Aloe Vera, a Wonder Plant in Your Garden

Originally from Africa, Aloe Vera is a succulent cactus like plant that is now cultivated in many regions of the world. It has lance like leaves with spiny margins. Inside the leaf is a jelly like substance or gel that is 99% water with the remaining 1% substance containing minerals, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes. In the skin is yellowish color latex which has also some healing properties. Usually, Aloe Vera is grown as a decorative plant or as herbal medicine. It is commercially grown as food additives or as ingredients in cosmetics products such as shaving cream, shampoos, soaps and tissues because of its soothing, emollient and moisturizing properties.     

As topical herbal medicine, the plant is used as a relief or cure especially of skin disorders such as dandruff, acne, warts, wrinkles, gum disease, genital herpes and even psoriasis. It is also administered to reverse sign of aging skin, to brighten skin and to enhance hair growth. The gel substance is harmful to bacteria, virus, and fungi, and promotes cell growth and regeneration.

The juice of an Aloe Vera leaf can be taken orally by way of adding it as ingredients of foods such as yogurts, beverages and some desserts to boost the immune system, to control blood sugar level and to improve blood circulation. At certain doses, when ingested, Aloe Vera can cause abdominal cramp and diarrhea which in turn decreases the body’s ability to absorb prescribed drugs.                                                                                                                                                                     A person should however consult his doctor should he use the plant or part of it as a medicine. A doctor’s advice on health care should prevail over what one has researched from the internet or heard through word of mouth. Side effects of taking conventional medications as well as herbal remedies and how long they should be administered should be taken into consideration if a person is to deal with a health issue. And the right person to give him the best information or recommendation is his doctor.

A single leaf of Aloe Vera that is applied topically can be used for as long as three days if it is placed in a refrigerator. The leaf contains gel that has lots of liquid so that a cut small piece of it can be rubbed to many areas of an affected skin.  

Extracts of Aloe Vera are being sold commercially online. But the best way to get Aloe Vera gel is to grow the plant in your own garden. Aloe Vera can be grown without much care and attention because it is resistant to pests and insects. It can be propagated by separating its offsets by cutting them off with a knife. It is better to grow the new plants on the ground than in the pots because pots restrict their ability to reproduce or develop bigger leaves.

The Kerson Fruit (Muntingia Calabura)

Muntingia Calabura plant grows abundantly in all parts of the Philippines. It also grows in the Caribbean and Jamaica, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, China, Cuba, Mexico and other places where there is tropical climate. In the Philippines it is called aratelis in Luzon and mansanitas in Visayas and Mindanao. Kerson fruit is also known as Panama berry, Jamaica cherry, Singapore cherry and other names.

Mansanitas tree or muntingia reminds me of my childhood days when neighborhood kids used to play by climbing into the tree and picking up its tiny fruits which were eaten just for the sake of having fun. Although Kerson fruit tastes sweet, adults completely ignore it, and unlike other fruits it never finds its way on the table as part of a meal.

Muntingia is a small sized tree with small serrated leaves. It is a fast growing tree that fruits in two to three years. The small flower is white, and the fruit that is developed turned to red when ripe. Inside the soft skin is the juicy flesh with plenty of edible, soft tiny seeds all over it. Although the wood is not soft, it is not hard enough for use in furniture. Because of it, the woods are mainly use for fuel.   

                                                                        

A fruit bearing tree becomes magnet to birds, bats and insects. In a tree one can see the plants reproductive cycle at work. Bees and butterfly visit the flowers to start the pollination process. By day, birds feast on the ripe berries. And at night it is the turn of the fruit bats to have their fill. Birds and bats scatter the seeds to farther areas that result to growths of new seedlings. Even the element such as rain is also an agent in the tree’s reproduction process. Flood water can wash away fallen berries to distant areas that may cause the propagation of young plants.

