Health Benefits of Lemon Grass

Lemon grass or the local tanglad (scientific name: Cymbopogon ciatrus) is one of those wondrous herbs that one can always associate with Asian cooking Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese homegrown meal enthusiasts always have this tropical grass at hand for its aromatic citrus flavor with a trace of ginger. Few people know that its other popular name is citronella - the common scent you usually find in candles, perfumes and soaps. Citronella is known for its calming effect that relieves insomnia or stress. It is also considered as a mild insect repellant. But more than scent, tanglad or lemon grass provides a lot of health benefits. Studies have shown that the lemon grass has antibacterial and antifungal properties. Mixed with pepper, it's a home therapy for menstrual troubles and nausea. Drank as tea, it is an effective diuretic. When it comes to pets, citronella is used to neutralize excessive barking of dogs. Since dogs hate citronella, it is sprayed to dogs to prevent them from barking or just to lessen the behavior. The Lemon grass is a good cleanser that helps to detoxify the Liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and the digestive tract. It cuts down uric acid, cholesterol, excess fats and other toxins in the body while stimulating digestion, blood circulation, and lactation; it also alleviates indigestion and gastroenteritis. It is said that lemongrass also helps improve the skin by reducing acne and pimples and acts as a muscle and tissue toner. Also, it can reduce blood pressure. Just make a concoction by boiling some lemon grass leaves, let it cool for a while and drink the liquid. The leaves and base of this tender perennial are used as a food flavoring, particularly in fish and poultry dishes, and its essential oils are used medicinally. Its distinctive flavor balances hot chillies and contributes to the elaborate, multi-layered flavors of many dishes in South East Asian cuisine. As the long, thin, grey-green leaves are tough and fibrous, the outside leaves and the tips are usually chopped very finely or discarded from the dish before it is served. The base is often ground. Citral, an essential oil also found in lemon peel, is the constituent responsible for its taste and aroma. Lemon grass, also known as Sweet Rush and sometimes called Fever Grass in the Caribbean, can be used as a remedy for ague, fevers, and colds.

Filipino ingenuity has produced a commercial beverage made from lemon grass. A concentrate composed of lemon grass juice and muscovado sugar bottled in attractive design. A recent study by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the department of Science and technology ( DOST ) claims that every 100g of edible tanglad when boiled can contain up to 24.205 micrograms of beta-carotene the anti-oxidant that scientists believe can help prevent cancer. Another DOST study shows that lemon grass oil has the potential as a tropical eye medication against keratomycosis, an inflammation of cornea often associated with burning or blurring of vision.

About the author: Manolito Montala is a webmaster and one of his interests is collecting local medicinal plants information which can be found in Filipino Herbs Healing Wonders.

Hapay New Year 2009 from Malaysia

Centella or Pegaga Leaves-Herbs

PEGAGA the scientific name of Centella asiatica plant is a medication that is easily recognizable, in the meet, and grow wild in the rural areas. It is a herbal plant stalk, grows in the Nation and dreary place. There are various types of pegaga which can be found in the markets in which ma'am pegaga such as small leaf, leaf width pegaga, Maria, renek and salad. First pegaga only eaten by villagers and it is also very limited usefulness. In addition to medical destination, usually made pegaga or side dish to be cooked curry. Community and do usually make pegaga as a side dish with rice and sambal. In Sri Lanka also made mush pegaga and given the children a pre school to prevent the lack of nutrients. Now more people are aware of the property pegaga and plants with increasingly warm welcome among the users. Pegaga have all kinds of food substances such as protein, gentians, iron, vitamain A and C. Pegaga known that for refreshing the body, treat dizziness, reduce weight, awt, the clothes freelance treatment, to improve the vigor of mind, add physical strength, smooth voice, nyayuk treat the disease, control and abortion melicin hair and skin menyihatkan.

