Earth News

farmeric February 12th, 2011

Pastillas de Leche are sweet delicious milk candy made from Carabao’s milk. Although some people are using commercialized powdered milk, nothing beats the unique taste of Carabao’s milk.

Pastillas de Leche

Here’s the process on how to make Pastillas de Leche the tradtional way:

Ingredients & Utensils:

• 1 liter fresh milk
• 1/2 cup sugar(for cow’s or goat ‘s milk) or
• 3/4 cup sugar (for carabao’s milk)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
• 1 pan
• a stirring ladle
• bowl

Procedure: (Traditional Method)

1. Pour 1 liter of fresh milk into the pan and add 1/2 cup (for cow’s or goat ‘s milk) or 3/4 cup (for carabao’s milk) of sugar. Add 1 tsp. of corn starch and stir. Continue Reading »

   Tags: carabao's milk, cow's milk, goat's milk, pastillas de leche
   

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farmeric February 6th, 2011

Next month (March) is Kesong Puti Festival in Sta. Cruz, Laguna, Philippines. This festival is being held in order to boost the industry of white cheese.

For those who are looking for the Kesong Puti Recipe (White Cheese), here’s the process of making Kesong Puti from National Dairy Authority:

Ingredients:

• 2 liters fresh milk (carabao, cow or goat’s)
• 2 tbsp coagulant/rennet or pararennet extract*
• 2-3 tbsp heaping table salt

*Rennet is an extract prepared from a mixture of abomasum, glacial acetic acid, and salt. DTRI coagulant and rennet are available at the Dairy Training Research Institute at UP Los Baños, Laguna.

Materials Needed:

Kesong Puti

• kettle (casserole)
• perforated plastic tray
• cheesecloth (“katsa”)
• basin Continue Reading »

  Tags: cheese, kesong puti, milk, recipe, white cheese
  

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farmeric January 15th, 2011

Fertiliser
The seed cake, which is produced by pressing the seeds to extract oil, cannot be eaten as it contains harmful substances. However, it contains high levels of protein and makes a good fertiliser for use in agriculture.

Living fence
Planted as a living fence, Moringa provides wind protection and shade. It grows very quickly and if cuttings are planted close together they will form a fence that livestock cannot get through in just 3 months.

Alley cropping
Moringa has a large tap root and few lateral roots so it will not compete for nutrients with the crops. Continue Reading »

Tags: malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera

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farmeric January 6th, 2011

Around the world every part of the Moringa tree has been used effectively against varying ailments. Some of the remedies are described here but there is no guarantee they will work for every case!

Leaves

• Leaves rubbed against the temple can relieve headaches.
• To stop bleeding from a shallow cut, apply a poultice of fresh leaves.
• There is an anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effect when applied to wounds or insect bites.
• Extracts can be used against bacterial or fungal skin complaints.
• Leaf tea treats gastric ulcers and diarrhea.
• Eating Moringa food products is good for those suffering from malnutrition due to the high protein and fibre content.

Flowers

• Flower juice improves the quality and flow of mothers’ milk when breast feeding.
• Flower juice is useful for urinary problems as it encourages urination.

Pods

• If eaten raw, pods act as a de-wormer and treat liver and spleen problems and pains of the joints.
• Due to high protein and fibre content they can play a useful part in treating malnutrition and diarrhea.

Seeds

• Used for their antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties to treat arthritis, rheumatism, gout, cramp, sexually transmitted diseases and boils. The seeds are roasted, pounded, mixed with coconut oil and applied to the problem area. Seed oil can be used for the same ailments.
• Roasted seeds and oil can encourage urination.
• They can also be used as a relaxant for epilepsy.

Roots, bark and gum

The roots and the bark have all of the properties described above but are more concentrated. Therefore much more care should be taken if using them as medicines.

Tags: malunggay, malunggay leaves, medicinal plant, medicine

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farmeric January 2nd, 2011

Moringa or malunggay seed powder can be used as a quick and simple method for cleaning dirty river water. The powder joins with the solids in the water and sinks to the bottom. This treatment also removes 90-99% of bacteria contained in water.
Using Moringa to purify water replaces chemicals such as aluminum sulphate, which are dangerous to people and the environment, and are expensive.