Muntingia grows rapidly in any kind of soil. With just little sunlight and water, It can survive in poor soil that has acidic and alkaline conditions. The negative side of it is that muntingia is an invasive tree. If left unchecked, the trees can multiply rapidly in an area in just a short period. Its seedlings can emerge almost anywhere so that at times they become nuisance in one’s yard or garden. Unwanted seedlings have to be uprooted so that it would not compete for space or outgrow preferred plants. Since the tree is small, it can be grown at the house for decorative purpose or as shade against harsh sunlight because of its wide spreading branches and lush leaves.

The fruit contains vitamin b, vitamin c, fiber, water, carbohydrate, protein, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Fruits and leaves are packed with anti-oxidants and have more than 24 flavanoid and phenolic substances that are also found in green tea.

Muntingia has virtually no economic value because in most places its fruits have no consumer demand in the market. However, the fruits and the leaves can be used most specially in herbal medicine. Aside from their anti-oxidants, they also contain substances that have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. The fruits can be used to treat gout. Eating 9 to 12 berries for three times a day can ease pain in the affected areas of the body. The leaves are dried and crushed for consumption as tea. They contain nitric oxide which can lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. They can also treat diabetes by reducing blood sugar level in the body. The antioxidant substance of the leaves can prevent a type of inflammation that can cause heart disease. The leaves can also relieve pain by blocking the ability of the pain receptor cells in the body to receive pain stimuli. Researches that are made have shown that the leaves can reduce cancerous tumor growth. However, further researches need to be done to validate such claim. The flowers too have their use. A decoction of them is a remedy for abdominal cramps.

The Leafy Green Moringa Oleifera (Malunggay)

Moringa is a small tree that grows in the tropical regions of the word. It is called “malunggay” or “kalamunggay” in the Philippines. The plant can grow as high as 10 to 20 feet.  Its bark is whitish gray which is surrounded with thick cork. The leaves are round and small, and the pods are long and slender.

Despite the softness of the plant’s wood and tender parts, moringa is in fact a hardy plant. In tropical climate it grows fast in almost any type of soil and is resistant to drought. Even a discarded trunk or branch on the ground will sprout young leaves and a new plant grows. The plant can be propagated through its seeds or cuttings. Moringa is easy to cultivate. A grown plant can sustain itself without much care and cultivation. In most cases fertilizer and pesticide are not necessary.

Moringa is primarily planted for its leaves and green pods as vegetable. The leaves are added in fish soup and chicken based dish that is called “tinola” and in vegetable dishes that are creamed with coconut milk. The plant is dubbed as a “poor man’s vegetable” because of its cheapness and abundance. In our family, we used to have plenty of this plant in our compound which also served as border fence in the sloping portion of our land. The plants had lush leaves and plentiful fruits. But we seldom harvest them, and if we did we only used the leaves and left the pods alone. Other people could help themselves with the leaves and the pods if they asked for them.

The leaves are the most nutritious parts of the plants. Like almost green leafy vegetables , the moringa leaves contain Vitamins B, C and K, beta carotene, potassium,  manganese, protein and other special nutrients. Because of its nutritional value moringa is recommended by the government for consumption of lactating mothers and children. Some bread such as “pan de sal” and noodles are fortified with moringa leaves to enhance its nutritional contents.

The hype that some herbs, fruits and vegetables have medicinal properties that are at par or better than conventional drugs has created an impression to some people that herbal products offer hope for the treatment of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and even cancer. However, health authorities have warned people over the use of those products as alternative medicines because official confirmation has yet to be issued regarding their effectiveness.  

                                                                                                  

Moringa is used to be regarded only as a backyard plant because of its low commercial importance, but now some farmers cultivate it in large scale because of the increasing demand of natural herbal products for food supplement and alternative medicines. Moringa leaves are dried and made into organic powder, capsule, oil, tea, food supplement and other products. Aside from consuming the leaves as vegetable, locals use it also in traditional medicine. As an example, a cup of boiled moringa leaves is used to treat constipation.