In traditional medicines, the pegaga can mengubati injured or ulser skin, cure fever, smooth circulation of blood and so forth. Drinking tonic pegaga also can prevent the aging process. Pegaga also believed to be working to slow the skin fold, ulser cure stomach or intestinal disease and leprosy. Pegaga usually taken sebagaiulaman fresh, cool drink to the body and brain tonic for vigor. Taking pegaga in need of fresh supplies of raw materials continued. Hence the best alternative is to produce various products of the process pegaga that have high quality and can be stored dalamsatu a long period. These products can dibikmati in each period by all classes of society. The study carried out by investigators at the institution Penyelididkan Agriculture and Development Malaysia (MARDI), Faridah Hussin has resulted pegaga drink that consists of four types of beverages pegaga which pegaga drink, drink pegaga ginger, honey pegaga drink beverages pegaga ginger and honey. He has been successful awaken a technology praperlakuan to the top pegaga using saline solution at a very low percent. This has been successful to stabilize the chlorophyll, which is very sensitive to the processing and storage because it will change color from green kepadahijau keperangan.

In the revenue these products, pegaga fresh dikisar it or ginger added to the agenda that has been defined and is mixed with a little salt solution. Then pegaga will ditapis and extract the juice will be mixed with honey, sitrik acids, penstabil natural foods and added to the water so that the contents of the compact set.

Ginger Leaves/ Daun Halia

In English:
Ginger leaves - for the headache with the way pounded until smooth and paste it on the forehead and temple. Purposes: Ginger can be used to treat the disease wind in the body, vomiting, diarrhea, buttocks, stomach pain, rheum, smooth conduction of blood, body heat and help digest food. It also can treat the dead shoots (impotent), poisoned by the shrimp, lumbago and head ace. For rheum, ginger burned, then cleaned and shredded paste it on the pain .Of how to prevent shoots dead, 2 thumb of ginger, lime juice, chicken eggs village, 1 tea spoon of coffee powder, one spoon soy source eat, eat one spoon of honey. Grated ginger and mixed with all the materials and marinate above average, practiced a week (one time). For lumbago, and grated ginger mixed with tamarind, and the broom in pelipis. Ginger leaves can also be used for headaches by squeeze it until smooth and on the forehead and paste it .For-bottom sediment and muntah2 how, ginger, flowers, fruit and nutmeg, caraway and white, 1 cup of coconut milk and one tea spoon eucalyptus oil. All materials pounded and mixed until smooth , medicines used as a broom in the stomach. for mothers who have, queasiness and vomiting can be reduced by taking one inches conditions, a Lemon Grass, 2.3 flower bud clove, cinnamon, enter into a glass of boiled water, stone sugar enter the stone cap, and drinking morning and evening. "

In Bahasa Malaysia:
Daun Halia - untuk sakit kepala dengan cara menumbuknya hingga halus dan ditampalkan pada dahi dan pelipis.

Kegunaan:
Halia boleh digunakan untuk merawat penyakit angin dalam badan,muntah-muntah, cirit-birit,sakit perut, rheumatik,melancarkan pengaliran darah, menghangatkan badan dan membantu penghadaman makanan. Ia juga boleh merawat mati pucuk(impoten),keracunan oleh udang,sakit pinggang dan sakit kepala.Untuk rheumatik, halia dibakar, dibersihkan kemudian diparut dan ditampal pada bahagian yang sakit.Untuk mencegah mati pucuk caranya, 2 halia sebesar ibu jari, sebiji limau nipis, sebiji telur ayam kampung, 1 sudu teh serbuk kopi,satu sudu makan kicap,satu sudu makan madu. halia diparut dan dicampur dengan semua bahan diatas dan digaul rata, diamalkan seminggu sekali.untuk sakit pinggang, halia diparut dan dicampurkan dengan asam jawa, kemudian sapu pada pelipis.daunnya boleh juga digunakan untuk sakit kepala dengan cara menumbuknya hingga halus dan ditampalkan pada dahi dan pelipis.untuk cirit-birit dan muntah2 caranya , halia, bunga dan buah pala, jintan putih, 1 gelas santan kelapa dan satu sudu teh minyak kayu putih. semua bahan ditumbuk halus dan dicampur hingga sebati, digunakan sebagai ubat sapu pada perut. bagi ibu yang mengandung , loya dan muntah boleh dikurangkan dengan mengambil seinci hali, sebatang serai, 2,3 kuntum bunga cengkih, kayu manis, masukkan kedalam segelas air mendidih, masukkan seketul gula batu, tutup dan minum pagi dan malam. "