Tag: ipil-ipil

Ipil ipil as herbal medicine

Ipil-ipil

Scientific names: Leucaena  leucocephala, Leucaena glaua, Acacia glauca,

Also known as:

Agho, aghog, ipel, kabahero, kariskis, kompokompitis, loiloi, santa Elena

 

Parts used: Dried leaves.

 

Uses:

Anthelmintic- for ascaris and trichina.

Adults: take 1 teaspoon of powdered dried seeds, either alone or mixed with condensed milk and follow it up with ½ glass of water. The preparation should be taken 2 hours afeter a meal, as a single dose. Repeat the dose after 1 week if the first one was not effective.

Children: 7-8 years old ½ to ½ teaspoon. 10-12 years old ½ -2/3 teaspoon.

Adverse reaction- stomach ache and diarrhea.

 

The versatile ipil-ipil – part 2

Brewbaker says that, apparently the ipil ipil growth slows down when it produces pods.

 

Hugh M. curran Jr., a forestry consultant he has been actively introducing fast growing ipil ipil varieties in the Philippines. One of the most  avid planters of the fast growing ipil-ipill (he obtained his first planting materials from Curran) is Radio announcer Bobby Montemayor of Davao.

 

In August 1972, Curran gave forester M. Decena of Davao 100 seeds. From this Montemayor obtained 30 seeds which he planted in his yard. The plants grew rapidly, and he immediately recognized the potential of ipil ipil trunks as supports for banana plants. Millions of stakes are required every year to support banna plants in  Davao plantation.

 

Continue reading “The versatile ipil-ipil – part 2”

The versatile ipil-ipil

 

The Versatile Ipil-ipil

By: Zacarias B Sarian

Source:Greenfields, 1976

 

Very few trees have as many important uses as ipil-ipil – one of the most versatile trees in the Philippines.

 

Consider its major uses:

It is a source of fuel wood and charcoal for household and industrial use.

Ipil-ipil leaf meal is used in the manufacture of commercial feed for livestock and poultry.

It is used as forage (either grazing or soiling) for farm animals.

It is a rich source of organic fetrtilizer.

The tree itself is often used as a windbreaker as well as a nurse tree for shade-loving crops.

It is planted to prevent soil erosion.

 

In addition, the ipil-ipil is one of the easiest trees to grow. It will thrive even in stony areas where few other trees would take root. And since it has a deep root system, it can tolerate drought much better than many other trees.

 

James L, Brewbaker, professor of horticulture and genetics at the University of Hawaii, says that the root system of ipil-ipil is as deep as the tree is high.

 

Though the tree is not native to the Philippines, it is so widely planted throughout the archipelago that most people consider it indigenous to this country. Actually, the tree is indigenous to Central America where its usefulness has been well-known since tiem immemorial.

 

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Cashew and cow, anyone?

Cashew and cow, anyone?

By Likha Cuevas

Bar Today- april-june 2002

It started out as a forested area. Then farmers slashed and burned the trees to make way for rice and corn. Later came soil erosion. This was the situation in Barangay Luzviminda, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan where the land is slightly undulating and hilly. In 1988, the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries in Brgy. Luzviminda received an average of one to two hectares of land. These farmers’ main crops were rice and corn and practiced one cropping per year. In 1994, the Department of Agriculture Southern Tagalog Integrated Agricultural Research Center (STIARC) conducted a Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) and found that there was serious soil erosion brought about by continuous cropping. Even though these farmers knew that erosion was a problem, they were not receptive to the idea of contour farming to lessen soil erosion. The farmers thought that planting permanent crops and hedges along contour lines lessened their area for crop production. Farmers were not also applying fertilizers to their crops.

To solve this problem, Ms Librada L. Fuertes of DA-ROS Palawan headed a project that integrated crop and livestock to help increase farm productivity and profitability of hilly-land areas.

Four farmer-cooperators trained on contour farming, cattle production, compost-making, and cashew production. Each farmer devoted 0.25 ha of his farmland to this experimental cropping system. After establishing the contour lines of the hilly farmlands, they planted napier grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) and ipil-ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) as contour vegetative barrier (used in terracing) for erosion control. Napier grass also served as fodder for the cattle that provided the farmers with extra source of income (milk production) while ipil-ipil served as a source of organic fertilizer.

The farmers planted cashew (Anacardium occidentale) as a permanent crop to control soil erosion while glutinous green corn and mungbean were planted in rotation between the contour lines known as ‘strips’. Aside from providing the farmers with a source of income, mungbean enriches the soil with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and it is easily cultivated. Organic fertilizer from corn stover and hedge trimmings was applied on the corn and the mungbean.

Continue reading “Cashew and cow, anyone?”