Everyone knows about apple, a fruit that keeps a doctor away. Eaten raw or taken as natural fruit, apple is a very valuable aid to the digestive process.
It is also an effective cleanser of the big and small intestines. Raw apple juice is also very good in bringing down fever and it arrests inflammation, as well.
Garlic is also a time-tested natural drug. Cholera, that dreaded disease which killed Apolinario Mabini during the epidemic in Manila, is no match for garlic eaten raw. For children, who have intestinal parasites, their juice, boiled and filtered (20 to 30 drops) is a tried and tested cure.
Garlic is also very effective in keeping the blood pressure low and is, therefore, the vegetable for persons suffering from hypertension. It is also a very potent medicine for arteriosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries. Because it contains bromine, garlic juice can also be used as a sedative. For arthritis sufferers, a poultice of garlic applied to the affected area can do wonders.
So, aside from apple and garlic, what other fruits and vegetables can help lessen your drugstore bills? Here’s a rundown list compiled from various sources:
n Ampalaya: The Department of Health included ampalaya as one of the 10 approved medicinal plants in the country. There are studies that show ampalaya can treat mild diabetes. It has been found to contain hypoglycemic polypeptide, a plant insulin, which can lower the blood-sugar level. Others suggest it can help in detoxification and boosting one’s immune system.
To prepare ampalaya extract, the health department says the following steps should be followed: Wash and finely chop leaves. Add six tablespoons of the chopped leaves in two glasses of water. Boil the mixture for 15 minutes in an uncovered pot. Cool down and strain. Drink 1/3 cup of the solution three times a day. Alternately, ampalaya tops can be steamed and eaten (1/2 cup twice a day).
- Banana: Touted to be “nature’s wonder fruit” and “the perfect fast food.” For good reasons: It is rich in potassium, vitamin B6 and folic acid. The high potassium content prevents cramps and gives ready energy with its easily digestible starch. Its potassium content is also perfect for patients on water pills (diuretics), those with heart diseases and high blood pressure.
A medium-sized banana has 95 calories, more than an apple but less than a mango. It is also the perfect antacid, coating the stomach and preventing stomach ulcers. The high vitamin B6 can help women suffering from premenstrual syndrome.
- Beans: They include mungo beans, red beans and black beans—all of which are inexpensive sources of soluble fiber, iron, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and thiamine. As they contain phytonutrients, beans may help prevent heart disease and cancer. It also contains protease inhibitors, which help prevent the development of cancer cells.
A half cup of cooked beans daily can reduce cholesterol; thus beans are good for diabetics. However, beans are not recommended for patients with gout or high uric acid levels. Just remember that.
- Cabbage: The juice from this vegetable is very good in removing intoxication—a welcome piece of information for persons who keep seeing pink elephants after one bottle too many. It can also cure nephritis or inflammation of the kidneys. Raw cabbage leaves steeped in water and lemon juice for a long time can be applied to abscesses, wounds and burns.
- Carrot: Its deep-orange color means it’s abundant in beta-carotene (one of the main sources of vitamin A), an antioxidant, which helps your vision and immune system. There are those who believe that carrots can delay ageing, protect the skin from ultraviolet lights and prevent wrinkles. It is also naturally fat-free and has very few calories, only 35 calories per half-cup serving.
For nursing mothers, carrots can be of great help for they help increase the secretion of milk. Pregnant women can also benefit from carrots because they prepare the woman on the family way for an easy delivery.
- Celery: Eaten raw, celery is good for nervous disorders. For those who suffer lack of sleep, they might as well drink celery juice before sleeping. The green leaves of this vegetable are also rich in insulin and the stalk contains a more than ample dose of organic sodium, which aids in expelling calcium deposits from the body. It is also food for the blood since it contains magnesium and iron, which are needed by the blood cells.
- Cucumber: This has a tonic effect on the kidneys, liver and gall bladder. Inasmuch as it contains plenty of silicon and fluorine, cucumber promotes hair and nail growth. A cucumber eaten raw can provide the body with an ample dose of iron and magnesium.
- Ginger: Through the years, ginger has been used in Asia to treat nausea, vomiting, cough, colds, headache, stomach ache and arthritis. Some studies have also shown that ginger is as effective as drugs to prevent motion sickness.
Ginger also acts as an antibiotic, killing bacteria in the test tube, and may have anti-cancer activity. As a first aid, warm salabat (ginger tea) with honey is highly recommended for those having nausea.
- Lettuce: The entire gamut of vitamins known to nutritionists is found in this vegetable. It is a great help to the body’s metabolic mechanism. It is very helpful in eliminating waste products from the body, as it is rich in iron, silicon, fluorine, calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium.
- ‘Malunggay’: It may sound like magic, but nutritionists aver that 100 grams of malunggay leaves yield the following: 75 calories of energy (higher than ampalaya, squash, tomatoes, or carrots), 5.9 grams protein (higher than cauliflower, lettuce, or mustard), 12.8 grams carbohydrate (higher than okra, papaya, or watermelon), 353 milligrams calcium (higher than gabi leaves, mung beans, squash, and camote tops), 3.7 milligrams niacin (higher than other vegetables analyzed). And for thiamin, phosphorus, and ascorbic acid, malunggay is at the top of the list.
Nutritionists also affirm that 200 grams of malunggay leaves would give a nutritive value roughly equivalent to four eggs and two glasses of milk. Its iron compound prevents deficiency of red blood cells known as anemia. And being a very rich source of calcium, it aids in maintaining healthy bones and teeth.
Filipino women consider malunggay as ally in nurturing babies. In fact, they dubbed malunggay as their “best friend.” For lactating women, malunggay aids in the production of vitamin-rich milk for the newly born baby. The calcium content of malunggay, nutritionists claim, is four times found in milk.
- Mango: The fruit is bursting with protective nutrients. The vitamin content depends upon the variety and maturity of the fruit, when the mango is green the amount of vitamin C is higher, as it ripens the amount of beta carotene (vitamin A) increases. A partial list of the many medicinal properties and purported uses attributed to the mango are: antiviral, antiparasitic, antiseptic, expectorant, cardiotonic, contraceptive, aphrodisiac, and laxative.
- Mangosteen: The sliced and dried rind is powdered and administered to overcome dysentery. Made into an ointment, it is applied on eczema and other skin disorders. The rind decoction is taken to relieve diarrhea and cystitis. A portion of the rind is steeped in water overnight and the infusion given as a remedy for chronic diarrhea in adults and children.
Some people employ a decoction of the leaves and bark as a febrifuge and to treat thrush, diarrhea, dysentery and urinary disorders. A root decoction is taken to regulate menstruation.
- Onion: It is very popular in healing blisters and boils. In the US, products that contain onion extract are used in the treatment of topical scars. In virile disorders, one should take onion-juice with honey daily in the morning for two to three weeks. This will increase one’s virility. The onion saves one from sunstroke. If one suffers from sunstroke, the onion relieves it. Eating onion in the morning and at bed-time is beneficial in jaundice.
- Tomato: Time magazine once listed tomato as one of its top fruit. Lycopene does its miracle work by removing the evil free radicals from your body.
Lycopene is readily released by cooking tomato and it is most easily absorbed with a little oil added. Tomato is also valuable sources of vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium.