Parsley

Scientific name: Petroselinum crispum

Other names: Common Parsley, Garden Parsley, Hamburg Parsley

Description:

Parsley is native to the central Mediterranean region (southern Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia)and widely used elsewhere as an herb, a spice, and a vegetable. It has numerous leaflets and a rosette of tripinnate leaves about 10 to 25 cm long and grows as a biennial. The leaves are often used as a garnish. Many dishes are served with fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top. It is also used as a condiment, food and flavoring. Root parsley is eaten as a snack or is added in soups, stews and casseroles.

The oil of the parsley seed is used as a fragrance in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes.

Parts used: leaf, seed, and root 

Health Benefits:

Parsley is packed with vitamins and minerals namely vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, choline, folates, calcium, iron,
magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, and copper. Parsley's high concentration of boron and fluoride can also help prevent bone thinning and osteoporosis.

Medicinal properties and uses:

* Antibacterial
* AntiCancer
* Antirheumatic
* Carminative
* Diuretic
* Emmenagogue
* Vasodilator

Parsley can be used fresh, juice or in teas

Parsley Juice
Put fresh apples and/or carrots in blender, osterizer or juicer and add a bunch of parsley. You may also juice parsley alone but this takes a whole lot of parsley to get just a small amount of juice.

Parsley Teas

Place fresh parsley leaves in a mug and pour boiling water. Leave the water and parsley to steep for 5 minutes.


Parsley have been used mainly to remove kidney stone, bladder infection, and as jaundice medications.  It also prevents gas and bloating, helps stimulate the appetite, improves digestion, increases urine production, reduces spasms, and increase menstrual flow. Both parsley leaf and root can be used in teas to help gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatism.

Parsley can also reduce fatigue and swelling of eyes by dipping a cloth in an unsweetened tea and placing it over closed eyes for 10 minutes. Leaves and roots are pounded into paste and mixed with a small amount of water or tea and applied on head to repel head lice. For external use, the paste can also be applied to ease bug bites and stings. It is also known to to help speed up the disappearance of black-and-blue marks/bruises.

Parsley contains a large amount of chlorophyll which acts as a breath freshener. Simply chew fresh sprig of parsley after meals.


Precaution:

Fool's parsley and parsley piert is different from parsley so be careful not to confuse parsley with fool's parsley and parsley piert.

Concentrated parsley extracts should be avoided by those with kidney problems and women who are pregnant because it can stimulate the uterus.

Taro (dasheen) Root

Scientific name: Colocasia esculenta

Description:

Taro is a root crop cultivated in tropical and semi-tropical regions, in wetlands like paddy fields or in dry land that has a steady source of water. It has a mild sweetish nutty flavor. Some varieties are white while others have a light purple color.  It is eaten in many places around the world particularly Africa, Southeast Asia, northeastern countries like China, India, Japan and South Korea and even the Himalayas such as Nepal. Spanish and Portuguese colonizers introduced Taro in South America.  In the Caribbean, it is often substituted for plantain. It is also used in the cuisines of Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon and Turkey.  It was popular among early Romans up to the fall of the Roman Empire when trade with Egypt stopped. It‘s also sold in Asian stores in the US.

In some parts of the world, Taro is the main starch of a meal as in Africa and Polynesia. It was in Japan, too, until it was eased out by the preferred rice.  It is served on tables around the globe for breakfast—boiled plain, fried, roasted--as a snack-- sliced in chips and fried or sprinkled with sugar.  Taro root is also cooked in a variety of savory dishes such as curries, combined with lentils or cooked along with the stems and leaves in vegetable stews and soups. When sweetened and mixed with other ingredients, it is considered a delectable dessert in China such as cakes and ice cream.   A favorite dessert cum filling snack in the Philippines is a mixture of taro and other tubers cooked with rich coconut milk, sugar and flavored with ripe jackfruit strips. When dried and milled into flour, taro makes tasty pancakes.

