Chinese Honeysuckle (Niyog-niyogan)

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Description

The Rangoon creeper is a ligneous vine that can reach from 2.5 meters to up to 8 meters. The leaves are elliptical with an acuminate tip and a rounded base. They grow from 7 to 15 centimeters and their arrangement is opposite. The flowers are fragrant and tubular and their color varies from white to pink to red. The 30 to 35 mm long fruit is ellipsoidal and has five prominent wings. The fruit tastes like almonds when mature. The niyog-niyogan is usually dispersed by water.

Rangoon creeper is found in thickets or secondary forests of the Philippines, India and Malaysia. It has since been cultivated and naturalized in tropical areas.

source of article: wikipedia

Chinese Honeysuckle (Niyog-niyogan) - Quisqualis indica

Niog-niogan is a perennial climbing shrub growing to about 2.5-8 meters at maturity. It has egg-shaped leaves, aromatic flowers that may come in white to purple orange in color. The oval-shaped fruit can reach 30-35 mm long when ripe. For medicinal purposes leaves, seeds and roots are used.

Medicinal Uses:

  • Dried seeds, when eaten, act as deworming agents.
  • Roasted seeds help control diarrhea and fever.
  • Boiled leaves used to check difficulty in urinating
  • Fruit decoction of fruit, taken as mouthwash, is effective against nephritis.
  • Juice made from leaves are used in the treatment of ulcers, boils, and fever-induced headache.
  • Decoctions of roots aids in reducing pain due to rheumatism.
  • Pounded leaves are used externally for skin diseases.
Herbal remedies in zamboanga.PNG

News About Chinese Honeysuckle (Niyog-niyogan)

Fragrant plants delight senses

By JENNY WARD (Darwin Sun)

IF THERE is anything worthwhile growing in your garden, it is a selection of plants that give off a glorious perfume.

Not only do they pleasantly arouse the senses, but they are an asset visually when planted close enough to seated garden spots or entertainment areas nearer the house.

Gardenias are a good choice for strong perfume, a healthy shrub and an evergreen look throughout the year.

They are one of the most versatile of plants and can be used for screening, hedging or potted specimens. Once a popular flower for inserting in buttonholes on suits, this is rarely seen these days.

All citrus trees have highly perfumed flowers and all are mostly white, and you have the added bonus of picking the fruit for culinary uses or making refreshing lemon squash.

Roses are an old-fashioned favourite globally, and considered the “No. 1 flower”. Although they thrive in cool climates, many varieties grow well up here and you may be surprised just how many people grow roses in the Top End.

Scented favourites are Perfume Delight, Mr Lincoln, Friesa, Bewitched, Blue Moon, Big Purple, Fragrant Plum and Jude the Obscure.

Frangipanis are a great choice for adding fragrance in the garden and are one of the easiest plants to grow.

They will naturally form into a nice shapely tree when left alone, but can be pruned to reduce the size. Or simply cut back protruding branches over walkways.

Frangipanis will generally produce three (sometimes four) stems on each branch. Ensure they grow in well-drained soil for a healthy plant.

As a succulent, they are prone to rot when they become too wet or grow in waterlogged conditions.

Quisqualis indica, or Rangoon creeper, has been around for decades and a double flowering variety has crept into the market with the same strong fragrance, reliable blooming and visual qualities of red/pink/white flowers.

It is a beautiful vine to grow with a lingering scent, but it will require strong support to hold its heavy, rampant growth as it matures.


How Do I Get Pinworm Relief?

By Amanda Kahler

Pinworm infection is a common worm infestation not just among humans but also to animals… but the latter is not our concern. We are more concerned with how this condition will affect the life of an infected person. Pinworm is a type of ‘roundworm’, and along with other types of worms, or helminthes, they tend to live as parasites inside the human intestines. Scientifically known as Enterobius vermicularis, the pinworm infection may also be referred to as enterobiasis and helminthiasis, a more collective term for parasitic worm infection.

Morbidity of Pinworm Infection

Pinworm infection may occur in all age groups, however, as compared with adults, infants and children are more susceptible to developing this parasitic infection. There are several reasons for that—first children tend to put whatever they have inside their mouth, they are also more inclined to eat foods and share it with other people infected with pinworm. This is the reason why this infection is prevalent in school settings, overcrowded locales and poorly sanitized places.

