Earth News

farmeric December 15th, 2010

How Does Moringa (Malunggay) Grow?

Rainfall and altitude

Moringa requires an annual rainfall of between 250 and 3000mm. It is drought resistant, though in drought conditions it may loose its leaves. This does not mean it is dead and it should recover when the rains arrive. It grows best at altitudes up to 600m but it will grow at altitutes of 1000m.

Temperature

It will survive in a temperature range of 25ºC to 40ºC but has been known to tolerate temperatures of 48ºC and light frosts.

Soil

Moringa prefers neutral to slightly acidic soils and grows best in well-drained loam to clay-loam. It tolerates clay soils but does not grow well if waterlogged.

Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera

• Food , Health , Herbal , Plants , malunggay
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farmeric December 13th, 2010

What is Moringa oleifera?

Moringa oleifera, known as Moringa, is native to north India but is now found throughout the tropics. Moringa is also known as horseradish tree, drumstick tree and mother’s best friend. It grows fast and reaches up to 12m. The bark is grey and thick and looks like cork, peeling in patches.

It looses its leaves from December to January and new growth starts in February to March. Moringa produces cream coloured flowers when it is 8 months old and the flowering season begins in January and continues through to March. The fruit ripens from April to June and the pods are triangular in cross section, 30 to 50cm long and contain oily, black, winged seeds.

Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera

• Environment , Food , Herbal , Plants , Uncategorized , malunggay
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farmeric December 11th, 2010

If your face shows your age all too clearly, a new wrinkle in cancer research could mean good news for you. Doctors in England speculate that if you have wrinkles, you might actually be protected from skin cancer.

Most people believe that wrinkling indicates sun damage and a higher risk of skin cancer. But, that’s not the whole story. According to Dr. Christopher E. M. Griffiths, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester’s Hope Hospital, there are different types of skin and they react differently from sun exposure.

Ultraviolet rays from the sun destroy the elastic collagen fibers in all types of skin. If you are wrinkled, that means your skin type repairs itself but doesn’t replace the collagen. If you have smooth skin, on the other hand, your skin is replacing the damaged collagen.

Griffith believes this amount of collagen in your skin could affect your risk of skin cancer in a rondabout way. A substance called transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta helps rebuild the collagen. However, it also suppresses your immune system - and a weakened immune system has more trouble fighting off cancer. In other words, the same process that keeps your skin smooth and firm might also allow cancer to develop. ” This is speculative!” stressed Griffiths.

He first noticed that his patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, had fewer wrinkles than other patients. Then, a study of over 200 people shed further light. Those with heavily wrinkled faces were up to 90 percent less likely to develop basal cell carcinoma than smooth-skinned people.

Unfortunately, you can’t control the type of skin you have. So, it is simply important that you take the usual steps to protect yourself from the sun. “It’s best to avoid sunbathing and use high factor sunscreen,” Griffiths says.

Now, here’s the natural way to zap your wrinkles with a homemade, scented moisturizer. Just choose an essential oil, such as lavender, lilac, or rose, from a health food or beauty store. You’ll also need to pick up an atomizer from a drugstore.  Then follow these simple steps.

1. Fill the atomizer with 1 cup of water.
2. Add 2 or 3 drops of an essential oil.
3. Refrigerate the solution overnight.
4. Simply spray, and then blot your skin with a tissue.

There goes the folk remedy to have a natural glowing skin

Tags: oriental medicine, skin cancer, wrinkles

• Environment , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Tips
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farmeric September 7th, 2010

The Ifugao Honey by Juan B. Dait, Jr,

THE RARE IFUGAO HONEY is not cultured. Pure and unadulterated, it is made from the nectar of wild flowers which colonies of bees gathered in the distant forests of Asipulo town in Ifugao.

Honey season in Asipulo starts from the month of March and ends in August. During these months, swarm of honeybees settle in in the forests of some barangays in Asipulo and busy themselves making honeycombs in the branches of trees. The yearly appearance of the honeybees in Asipulo reminds one of the annual migration to the Philippines of flock of foreign birds ti escape the cold Siberian winds.

The seasonal migration of honeybees in Asipulo is a boon to the natives of the far-flung barangays of the the town who earn good income by gathering the “manufactured” honey and selling the sweet liquid in bottles in the nearby markets of Kiangan, Lagawe, Lamut, and Banaue. The rare honey even reaches the markets of Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, and Baguio City.

Ifugao honey is ripe for gathering one month after the bees start making beehives. The natives traditionally gather the manufactured honey by smoking to drive away the bees from their hives. The honeycomb is then pulled down and opened to allow the honey to flow out into containers.

There are two kinds of Ifugao honey: the Uyukan and the Alig. The Uyukan bees are bigger and Continue Reading »

Tags: alig bees, asipulo, ifugao honey, uyukan bees

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , honey
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farmeric August 20th, 2010

Malunggay,according to former Agriculture Secretary Arthuro Yap, has many agri-busi- ness potential, explaining why there is a need for farmers to venture into malunggay farming. He gave credit to the DA-BPO led by Director Alicia Ilaga for aggressively promoting the backyard as well as commercial planting or cultivation of the nutritious vegetable tree crop, making it malunggay one of the country’s chief vegetables.

YAP cited the DA’s Malunggay Agri-Biotechnology Program as the model of the research, development and extension component the DA’s program.

“If coconut is the tree of life, the malunggay is the miracle tree,” he said. Yap said malunggay has many agri- business potentials which can help fight hunger and poverty and increase farmers’ income, as well.