Taro cannot be eaten raw so has to be cooked thoroughly to leach out harmful calcium oxalates.  Toxic and highly insoluble, calcium oxalates can cause gout and kidney stones. Why then do people still eat taro? The secret is soaking it in water overnight to lessen the oxalate crystals.  If you’re in a hurry, just add a pinch of baking soda and it will do the trick.


Health Benefits:

Taro is a staple food in many cultures due to its high caloric content—142 calories/100 gram. Compared to potatoes at 93/100 grams, it’s a higher source of energy.  Moreover, it has 3 times more dietary fiber that is essential for good digestion and regular BMs.   Good news to diabetics and dieters! Taro has a low glycemic index, meaning once it’s digested, the level of glucose in the blood rises gradually not abruptly. In short, the supply of energy is steady, no peaks and crashes that cause hunger, no sugar rush at all.  Not only is it a good source of energy-giving carbohydrates, it also contains plenty of vitamins and minerals. The root is easy to digest while the leaves contain lots of vitamins A, C and some protein.  When displayed as an ornamental indoor plant, it is known as “elephant’s ears” due to its broad leaves.

Readers are advised to consult a physician or health care provider before taking any herbs/medications.

Coriander

Scientific name: Coriandrum sativum

Other name: Cilantro

Description:

Coriander aka cilantro is an annual, umbelliferous plant native to Southeastern Europe.  It is a herbaceous plant that grows up to 3 feet in height, slender and branched.  The leaves are trilobed, green and hairless
and the lowest leaves being stalked and pinnate while the leaflets are roundish and slightly lobed.

The mature plant bears a shortly-stalked umbels (5 to 10 rays) light pink color flowers.  The seed clusters are symmetrical and the seeds are oval about 4-6 mm in diameter, light green and have a disagreeable taste and odor.  When the plants turn brown and becomes pleasantly aromatic, the seeds are ready for harvest.

Since both the leaves and seeds are used as seasoning condiment, the cilantro or coriander is considered both an herb and a spice.

It is also medicinally used as flavouring for purgatives and an ingredient in tincture of senna.


Parts used: Fruits/seeds and fresh leaves


Health Benefits:


    The coriander seeds are excellent source of minerals like calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc. It also has Vitamin C and is rich in B-complex vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.


Medicinal properties and uses:

Coriander aka Cilantro has been traditionally been referred to as anti-diabetic plant as it controls blood sugar levels.  It has also been used for its anti-inflammatory properties and antimicrobial properties.

The volatile oil in coriander is high in phytonutrient content such as borneol, camphor, elemol, geraniol, linalool, limonene.  It is rich in flavonoids and contains active phenolic acid compounds.  The coriander
seeds contain many chemical compounds that are known to have anti-oxidant properties and increases the immune system.

Coriander is traditionally used as a stimulant, aromatic and carminative. It is also used for stomach pains and the seeds are known to have  anti-flatulent properties.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED
AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE
TRYING THIS. AVOID SELF-DIAGNOSIS AND SELF-MEDICATION.

Quinoa (Goosefoot plant)

Scientific name: Chenopodium quinoa

Description:

Quinoa is an amino acid-rich seed ( although commonly considered a grain) with a transparent yellow color. Other varieties range in color from red, purple, orange, pink and even black. There are over 120 species of Quinoabut only three main varieties are cultivated. Cooked quinoa seeds have a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and is very nutritious and delicious with a somewhat nutty flavor. The leaves are lobed or triangular and are edible and is similar to beets, swiss chard and spinach. The flower heads are branched with large clusters of seeds.

Health benefits:

Quinoa is rich in minerals like copper, folate, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and tryptophan. It is also rich in fiber, vitamin E and provides all the nine essential amino acids like lysine and cystine.

Medicinal Properties:

Migraine headaches

Quinoa is a good source of manganese, magnesium, folate and phosphorus that are helpful for migraine headaches. The magnesium & vitamin B2 in quinoa help relax blood vessels and improve the energy metabolism thus reducing the frequency of headache episodes.