Twenty litres of water can be treated in the following way:

1. Remove the wings and brown seed coat and discard any seed kernels that have dark spots or any other signs of damage.
2. Pound the kernels to a fine powder.
3. Add 2 grams (2 small spoons) of powder to one cup of clean water, pour into a bottle and shake for 5 minutes.
4. Filter the solution through a clean cloth into the bucket of dirty water that is to be treated. Continue Reading »

   Tags: Food, honey, malunggay, moringa, moringa oleifera, sugar cane, water purifier
   

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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

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farmeric November 19th, 2010

If you think you’re lactose intolerant, think again. Even if you have nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and bloating that normally come with this condition, you might actually suffer from another problem entirely.

Are you sure you are lactose intolerant?

Rule out other causes. Before you take any drastic steps, make sure you really are lactose intolerant. Other sugars besides lactose sometimes cause the same pleasant reactions.

You’re problem could stem from fructose, found naturally in honey, figs, pears, prunes and grapes. It’s also used in corn syrup to sweeten foods, gums, candies, and sodas. Other culprits include sorbitol, mannitol, and xylitol, which are in sugarless or diet foods, beverages, and gums.

Many people have trouble absorbing these substances. If you eat too much of these foods, the Continue Reading »

Tags: celiac disease, dairy products, Food, gluten, lactose intolerance, milk

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farmeric November 13th, 2010

Can wrinkling be stopped or minimized?

“We do it here all the time,” says Marshall Ho’o, a doctor of oriental medicine at the East-West Clinic in Reseda, California. The way wrinkles are dealt with in oriental medicines is “from the inside,” says Dr. Ho’o.

That is to say his patients are taught a number of exercises designed “to develop tone and symmetry” in their faces and necks. They may also be given acupressure treatments.

But what can you do at home without any special training from Dr. Ho’o?

“Massage your face,”  he says.

Using your fingertips, your thumbs, and the palms of your hands, rub every part of your face and neck. Any kind of message, he explains will help to “maximize stimulation and circulation. It can also round out the facial muscles, whose symmetry is often lost in fixed or rigid expressions.”

Dr. Ho’o’s also emphasizes the importance of living a happy and stress-free life.

“Chinese people who have big families, who talk and laugh a lot, seem to have less wrinkles. And when wrinkles do appear, they are not attractive.”

Tags: oriental medicine, wrinkles

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farmeric November 11th, 2010

” Thou dost snore distinctly. There’s meaning in thy snores.”

Modern science is now proving what Shakespeare knew more than 100 years ago when he wrote those lines in The Tempest.

“In general,: says Philip Smith, M.D., “the louder your snore, the more likely it is to lead to a medical problem.”

One of the worst problems associated with snoring is a condition called sleep apnea. “The person literally stops breathing,” explains Earl V. Dunn, M.D. “People who ware heavy snorers who stop snoring at night, can have episodes where they are not breathing.”

Those most prone to sleep apnea are “overweight, middle-aged men,” adds Dr. Smith. “If you fall into that category, and you snore pretty loudly - that is, loud enough to be heard outside the room - the chances of you having sleep apnea are pretty high. Go see your doctor.”

How To Treat Apnea

Sleep apnea can be controlled by wearing a device at night that forces air under pressure into the nose and the back of the throat, which keeps the airway from collapsing. Surgery is sometimes required for severe cases.

If you are a heavy snorer and/or suspect that you may have sleep apnea, you might find relief by going to a local sleep clinic.

Tags: sleep apnea, sleeping problem, snore problem

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farmeric October 28th, 2010

Just when you think that your phobia may be all in your mind, along comes Harold Levinson, M.D., who says it’s not in your mind, it’s actually located in your inner ear.

Dr. Levinson, a psychiatrist and neurologist based in New York and who is also a coauthor of the book Phobia Free, specialized in inner ear disorders. While treating his patients for inner ear problems, he began to notice other changes. “Not only did their inner ear problems improve, but so did their phobia problems,: he says.

It was his unique background that as both a psychiatrist and a neurologist that led him to his conclusion. ” A significant number of my patients with inner ear problems also had a phobias identical to the patients I was treating  in my psychiatric practice.”

After 20 years of research on more than 20,000 patients. Dr. Levinson believes that Continue Reading »

Tags: doctor, inner ear problem, phobias

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