Powdered malunggay can be used to fortify noodles, soup or bread with vitamins and minerals of the nutritious vegetable while its seeds, which can produce all-purpose oil, can be used by industries for products like soap, shampoo, lotion and other personal health-care products.

It can also be an alternative source of Continue Reading »

Tags: health benefits, malunggay, moringga, traditional medicine

• Environment , Food , Health , Herbal , Plants , Uncategorized , malunggay
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farmeric August 18th, 2010

Pacquiao, who prefers to use the moniker given to him by the Americans, which as everyone knows came from a video game character immensely popular in the 80s, known for devouring everything in its way, has devoured every fighter who crossed his path.

Pacquiao, who boxed his way to fame and fortune and into the hearts of this country’s citizens desperate for heroes, reportedly feasted on malunggay-filled tinola prepared by his trainer before his fights.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has said time and again that pound for pound, malunggay is the most nutritious vegetable this side of the planet, rich in every known nutrient. It also wages war against free radicals that impair metabolism.

DA said that the Medical College in Kolkota, India, found out that malunggay can help in the treatment of female reproductive disorders like epithelial ovarian cancer.

Philippine folklore says that malunggay can also help men with low sperm count.

Known scientifically as Moringa oleifera Lamk, malunggay is also believed to be a natural energy booster.

It is a given that malunggay, with all its nutrients, helped Paquiao beat his opponents.

With the vast commercial opportunities that come with the “miracle vegetable,” our people just might rally behind it, be more productive, earn, have food on the table, be truly united, and help each other live a better life.

It’s hard to unite when one is poor and hungry, but there is one ingredient in the meal of the destitute that has all the nutritive values absent in the meals of the super rich, and that is malunggay.

Of course, for the greedy there will never be enough. No amount of malunggay-laced tinola can remedy that problem.

Tags: malunggay, manny pacquiao, moringga

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Sports and Fun , Uncategorized , malunggay
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farmeric May 20th, 2010

You’re out in the wilderness and suddenly realize that you left your inhaler at home. What do you do if you feel an attack coming on?

Count on caffeine in a pinch!

Head for the coffee pot. ” A couple of cups of strong coffee will have a beneficial effect on asthma,” say allergist Allan Becker, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, who tested the effects of caffeine on asthma.

Asthmatics given pills that contained the amount of caffeine found in two cups of coffee “could breathe better and their asthma improved,” Dr. Becker found. Caffeine and the popular asthma drug Theophylline are almost identical - your body doesn’t know the difference.

He cautions, however, that caffeine is not a substitute for your medication. “We don’t recommend it as a treatment, but in an emergency, when you don’t have your medication around, two strong cups of coffee or hot cocoa or a couple of chocolate bars would be an effective substitute medication that would buy time until you can get to your medicine or inhaler.”

Tags: cold, flu, Health

• Asthma , Food , Herbal
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farmeric April 26th, 2010

Extra virgin coconut oil is perhaps the most avoided miracle food today, and we’re going to be devoting major reports over the next several posts, telling health-conscious consumers about its benefits and changing shopping habits.

Coconut has been used as cooking oil for thousands of years. It can be used to replace corn and canola oil without requiring changes in recipes or cooking habits. Cooking and baking with extra virgin coconut oil can enhance the taste and texture of virtually any recipe and at the same time, supercharge your health.

Promising studies have been done on patients suffering from immune deficiency and autoimmune diseases. So you can see that we’re big fans of the healing properties of coconut oil. We recommend virtually everyone consume coconut oil on a daily basis. We truly believe that coconut oil is the best widely available oil to use for cooking and baking and is even great when used externally to promote smooth and supple skin.

Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life, Virgin Coconut Oil

• Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Uncategorized , Virgin Coconut Oil
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farmeric March 22nd, 2010

Here’s our second series about the Truth About Coconut Oil. The first post was about Is Coconut Oil Bad for You?.

Another reason people believe coconut oil must be bad for you is misguided association: it is a saturated fat and “saturated fats are bad for you.” Dietary guidelines inevitably fail to distinguish between different kinds of saturated fats and insist that saturated fats (meaning all saturated fats) are harmful.

This is not just misleading. It is bad science. Leading scientists now recognize that just as there is good cholesterol, there are also good saturated fats.

Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.

When we eat long-chain fatty acids, they must be Continue Reading »

Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life

• Environment , Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Plants , Uncategorized , coconut
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farmeric March 21st, 2010

Is Coconut Oil Bad for You? Hardly.

There is widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for you because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and cause heart disease.

In fact, studies said to “prove” these assertions were flawed. In one study, there were no Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) provided in the diet; the absence of these EFAs alone would be expected to cause the results.

Other studies used hydrogenated coconut oil. It is now known that the process of hydrogenation creates “trans fatty acids” (TFAs), which are toxic entities that enter cell membranes, block utilization of essential fatty acids (EFAs) and impede cell functionality. TFAs also cause a rise in blood cholesterol. These substances are not present in natural coco- nut oil.

In other words, a study based on hydrogenated coconut oil has no relevance to the non-hydrogenated coconut milk or coconut oil that you eat.

Widespread studies of coconut-consuming populations such as those found in Polynesia and Sri Lanka, show that “dietary coconut oil does not lead to high serum cholesterol nor to high coronary heart disease mortality or morbidity.” Other studies show no change in serum cholesterol level from coconut oil.

And if it is true that the herpes virus and cytomegalovirus have a causative role in the initial formation of atherosclerotic plaques, coconut oil may be beneficial in preventing heart disease.

Tags: benefits of coconut oil, coconut, coconut oil, tree of life

• Environment , Food , Health , Herbal , Natural Cures , Uncategorized , Virgin Coconut Oil , coconut
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