Features

Uses and Preparations of Herbal Medicines

Herbals list:

Malunggay
Gotu kola
Tawa-tawa
Mayana

Malunggay (Moringa oleifera)

Malunggay, known scientifically as Moringa oleifera Lamk, is one of the world's most useful plants. It is used as food, effective flocculant or water treatment, antibiotic, source of oil, and coagulant for turbid waters.

Malunggay leaves are an excellent source of vitamin A and B, and minerals such as calcium and iron. It is even an excellent source of protein, being higher than the amino acid pattern of Food and Agriculture Organization-reference protein, yet contains very low fat and carbohydrates. The leaves are incomparable as a source of the sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine, often the natural minerals humans lack.

Due to its high vitamins A, C, and E, which are very potent antioxidants, malunggay is a very good quencher of unstable free radicals that can react with and damage molecules that cause aging. Antioxidants reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. They also prevent the onset of various chronic diseases like arthritis, cancer, and heart and kidney diseases.

Malunggay contains the phytochemical niaziminin, which is found to have molecular components that can prevent the development of cancer cells (Faizi et al., 1992) and correlated with inhibitory ability against superoxide generation. The first naturally-occuring thiocarbamates, novel hypotensive agents niazinin A, niazinin B, niazimicin and niaziminin A and B were isolated from malunggay.

Benefits:

Promotes good eyesight, digestion, facilitates bowel movement, and is a cure for stomach ache.
It is also used to cleanse wounds and ulcers.
It helps alleviate scurvy, asthma, earache, and headaches.
Best known as an excellent source of nutrition and a natural energy booster.

Folkloric Uses	Preparations
Constipation	Eat one or two cups of the cooked leaves at supper time, with plenty of water.
Wound wash	Apply crushed leaves directly to the wound, maintaining cleanliness duriing the process.
otalgia	Juice of roots
increase lactation	Boiled leaves
Rheumatic complaints	Decoction of seeds; or, powdered roasted seeds applied to affected area.
wounds and cuts	Pounded fresh leaves mixed with coconut oil applied to wounds and cuts.

Sources:

http://www.stuartxchange.com/Malunggay.html

http://www.stii.dost.gov.ph/sntpost/frames/julytosept04/pg41.htm

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Gotu kola (Centella asiatica)

Gotu kola ( Centella asiatica ) has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years in India, China, and Indonesia. Its ability to heal wounds, improve mental clarity, and treat skin conditions such as leprosy and psoriasis were important reasons for its extensive use in these countries. It has also been called one of the "miracle elixirs of life" because legend has it that an ancient Chinese herbalist lived for more than 200 years as a result of using the herb.

It is a healing herb with a myriad of uses. It helps promote circulation and is traditionally used for couperose condition. It is soothing and anti-itching for dermatological disorders such as psoriasis.

Gotu kola is a perennial plant native to India, Japan, China, Indonesia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the South Pacific. It is tasteless and odorless and thrives in and around water. It has small fan-shaped green leaves with white or light purple-to-pink flowers, and it bears small oval fruit. The leaves and stems of the gotu kola plant are used for medicinal purposes.

Benefits:

It has a calming effect on the body and is chiefly used to support the central nervous system.
Gotu kola protects the blood vessels that supply oxygen to the brain, which helps increase the brain's oxygen supply.
Clinical studies have shown that gotu kola improves concentration; in one study students' test scores improved after taking gotu kola.
It has an energizing effect on the cells of the brain, relieves high blood pressure, mental fatigue, and senility.
Helps the body defend itself against various toxins.
It works as a blood purifier and in strengthening the heart, as well as with bowel problems, rheumatism, and skin problems.
Also promotes blood circulation in the lower limbs and reduces the pain and swelling due to phlebitis.

Folkloric Uses	Preparations
Cough and Asthma	Eat it as a vegetable.
Chronic ulcers (external)	Grind the plant to a paste with water, and then apply to the wound. It cleans and heals.
Improve the voice of children	chew the leaf and swallow the juice
Difficulty in passing urine	Drink Gotu Kola juice. The juice, taken during lactation, increases breast milk production.
Fever and Dysentery	Take Gotu Kola and valmi decoction.