Atherosclerosis and other Cardiovascular disorders

This is because as mentioned above Quinoa is a very good source of magnesium - a mineral that relaxes blood vessels. The phytonutrient, lignans, that are abundant in quinoa are also a valuable nutrient to the heart.

Studies show that consumption of whole grain products and dietary fiber has reduce the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack.

The mineral manganese also functions as a cofactor for the superoxide dismutase enzyme - an antioxidant. That's why Quinoa also lowers type 2 diabetes risk.

Gallstone Prevention - quinoa is high in insoluble fiber and helps reduce the secretion of excessive bile acids.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS. AVOID SELF-DIAGNOSIS AND SELF-MEDICATION.

Garlic

Scientific name: Allium Sativum

Description: Garlic is widely used around the world for both culinary and medical purposes. It is a low herb growing to around 30 to 60 cm. Bulbs are broadly ovoid, consisting of several cloves and has a pungent flavor. The leaves are linear and flat like grass.

Part used:

The bulb is the most commonly used part although the leaves and flowers are also edible.

Health Benefits:

Many health conditions can be prevented and treated by taking a clove of garlic a day. Garlic has flavonoids, vitamin C, B6, magnesium, potassium, selenium, calcium and manganese. The key component of garlic is allicin, known to have a potent
anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-oxidant properties. It also possesses stimulant, diaphoretic, diuretic and expectorant properties.

Medicinal properties and Uses:

Arthritis - Crush several cloves and rub on affected areas.

Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure - Regular intake of garlic can reduce blood cholesterol and may increase HDL(good cholesterol) and LDL(bad cholesterol) ratio that will prevent stroke and other heart diseases.

Prevents Blood Clots - The use of garlic can increase nitric oxide production in the blood vessels thus dilating the blood vessels and helps in fibrinolysis(dissolving of blood clotting). Garlic reduces the possibility of strokes and thromboses.

Diabetes - Garlic may also help regulate blood sugar levels.


Fight Infections(Athlete's foot, ear infection, Tinea Cruris, Tinea Corporis and other fungal diseases) - Garlic has sulfur compounds like allicin that exhibit anti-inflammatory effects and that may help treat fungal infections. Raw Garlic is also a potent natural antibiotic. Cut clove crosswise and rub directly to affected area.

Cancer - slows down the growth of tumor cells specifically in colon, stomach and prostate cancers.

People who are allergic to garlic should stay away from it or those who consume it in large quantities may suffer from flatulence, stomach irritation and heartburn.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED/TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRYING THIS.

Onions

Scientific name: Allium cepa

Description:  This is the common kitchen onion we know.

Medicinal properties and Health benefits:

Effective against conditions such as the common cold, cough, sore throat, gastroenteritis, high blood pressure and are used to heal blisters and boils. They are also believed to contain chemical compounds that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties and cancer-fighting abilities such as quercetin, phenols and flavonoids found to reduce the risk of head and neck cancers as well as liver and colon cancers.

Rich in Vitamins A, B1, B2 and C

Parts Used: Fresh Bulbs

Indication and Directions for use:

1. Bee Stings – apply raw onion on the affected area.

2. Cough and Sore Throat
Blend onion juice with an equal amount of honey. Drink it 3 to 4 times a day.

3. High Blood Pressure
Blend onion juice with an equal amount of honey. Drink it 3 to 4 times a day.

4. Gastroenteritis
Get 1 onion and chop it finely.  Place it in 1 cup of water for 24 hours.  You may place it inside the refrigerator if you want to drink it cold. Strain before drinking. One-half of the preparation will do the trick. 

5. UTI
Make a decoction by boiling 2 cups of water with a medium-sized onion. Boil until 1 cup remains. Take it 4x a day. 

6. Blisters and boils - Swab the wound with sufficient amount of onion juice.


THOUGH THE CONTENT OF THIS BLOG HAD BEEN TRIED and TESTED AND HAD BEEN USED AS FOLK/HERBAL MEDICINE IT IS STILL BEST TO CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.