
• Relives sore throat, toothache
• Aids in the treatment of tuberculosis
• Helps relieve rheumatism pain
• With anticoagulant properties
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 and toothache, peal the skin and chew. Swallow the juice.
• 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.


Aside from being an alternative herbal medicine for hypertension, arteriosclerosis and other ailments, garlic is also recommended for maintaining good health - eat raw garlic bulbs if you can, and include bawang regularly in the food you eat. Garlic is healthy and taste good on a variety of dishes.

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originally posted at: http://www.philippineherbalmedicine.org/garlic.htm

PHILIPPINES: Organic Farming - The Way Forward

PHILIPPINES: Organic Farming - The Way Forward
By Prime Sarmiento
publish at: http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43845

Nueva Ecija --Sustainable agriculture was far from farmer Peter Desisto’s mind when he went to an organic farming seminar organised by the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) ten years ago. He and other farmers attended because they heard that PRRM was giving out loans.

Borrowing is a way of life for farmers who need to purchase expensive chemical pesticide and fertiliser before they can even plant rice in their fields. Such borrowings, usually from local money lenders who charge high interest, keep farmers perpetually in debt. The harvest gives them little surplus to avoid fresh loans in the next cropping season.

Desisto came out from the PRRM seminar loaded, not with borrowed money, but with new knowledge and a firm conviction that organic farming was the way forward. He gave up chemical-based inputs and instead bought cheaper chicken manure to fertilise the fields, raised ducks that eat the snails that were ruining his rice stalks, and used indigenous herbs to control pests.

Instead of solely relying on rice, Desisto diversified into hog and poultry raising and planting onions for extra income. "I spent more time applying chicken manure and planting other crops. The extra effort paid off," he said.

Now Desisto is not only free of debt but also able to provide adequately for his family. He is also content that the land he’s renting remains productive, with an annual rice harvest at 90 sacks, which he attributes to the fact that his land is not bombarded with chemicals.

Desisto is one of a growing number of farmers in Nueva Ecija -one of the main rice growing areas in the Philippines - who have abandoned pesticides and synthetic fertilisers in favour of organic farming. "Sustainable agriculture in rice farming addressed the problem of high cost of chemical farming and acted on health, environmental and ecological considerations,’’ the Manila-based Rice Watch and Action Network (R1) noted in its study published last year.

Organic agriculture products trading in the world is increasing by 20-30 percent every year and the Philippines can easily claim a large share of a market that is estimated to be worth 100 billion US dollars. Popular organic products exported from the Philippines include bananas, beef, mangoes, muscovado sugar, papayas, peanuts, poultry, soya milk, vegetables from the uplands, yellow corn and rice.

Introduction of the so-called Green Revolution technology in the 1970s helped increase yields - but at a high cost. The high yielding seeds were also dependent on expensive chemical inputs that poisoned the soil and water sources, hurt land productivity and harmed farmers’ health. This is why NGOs like PRRM have been advocating a return to organic farming, believing that this will not just solve environmental problems but will also ensure food security.

"Organic agriculture is the answer. It won’t only retain soil productivity but it can make farming viable. If farmers will have additional income from their land they will continue to plant rice,'' R1 lead convenor Jessica Reyes-Cantos said.

Cantos believes that the government should channel more funds to develop organic agriculture and ensure self sufficiency instead of spending money on stop gap measures like rice imports or giving out subsidised seeds.

Cantos urges the Philippine department of agriculture to implement the following measures: support farmers to improve their own seed varieties; promote credit support for organic farmers; provide more post harvest facilities and create a marketing fund to protect the farmers of organically- grown products from unscrupulous traders.

Philippine agriculture officials are now seeing the benefits of organic farming. At a press briefing last month, agriculture secretary Arthur Yap said the department will set aside P800 million (16 million dollars) to encourage rice farmers to engage in organic farming for the September-October planting season.

Yap said he is hoping that this will at least help farmers cut overheads as costs of synthetic fertiliser rise along with global petroleum prices.

