Category: Herbal Medicine

Mustasa as herbal medicine

Mustasa is widely distributed in the settled areas of the Philippines, in towns, near houses, etc., planted and spontaneous. It was certainly introduced from the Asia, and is now pantropic in distribution, occurring also in some temperate regions.

                The plant is an erect, branched, smooth annual, 0.4 to 1 meter in height. The leaves are oblong-obovate to oblong lanleocate, 5 to 15 centimeters long, or in some cultivated forms much larger, thin, irregularly toothed or subentire, the lower ones sometimes being lobed or pinnatifid. The flowers are yellow and 6 to 8 millimeters long. The pod is ascending, linear-lanceolate, 1.5 to 3 centimeters long, and somewhat contracted between the seeds, and the beak is seedless.

                The leaves are eaten in the Philippines as a green leafy vegetable, either fresh or pickled in brine. Marañon shows that the leaves are excellent sources of calcium, phosphorus and iron. Hermano and Sepulveda claim that they are a good source of vitamin B.

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Pakong-alagdan

Pakong-alagdan

 

Pakong alagdan is widely distributed in the Philippines. It is also  found throughout India, Ceylon, and Malay Peninsula and extends to the Malay islands, tropical asia, Polynesia, and Australia.

 

The caudex is stout, erect and densely covered with glossy brown scales. The stripes are erect 10 to 40 centimeters long. The fronds are 20 to 200 centimeters long and 10 to 40 centimeters wide. The pinnae are 5 to 20 centimeters long and 0.5 to 2 centimeters wide, and sessile. The sori are arranged in a long continous line close to the costae.

 

According to Casius the rhizomes are used in China as an anthelmintic. Burkill reports that the Malays eat them. They also poultice boils with them. Hooper found the rhizome among drugs from Chinese pharmacies in the Straits. It seems that the Chinese use it in urinary complaints.

source: Medicinal Plants of the Philippines 

akapulko – herbal medicine

Akapulko

Is a herbal medicine used for  ringworm , eczema and other skin diseases. It has some astringent property. The scientific name is Cassia alata . Other names of this plant includes: Adadisi, ancharasi, andadasi, andadadasi-a-dadakkel, andadasi-ng-bubugtong, andalam, andalan, bayabasin, bayabas-bayabasan, bikas-bikas, buni-buni, kapurko, kasitas, katanda, katandang aso, lengua, pakagonkon, pakayomkom kastila, palad, palochina, plutchina, ringworm bush, ringworm shrub, Acapulco.

It is a shrub that grows up to 3 meters in height, the characteristic of the shrub is coarse , erect, and branched with leafs which is pinnate and 5 to 15 cm long broad and rounded on top having a small point at the tip. Flowers are clustered , yellow colored and could be found on either at the end of the stem or axil of the leaves.