AseanHive Community Challenge #41, re: Folk Medicine

Nganga: Betel leaf, betelnut, lime, tobacco leaf

Since time immemorial, our ancestors of long ago used these set of folk medicine as a way of hospitality towards their visitors which was their customary tradition.It has been known as a folk medicine to strengthen your teeth. At the same time it will help boost the immune system and it increases ones libido so they say. The four components: Betel leaf, lime, tobacco leaf and betel nut are chewed, the juices of which are thrown away. When I was a child, I could still remember my grandma chew this that she would look like a vampire chewing and spitting blood. LoL! I was innocent then! Nowadays,many still practice this especially the elders in remote areas and to those who have toothaches.

Medicinal Benefits:

•Buyo- This heart shaped leaf serves as analgesic. I remember my granny putting this leaf on my forehead when I have a fever. When I have a cough, she would heat the leaf over a lamp and put it on my chest and back. When I have constipation, she would boil it or crush it and soak it on a cup of water, soak overnight and let me drink it in the morning. This vine is planted near our balcony so we can easily pluck it anytime. The funny thing was that I hated its pungent smell! Well, if you don't have medicine at home or you're out of stock especially during nighttime then do this guys. It can save your family from great danger.

Panyawan
Because of my past experiences, I got the idea to plant a similar vine beside our terrace and around our fences and huge trees. It is called Panyawan(Tinospora cordifolia). It has a bitter taste too. I use this as tooth pain reliever. Just crush the leaf or young stem to extract the juice and use few drops on affected area or eyes that is if you can bear with the bitter taste! It can be used for balsams too. Cut a small stem and soak inside the bottle of your liniment oil for more effective results.

In our place,well, believe it or not, one of the main purpose of this why I place it near our front door is to avoid "bad spirits"! Old folks or concerned husband's place this plant around the house or windows when they have conceiving family members.:)

Currently, a lot of herbal plants can be seen in my garden. Some are raised by yours truly and some just grow wild along the grasses!

Succulent
This succulent is a folk medicine too. I remember when I had a boil, my grandma would pound a leaf and put it on top to let ease out the sensation caused by the wound. She said that it will also hasten the eruption of the abscess.

Oregano

This plant is very useful both as medicine and/or condiments.

Cough Reliever
When my kids were young, I give them oregano when they have cough. I only put some clean leaves on top of newly cooked rice then crush the juices on a tablespoon and give them a mouthful of it. I rub the remaining leaves at their back too. It is now sold in pharmacies in form of liquids in a bottle or capsules as cough reliever.

Condiments

I use this as flavor enhancer when I do my cooking as well. It's great with pastas and steaks. You may let it dry under the sun and place it in a dry small bottle to preserve it.

That's my Aloe Vera plant. I always have this in my garden too. I only need to pinch the thick leaf whenever I get a small cut and rub it on the affected area for fast healing. I've used this when I had alopecia a decade ago due to so much stress which resulted to fatal hair fall. Thank goodness I've recovered my crowning glory!

Sinaw-sinaw or Pansit-Pansitan

This plant grows wild everywhere along the mossy ground or damp places hence they're abundant in my garden or even on my flowerpots! It is said that it's good for the digestive system, prevents diabetes etc. All you need to do is clean it and soak in a jar of water, soak it overnight and drink. You may include that in your vegetable salad too.

Tawa-tawa

This crawling plant grows wild in my garden. I recall it that when we had soreyes during our younger days, we were asked to look for this plant then we split the stem and apply the sop directly to our eyes. Eyedrops were scarce during those days and it seems that our elders knew a lot about folk medicines that we seldom rely on synthetic drugs!

I still have lots of herbal plants though my page is already long enough so see you next time guys and thank you for dropping by my page. Read between the lines because it can save your pockets too. Thanks to sir @justinparke for initiating this challenge. God bless you and your family sir!