PANSIT-PANSITAN: rarely acknowledged weed but an effective medicinal plant!

Scientific Name:
Piper pellucida Linn., Micropiper pellucidum Miq., Peperomia hymenophylla Miq.

Common name:
Ulasiman bato, Ulasimang bato, Ikmo-ikmohan, Sida-sida, Tagulinaw, Tangon-tangon, Shiny bush (Engl.)


Botany
An annual herb, shallow rooted, may reach 40 cm high, with succulent stems. Leaves are alternate, heart-shaped and turgid, as transparent and smooth as candle wax. Tiny dotlike flowers scattered along solitary and leaf-opposed stalk (spike); naked; maturing gradually from the base to the tip; turning brown when ripe. Propagation by seeds. Numerous tiny seeds drop off when mature and grow easily in clumps and groups in damp areas.

Distribution
An annual herb, favoring shady, damp and loose soil.
Often grows in groups in nooks in the garden and yard.
Conspicious in rocky parts of canals.

Parts utilized
Leaves and stems.

Constituents and properties
• Considered anti-inflammatory, refrigerant, analgesic, antifungal, anticancer.
• Study yielded 5 new bioactive compounds: two secolignans, two tetrahydrofuran lignans, and one highly methoxylated dihydronaphthalenone. source

Uses
Nutritional
Leaves and stems may be eaten as vegetable.
In salads, the fresh plant has the crispness of carrot sticks and celery.

Folkloric
Infusion and decoction of leaves and stems are used for gout and arthritis.
Externally, as a facial rinse for complexion problems.

Pounded whole plant used as warm poultice for boils, pustules and pimples.
In Bolivia, decoction of roots used for fever; aerial parts for wounds.
Used for headaches, rhumatic pains, impotence.

In Brazil, used to lower cholesterol; for treatment of abscesses, furuncles and conjunctivitis

New uses
Belongs to the "preferred list" of Philippine medicinal plants, being studied for its use in the treatment of arthritis and gout.

For arthritis: Leaves and stems of the fresh plant may be eaten as salad. Or, as an infusion, put a 20-cm plant in 2 glasses of boiling water; and 1/2 cup of this infusion is taken morning and evening.

Studies
• Analgesic / Antiinflammatory: Extract study of aerial parts of PP tested in rats and mice exhibited anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. The antiinflammatory activity was attributed to interference with prostaglandin synthesis. Results also showed low toxicity.

• CNS Depressant Activity: Study of peperomia leaf extract showed dose-dependent depressant effects probably due to psychoactive substances that are CNS depressant.

• Antipyretic: Study of PP leaf extract on rabbits showed antipyretic effects comparable to a standard aspirin.

• Antibacterial: Study of methanolic extract of PP exhibited a very good level of broad spectrum antibacterial activity.

• Phenological Antiedematogenic: P pellucida has a phenological cycle of about 100 days. The aqueous extract is used as antiedematogenic during pheophases 1 and 2 of winter and spring.

Availability
Wild-crafted.

reference:
http://www.stuartxchange.com/Pansit.html

What is MAHATA?

MAHATA - Stands for “Mamamayan”, “Hayupan” and “Taniman”. It calls for men to self develop and address the moral, social, cultural and economic problems of his immediate community and eventually lead to addressing the same problem on a national scale.

MAHATA understands the inter-relationship and the life cycle of man, animals and plants. That through a “bayanihan” approach involving the rich, technical people and farmers it will become a combined resources in generating a powerful working group in addressing issues not only to live in abundance but most importantly to maintain a better natural, peaceful and orderly environment to live as a whole.

MAHATA members are not only simple shareholders who believe in our objectives and visions but volunteers who pledge to themselves to contribute their time, talent and sometimes their resources not only for its attainment but also in making the difference in bringing to MAHATA their individual perspective and expertise but to contribute their resources in mutual sharing process all for their love of God’s creations as gift to man.

MAHATA tribes in the proven willingness and ability of each member in setting aside their religious, social, political, economic status and identities in working for a common cause that is envisioned as its strong and enduring foundation.