Philippine Herbal Medicines

Below you can see the ten (10) medicinal plants that the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) through its "Traditional Health Program" have endorsed. All ten (10) herbs have been thoroughly tested and have been clinically proven to have medicinal value in the relief and treatment of various ailments:

Akapulko (Cassia alata) - also known as "bayabas-bayabasan" and "ringworm bush" in English, this herbal medicine is used to treat ringworms and skin fungal infections.

Ampalaya (Momordica charantia) - known as "bitter gourd" or "bitter melon" in English, it is most known as a treatment of diabetes (diabetes mellitus), for the non-insulin dependent patients.

Bawang (Allium sativum) - popularly known as "garlic", it mainly reduces cholesterol in the blood and hence, helps control blood pressure.

Bayabas (Psidium guajava) - "guava" in English. It is primarily used as an antiseptic, to disinfect wounds. Also, it can be used as a mouth wash to treat tooth decay and gum infection.

Lagundi (Vitex negundo) - known in English as the "5-leaved chaste tree". It's main use is for the relief of coughs and asthma.

Niyog-niyogan (Quisqualis indica L.) - is a vine known as "Chinese honey suckle". It is effective in the elimination of intestinal worms, particularly the Ascaris and Trichina. Only the dried matured seeds are medicinal -crack and ingest the dried seeds two hours after eating (5 to 7 seeds for children & 8 to 10 seeds for adults). If one dose does not eliminate the worms, wait a week before repeating the dose.

Sambong (Blumea balsamifera)- English name: Blumea camphora. A diuretic that helps in the excretion of urinary stones. It can also be used as an edema.

Tsaang Gubat (Ehretia microphylla Lam.) - Prepared like tea, this herbal medicine is effective in treating intestinal motility and also used as a mouth wash since the leaves of this shrub has high fluoride content.

Ulasimang Bato Pansit-Pansitan (Peperomia pellucida) - It is effective in fighting arthritis and gout. The leaves can be eaten fresh (about a cupful) as salad or like tea. For the decoction, boil a cup of clean chopped leaves in 2 cups of water. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain, let cool and drink a cup after meals (3 times day).

Yerba Buena (Clinopodium douglasii) - commonly known as Peppermint, this vine is used as an analgesic to relieve body aches and pain. It can be taken internally as a decoction or externally by pounding the leaves and applied directly on the afflicted area.

Tips on Handling Medicinal Plants /Herbs:
* If possible, buy herbs that are grown organically - without pesticides. * Medicinal parts of plants are best harvested on sunny mornings. Avoid picking leaves, fruits or nuts during and after heavy rainfall. * Leaves, fruits, flowers or nuts must be mature before harvesting. Less medicinal substances are found on young parts. * After harvesting, if drying is required, it is advisable to dry the plant parts either in the oven or air-dried on screens above ground and never on concrete floors. * Store plant parts in sealed plastic bags or brown bottles in a cool dry place without sunlight preferably with a moisture absorbent material like charcoal. Leaves and other plant parts that are prepared properly, well-dried and stored can be used up to six months.

Tips on Preparation for Intake of Herbal Medicines:
* Use only half the dosage prescribed for fresh parts like leaves when using dried parts. * Do not use stainless steel utensils when boiling decoctions. Only use earthen, enamelled, glass or alike utensils. * As a rule of thumb, when boiling leaves and other plant parts, do not cover the pot, and boil in low flame. * Decoctions loose potency after some time. Dispose of decoctions after one day. To keep fresh during the day, keep lukewarm in a flask or thermos. * Always consult with a doctor if symptoms persist or if any sign of allergic reaction develops.

Sources: http://www.medicalhealthguide.com/philippineherbalmedicine.htm
              http://www.philippineherbalmedicine.org/doh_herbs.htm

Life of a Caregiver

That corner of the house gave me comfort and peace every time I need a place to relax and meditate after work.

I was so thankful for the opportunity of getting work in the farm of Grayslake because my client owned a farm with a barn (shown in the photo). I love to watch Smallville and that red barn reminds me all the time of that tv program.

I terribly missed this house. Everytime we got visitors they were always impressed the beauty of this house. It was also clean and tidy.

I slept on that couch with the purpose of watching over my client at night time. I could see his bed from the distance.

It was winter and you could see the blizzard from the video.

Migratory Birds

It was around 7 am when I was about to take a shower, suddenly I heard noises coming from outside of the house. It was like chirping of hundreds of thousands of birds - a black birds! When I looked at by the window, the birds were all over the place. I thought they were going inside the house. I could not go out of the house because it was cold that day and I had just a towel on. I went back to my room and grabbed my camera to take pictures of these migratory birds.

Just click the play button of the video to see these amazing birds.

Lakeshore (Chicago)

It was a sunny day! I strolled along Michigan Avenue and I took pictures of some beautiful scenic spots in the city. The picture above was just infront of the building where I was working.