Pinworm can grow fast and will multiply inside the intestines because they feed with the foods that we eat and the nutrients that come with these foods. This can lead to weight loss, malnutrition, and growth retardation, especially among children. In this light, treatment for pinworms should be given a great emphasis.

Medical Treatment for Pinworms

Over the counter treatment for pinworm is available so once you notice your kid or any member of the family who possible suffers from pinworms, be sure to have him or her take anti-parasitic drugs. Albendazole and Mebendazole are two of the most common drug treatments for pinworm infection. These drugs are taken in tablet form and should only be taken in one dosage. These drugs are expected to kill the worms in a span of hours to days, depending on the severity of the pinworm infection.

There are various dosages for adults and children so when buying these drugs, be sure to inform the pharmacy of the age of the person who will take this drug. It is also not impossible for eggs to remain inside the intestines after purging the worms out so to avoid reinfection, the dosage may need to be taken again after three to four weeks.

When a woman is pregnant and possibly suffering from pinworm infection, it is best to consult the gynecologist as it may be dangerous to the pregnancy.

Herbal Treatment for Pinworms

Salt, garlic and papaya seeds are also known to treat parasitic infections. Also, a specific vine fruit found in Asian countries called the Chinese Honeysuckle or Rangoon Creeper is proven to be effective against parasitic infections.

Preventive Treatment for Pinworms

Like any other conditions, it is best to prevent the occurrence of a pinworm infection. Proper hygiene, most especially handwashing, eating and use of personal utensils should be taken into account. Washing clothes, linen, as well as stuffed toys in scalding water is also best in killing eggs which may have come in contact with such items.


Doctors want to fight soft tissue tumors with medicinal herb

(ABA)

Soft tissue sarcoma comprise tumors which are difficult to treat, are largely resistant to treatment methods such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Scientists at the Medical University of Graz have set their sights on a potentially new treatment approach based on an isolated natural substance from a South Asian plant. "The rangoon creeper - Quisqualis indica – is used by traditional Chinese medicine as an analgesic, vermifuge or to treat cancer“, explained Birgit Lohberger of the University Clinic for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery.

Soft tissue sarcoma comprise tumors which are difficult to treat, are largely resistant to treatment methods such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Scientists at the Medical University of Graz have set their sights on a potentially new treatment approach based on an isolated natural substance from a South Asian plant.

Chemotherapy only plays a subordinate role in treating sarcoma, and in particular chondrosarcoma, which arises from the cartilage tissue, explained Birgit Lohberger of the University Clinic for Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Surgery. This is why efforts are being made to search for alternative forms of treatment.

The doctors in Graz consider the use of medicinal herbs and plants to be a potential solution. “Up until today more than 70 percent of all approved tumor medicines are either natural products or were derived from natural products”, Lohberger said. With respect to the treatment of the extremely heterogeneous group of sarcoma, the researcher in Graz encountered the active ingredient of a South Asian wing seed plant.

"The rangoon creeper - Quisqualis indica – is used by traditional Chinese medicine as an analgesic, vermifuge or to treat cancer“, Lohberger added. She investigated the effects of its active substance ADCF on different cell lines of soft tissue sarcoma. This active substance was shown to reduce cell growth in the case of liposarcoma as well as tumors of skeletal muscles (rhabdomyosarcoma).

Moreover, it was shown that cell division was delayed by the reduced expression of cell cycle proteins and the protein Survivin, a key protein in the activation of cell nucleus division, as the Medical University of Graz stated.


Herbal healing back in Manila

By Prosy B. Montesines (The Philippine Inquirer/Asia News Network)

MANILA, Philippines - Something's growing, literally all over Metro Manila: Plants with healing properties.

They're sprouting from even the most unexpected places - roadsides, curbs, cracks on walls and streets and even in patches of earth that don't look like they can sustain life.

Botanists and gardeners say the wind and the birds scatter the seeds and spores that sprout into these plants.

All that the public needs to know now is how to recognize these plants for what they can do: Heal the sick.

The high costs of prescription medicines and the organic, back-to-nature trend have rekindled among urban residents a keen interest in herbal plants, much like the time people ate into the health food boom.

This herbal renaissance has prodded people to learn and understand the benefits of nature in relation to their health and well-being.

