My maternal grandparents were both diagnosed with high blood pressures which my mother had also inherited from them. One of the many discomforts my mother always complains is that of her stomach pains which she thinks might be causing her blood pressure to rise.
We have been in the look out for any discomfort she is feeling. We had observed before that after she had eaten her meals, she would complain feeling dizzy. She felt like there is a lump in her throat making her felt like choking. Then her heartbeat goes faster than normal. It looks like her heart is pumping so hard and fast we could even see her chest go up and down making her body shake. We thought it was because of the food that she ate that reacted to her blood pressure.
I was searching into the Internet about medical symptoms similar to hers and found out that what she is actually experiencing was an acid reflux. This is a disease commonly known as Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease or GERD and is also related to heartburn. This is characterized by a cough, burning sensation in the stomach, chest, sore throat, and pain in the gastric region. Often patients with GERD will experience the presence of gastric content returning into the oral cavity (mouth) especially upon lying down at night.
We tried those prescription medicines but it did not work even well on her, instead the drugs gave her unpleasant side effects particularly severe headaches. So we resorted to herbal remedies and gladly we found one that best suits her. This plant is called Bila-Bila in our native tongue or goosegrass in English. This plant is used to cure acid reflux and ulcers. The following are the steps to prepare it:
Steps:
Wash one whole bila-bila plant with its roots and put in a clay pot.
Fill it with 2 glasses of water and boil in a low fire until an estimate of one glass of decoction is left.
Remove from fire and let cool.
Drink the decoction daily before bedtime until the symptoms subside.
It did very well for my mother. Maybe it will for you, too. But careful analysis and considerations of the ailments should be done before you use herbal plants.
Here's another way to make your malunggay more delicious and enjoyable to consume: the malunggay-milk shake.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh malunggay leaves, washed
2 to 3 tablespoons powdered filled milk
2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar (white/brown)
2 cups water
Steps:
Boil the water in the pan.
When the water came to a boil, add the malunggay leaves. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 1 minute. Do not overcook the leaves.
After that, remove the pan from the fire.
Transfer the contents of the pan into a bowl. Separate the cooked malunggay leaves and set aside to cool. Do not throw the water.
Prepare the blender. Once the cooked malunggay leaves and the water had cooled down, put them all in the blender together with the powdered milk and the sugar.
Blend until all ingredients are totally liquified. Transfer to a glass and consume at once. Do not store for more that 30 minutes after blending.
Well, for beginners it may not taste the way you wanted it to be but it's really nutritious. My father's dry skin improved and his sagging muscles became tight and firm. His bowel movements became regular every morning. And I got heavier in weight though my vital statistics are the same from 56 kilos to 70 kilos.
Try the malunggay-milk shake now and the results, see for yourself.
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The use of natural herbs for the treatment and prevention of diseases and other health disorders have been very much widespread and gaining popularity not only in the Philippines but to other parts of the globe as well.
Medicinal plants and herbs have been used by the ancient world since time immemorial and the practice had been passed down from generations to generations. Recently, with the increasing prices for pharmaceutical drugs plus the other unpleasant side effects that some of these drugs give to the user, the use of alternative medicine has been thought of a lot.
One of these many natural herbs traditionally used for regulating high blood pressure and treating nervous disorders is the Gotu Kola. Gotu Kola is a slender, creeping plant that grows commonly in swampy areas. It is commonly known as Indian pennywort, water pennywort and marsh penny.
I had personally tried using gotu kola leaves when I can't sleep. My mother had planted them at our front yard. Actually, this plant is not that hard to cultivate since it is perrenial and grows fast even on loamy soil. I get two leaves (just two leaves a day), wash it on running water and chew it fresh before sleeping especially at night. The taste is not bad. It's like munching on fresh young guave leaves. I can say it really relaxes the body and mind and you can surely sleep soundly.
