Bunches of stalks of colorful coleus (Visayan: mayana), bright green moringa or horseradish (Visayan: kalamunggay), guava leaves and fruits, tobacco leaves and lime fruit (ma-ma) lined up on our classroom's demonstration table. They were my show-and-tell visual aids for a seminar on the benefits of indigenous herbs that I had to present for my Seminar in Chemistry 30 undergrad class way back in Silliman University in the Philippines.
The colors of coleus (Visayan: mayana) hint at the plants' medicinal value. Information on the chemicals of the various herbs I included in my presentation was scanty, to say the least. There was no Google or the internet in the early 1980s yet. We didn't even use personal computers then; the University had computers for students' use in the main library's computer room only. But I didn't know how to access any of them for my research. My Seminar info was mainly from the stock knowledge of Lola Enyang, my mother's mom who somewhat practiced herbal medicine on our family and barrio folks.
My rambunctiousness as a little boy forced me to be Lola Enyang's "patient" many, many times. Like, for when I stepped on a rusty nail while playing team tag (Visayan: kayukok) or gouged the side of my left leg with a rusty barbed wire while trying to jump over my elementary school's fence to skip classes, or when my cavitied teeth bothered me or needed to be pulled out. I thought, then, that my Lola Enyang was just plain nuts for giving me mayana poultice for bumps and bruises, burnt ma-ma and tobacco leaves as antibiotic and tetanus treatment during my stupid brushes with rusty metals.
But then, I was very grateful for whatever little "quack" knowledge she helped me out with for my Seminar class presentation. Many times, at that presentation, I made up "facts" about the benefits of various herbs I had brought from home. I sounded so sure of myself that our teacher (the late Ma'am Barrera) thought I knew what I was saying. My ability to talk with confidence (even when talking nonsense) helped my grade in that class. I must embarrassingly admit now that I really didn't deserve the grade I got in that Seminar in Chemistry 30 class. I'm not complaining at all, maybe just feeling a bit guilty -- but that undeserved grade helped boost my QPA.
Coleus, I now learn from online sources and books, contains a potent compound called forskolin that has muscle relaxant properties and can dilate blood vessels thereby having the capability to lower blood pressure (anti-hypertensive property). With dilated blood vessels the heart works less to pump blood throughout the body. Coleus can provide health benefits for patients suffering from cardiomyopathy. Of course, I have already learned theoretically and by experience, the cooling effect of coleus poultice on burns and scrapes.
Coleus extract has been found to have a smooth muscle relaxant effect. Its extract is now used for bronchial tube dilation, decreasing airway resistance and increasing lung air volume capacity. Coleus increases Cyclic AMP by inhibiting the enzymes that cause its breakdown. Increased cellular cyclic AMP likewise reduces histamine. Histamines are our body's natural chemicals that make us sneeze, have a runny nose, and have itchy eyes designed to help rid our body of allergens. Thus, coleus is beneficial in the treatment of allergies and even asthma.
Damiana (Turnera diffusa), on the other hand, is not only tonic and good for burns and bruises. It contains many useful phytochemicals: alpha-pinene, beta-sitosterol, 8-cineole, tannins, thymol, benzaldehyde, benzoic acids, beta-carotene, chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid, eugenol, ferulic acid, lutein, malic acid, and quercetin.
For non-chemists, these chemicals stimulate muscular contractions of the intestinal tract and in the delivery of oxygen to the genital area. It is used as an energy tonic and aphrodisiac, and to help with sexual and hormonal problems. One source claims damiana is a "sexuality tonic" for women in some Asian and African cultures and an herb for male erectile dysfunction. I bet, once the western world gets wind of this benefit of damiana, then Viagra or Cialis manufacturers ought to watch out...
Garlic (Allium sativa) contains many phytochemicals allicin, beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, diallyl disulfide, ferulic acid, geraniol, kaempferol, linalool, oleanolic acid, p-coumaric acid, quercetin, rutin, s-allyl cysteine, saponin, sinapic acid, and stigmasterol.
Again, for non-chemistry people, these chemicals detoxify our body and protect us against infection as they enhance our immune system. For hypertensive people, garlic helps lower blood pressure and improves blood circulation. For diabetics, it stabilizes blood sugar. It's also great for treating arthritis, arteriosclerosis, and related circulatory and heart problems. It is potent in treating asthma, colds, flu, sinusitis, and related respiratory ailments. It also contains many sulfur compounds, which are great at healing infections, and may even inhibit cancer.
Moringa or horseradish, the lowly kalamunggay of my childhood, is good at protecting and nourishing skin and hair, and our liver. It works well against stomach aches and digestive disorders, especially those caused by bacteria. It reportedly has good anticancer chemicals. Moringa has many important vitamins and minerals. The leaves, for example, have 7 times more Vitamin C than oranges and 15 times more potassium than bananas.
Juice from the roots and branches of moringa was liberally applied on my open wounds, cuts, and aching gums. Imagine eating wasabi. Wasabi and moringa taste similar. Strongly yucky, but moringa was my potent painkiller back in the day.
Even to this day, I buy frozen kalamunggay leaves from the Pinoy/Asian stores for my monggo bean soup or chicken soup. They're not only childhood staples but also nutritious and protein- and vitamins-packed comfort food for my aging Pinoy body.
Guava fruits, on the other hand, may help lower blood sugar, aid in weight loss, boost our immune system and help our heart, digestive system, and skin. Again, like the previous herbs I have mentioned, guava might have an anticancer effect due to its high antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent free radicals from damaging our cells, which cancer does.
Guava leaves are mainly used in the form of tincture or extract in herbal treatment to help treat diarrhea and menstrual cramps and regulate blood sugar. Guava leaves can also be made into tea for similar purposes: to help with the easing of menstrual pain, regulating blood sugar, and boosting the immune system.
I remember my male boyhood friends getting circumcised by my great-uncle and were asked to chew young guava leaves. They covered with the chewed guava leaves their foreskin and the penile tip that went through the crude surgery. It proved to be an effective antiseptic.
I now believe that herbs are not concoctions of quack medicine but the fundamental ingredients of modern pharmaceuticals. At least, those herbs of my childhood have proven to be effective and useful in modern medicine and not quite a quack after all.
Thus, looking back, I should have given my Lola Enyang much more credit and respect. She actually was way ahead of her time despite her lack of higher education and absence of knowledge of pharmaceutical chemicals or even plain chemistry. And I would have rightly deserved katong akong alas nga grado sa Seminar in Chemistry 30.
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