When I passed by this place, I could still remember vividly the last time my group was tricked by some bystanders or bums around this area. Two guys approached the group and introduced themselves as agents of the boat company downstairs. Without a doubt, the group had decided to buy the admission tickets from these two guys worth $ 100.00 - with a discounted price! After a few minutes these two guys disappeared from our very own eyes. That was the time we realized that they made a fool of us!

These boats are taking the passengers around the city for sight seeing. Of course, you have to buy the admission ticket at the ticket booth which is located downstairs.

Life on the Farm (Elgin)

Every weekend I take the Metra train to go to work to Elgin. I really like to work and stay on the farm for 1 or 2 days because the pace of life is slower. Life on the farm is free from city distractions such as air pollution, noisy traffic, and tall buildings. On the farm, you have the opportunity to get in touch with nature. To take advantage of abundant outdoor activities by walking around the property, watching the birds building their nests, looking at the beautiful panoramic view of the farm that is fully covered with corn and soybeans or simply resting under the apple tree are relaxing opportunities.

Comfortable and safe are often words that describe the environment of being on the farm!

The Green Onion leaves have flowers already!

The bird feeder.

Cornfield!

The yellow Zucchini.

The green apple!

Rapid Evolution of Computers (Chicago)

I was startled when I saw this Commodore model of computer in the office of one of my clients. He was using this sophisticated electronic machine in his business a long time ago. Now, this machine is just lying in his office and is generally no used today.

Rapid evolution of Computer model is really amazing. More than two decades ago, business people were using Commodore, TRS 80 (black and white), and GENIE I/II (Monochrome). On the table, you can see the commodore computer, dot matrix printer, diskette rack for 5 1/4" floppy disk (really flimsy!) and a cassette recorder for storing/ retrieving programs in a cassette tape. It reminds me of the early 80's when I was still working at the computer science center as laboratory assistant, I was using these old models of computer. I used to store my programs in a cassette tape or in a floppy diskette. I used to erase the data stored in a floppy disk by using the magnet. We don't use them anymore. They're obsolete!

Nowadays, most people are using laptops for their business. Laptop is very handy. You can bring and use them anywhere you want to go.

Magnificent Architectures (Chicago)

Millions of visitors are attracted to the magnificent architectures of the windy city of Chicago. You can see few of the photos taken in downtown area.

Famous Landmarks (Chicago)

The following are some of the Millennium Park's prominent tourists destinations: (1) the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa, (2) Anish Kapoor's hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture (popularly known as The Bean), and (3) the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States.

Millennium Park (Chicago)

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the west, Columbus Drive to the East, Randolph Street to the North and Monroe Drive to the south.

"Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, spent his youth in Indiana, and made Illinois his home. The State of Illinois captured this special relationship with Lincoln with its slogan “Land of Lincoln”.
"Illinois communities have a significant connection to the Lincoln story since he lived in and traversed the state from 1830 until his departure on February 11, 1861. His most endearing relationship was with the town of Springfield where he departed with these words: “To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe every thing. Here I have lived for a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man.”

All summer long, Millennium Park is full of free concerts, events and activities!

Tomato in the salad bowl (Chicago)

It was a boring day. So, I grabbed my digital camera and got out of the house to take some pictures. It took me by surprise when I saw the tomatoes in the garden of my land lady. They are tall now. They grow very fast! Thanks to the nurturing love of our mother earth. Probably in two weeks time, these tomatoes will be generous enough to give abundant tasty fruits to be served on the table.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Fresh from the garden with the company of other veggies
We have distinct colors and shapes
I am red, shiny, thin-skinned and oval-shaped
Others are green, purple, yellow and long.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Our tastes differ
I am sour and sometimes sweet
While others are crunchy and watery
That's what makes us inviting and tasty.

I am the tomato in the salad bowl
Similar and different
Our uniqueness makes us beautiful
With a drop of Salad dressing we have unity
Our colors, shapes and tastes differ yet we are one.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe
Courtesy of Rachael Ray

1/2 English or seedless cucumber, diced
2 vine ripe tomatoes, diced
Handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, a couple of splashes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
Salt and pepper

Journey on Ellen DeGeneres Show

Arnel Pineda from The Zoo, a local cover band, was recently "discovered" by Journey after months of music videos appearing on youtube.

Ellen DeGeneres featured Arnel Pineda of Journey in her show last March 21, 2008 and explained how Arnel became the lead singer of Journey. She wanted them to sing in her show.

Listen to the video, he sounds a lot like Steve Perry, the former lead singer of Journey.

Today May 28, 2008, the Journey band with Arnel as their lead singer did their debut TV appearance on Ellen's show. Here is the video I uploaded a while ago for those who missed it.

Contemporary Garden in Millennium Park (Chicago)

A garden can sometimes be our own special haven of relaxation that will renew our spirit – or it can just give us a great place to hang out and wind down at the end of the hard day.

It was a relaxing afternoon. I took some time to stroll around the garden in Millennium Park. Few people walked around the area to take pictures of different varieties of perennial plants.

All flowering plants are now in full bloom. Hundreds of tulips have risen from the earth. Spring is certainly here!