Sources:

gotu-cola.htm

http://www.zubeco.com/gotukola/preparation.html

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Tawa-Tawa (Euphorbia hirta)

The scientific name for tawa-tawa is Euphorbia hirta. Tawa-tawa is a plant that is very endemic throughout the Philippines and its neighboring islands including Celebes, Borneo and New Guinea. It is an epiphytic orchid which is also known locally as gatas-gatas or mangagaw.

It is a prostrate or erect little-branched, hairy annual to 80cm tall, with opposite, narrowly ovate leaves, with red splotches. The inflorescence is a dense, greenish yellow axillary cluster.

Tawa-tawa is traditionally recognized in the Philippines as a remedy to those who have dengue fever caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It does not fight the dengue virus. Instead, it only promotes the development of blood platelets and softens the effect of the virus which attacks the blood.

Benefits:

healing property of the milky juice.
It is effective remedy for diseases of the respiratory tract in general, especially cough, coryza or colds in the head, bronchitis and asthma.
It has a depressant action on the heart and respiration besides producing a relaxation of the bronchioles.
It is useful in treating diarrhea. About 12 grams of the herb ground in water can be taken to check the disease.
It is very helpful in promoting formation and flow of breast milk amongst nursing mothers.
The leaves of tawa-tawa are useful in the treatment of skin disorders like ulcers.
The paste of the plant can also be applied beneficially on wounds and burns.
The milky juice of the plant is useful in the treatment of warts. It is useful in the treatment of gonorrhea and other venereal diseases.
The plant is also useful in impotency, premature ejaculation and spermatorrhea or involuntary ejaculation.

Folkloric Uses	Preparations
Asthma	Make into cigarette or burn and inhale smoke.
Superficial bleeding	Crush leaves and apply on affected paret, as local hemostatic.
Skin disease	Decoction of dry plant. Plant decoction: 25 gms of the whole plant to a pint of boiling water; boil for 3-4 minutes; drink 3-5 glasses a day. Externally as needed.
bronchitis and labored breathing, asthma, chronic dysentery	Infusion or tea of the plant, 4 glasses daily.

Sources:

http://www.stuartxchange.com/GatasGatas.html

http://vjczar.blogspot.com/search?q=tawa-tawa

http://members.iinet.net.au/~weeds/western_weeds/euphorbiaceae_two.htm

http://www.home-remedies-guide.com/herbs/euphorbia.htm

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Mayana (Plectranthus scuttelarioides)

An erect, branched perennial herb up to 150 cm tall, commonly cultivated for its ornamental purplish foliage. Flowers small, 8-15 mm long, in irregularly branched clusters, blue or violet with whitish tube; nutlets globose, 1 � 1.2 mm long, shiny brown.

Benefits:

Help heal toothaches and headaches.
Used as eyedrops for eye inflammation.
Internally for diarrhea; against intestinal worms; for delayed menstruation; for hemorrhoids.
Externally for swellings, small pox, fresh cuts and sores.

Folkloric Uses	Preparations
Carminative	Take decoctions of leaves.
Headache	Pound leaves and applies over temples and nape.
Mild bleeding of wounds	Wash the young leaves; crush and extract the juice. Drop a few drops of the juice directly on the wound. Apply the crushed leaves as poultice.
Sinusitis	Heat 10-12 fresh leaves over a fire; apply while still hote over the forehead for the frontal sinues or over the cheeks for the maxillary sinuses, twice daily.
Bruises and sprains	Crush or pound 10-12 leaves and apply over the ankles, wrists or affected areas for 30 minutes, three times daily. Use a bandage to hold the poultice in place.
Sprained ankle or wrist	Crush 10 leaves Apply directly or poultice for -10 minutes, 3 times a day

Sources:

http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/herbalmedicine/herbal_cures.html

http://www.pcarrd.dost.gov.ph/prosea/proseaherbal/mayana_doc.htm

http://www.stuartxchange.com/Mayana.html