Herbal sanctuary

'Life begins the day you start a garden' is a Chinese proverb that rings true for Florencia Gozon Tarriela, a corporate executive and resident of Pasig City.

She works as chair of the board of the Philippine National Bank, but moved by her love and passion for natural farming, she devotes most of her weekends developing an herbal sanctuary in her 5-hectare garden in Antipolo City.

Called Flor's Garden, it serves as a laboratory designed to substantiate a campaign that she and her husband, corporate lawyer Ed Tarriela, wage to help promote healthy living among Filipinos.

They believe that the propagation and development of some 12,000 species of edible and medicinal wild plants growing in the country will reinforce their battle cry: 'No Filipino should go hungry!'

Her own researches on the medicinal potential of wild and common plants are conducted in the 'Hardin ng Buhay' section of her garden.

She gets information from books, seminars, lectures, and meetings with botanists, traditional medicine specialists and farming experts.

She also learns through the ailments of other people, including her workers who experience healing with the use of simple herbal remedies such as poultices, salves and decoctions for wounds, aches, coughs, colds and fever.

According to her, the leaves of the guava tree (Psidium guavaja) and damong maria or mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris Linn.) can be used as poultice for healing wounds. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) has strong antioxidant, antifungal and antiviral properties, while alagaw (Premna odorata Blanco) and lagundi (Vitex negundo) can help relieve fever and colds, cough, bronchitis and gas pains.

Dusol

Few people are perhaps aware that dusol (Kaempferia galanga L.), that oft-ignored and trampled-upon stemless plant growing along pathways and in open grasslands, have medicinal uses.

Fely Sabio, a coordinator at Flor's Garden, and Tarriela herself witnessed its healing power when a worker accidentally got a wooden splinter embedded in the skin of his hand and suffered an infection.

When a series of medical treatments failed to alleviate the infection and surgery was the only option left, the worker tried using a poultice of dusol. To the amazement of everyone, the tiny but stubborn splinter was finally dislodged and the infection subsided completely.

Dusol leaves are also a folkloric medicine for rheumatism and sore throat. Mixed with oil, it is said to be effective also in the treatment of dandruff.

Mayana (Coleus scutellarioides) is commonly used as an ornamental plant because of its attractive purplish flowers and blotched leaves, but herbalists say this fleshy herb can cure bruises, sprains, headaches and sinusitis.

Katakataka (Bryophyllum pinnatum) is named so because of its astonishing and mysterious characteristic: Even when a leaf is detached from the plant, its edges or notches develop, making the leaf capable of growing on its own when planted in fertile soil. Folks use this juicy herb as a poultice for boils, infections, sprains, eczema, burns and carbuncle.

Takip-kuhol (Centella asiatica), also known as Indian pennyworth or gotu kola (although studies show it has no cola or caffeine content) is said to be rich in vitamin B and commonly used in the treatment of colds, tonsillitis and bronchitis.

Hyssop, an aromatic plant belonging to the mint family, has served as an antiseptic and astringent since the Biblical times, while catmint or kabling (Anisomeles indica Linn) relieves rheumatism, bone pain, fever, abdominal cramps, gas pains, eczema, and toothache.

Rare herbs

Two rare herbs found in Flor Garden are stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) or sugar leaf and kadok (Piper sarmentosum). Because the leaves of stevia taste sugar-sweet, people with diabetes or high blood pressure can use it as an alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners, according to Tarriela.

Kadok may be seldom seen in the country, but in Malaysia and Indonesia, it is a common plant used in traditional medicine and cooking (the subtly peppery taste of the heart-shaped and glossy leaves adds zest to omelets and other viands). A study conducted by the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) shows that extracts from Kadok leaves have anti-oxidant properties.

According to the World Health Organization website, 80 percent of the population in some Asian and African countries count on herbal treatments for their primary health care.

'Arbularyo' stuff

Once dismissed as arbularyo myth, herbal healing has attained a higher cultural status as a healthy alternative to using expensive prescription medicines, even as some medical authorities continue to express reservation about its efficacy and safety.

Clinical researches, however, have shown the potent healing properties of some herbal plants, categorizing them into folkloric and scientifically validated. In fact, the Department of Health has named 10 herbal plants as scientifically validated herbal medicines.

These are sambong (Blumea balsifera) for the treatment of urinary ailment, edema and prevention of the formation of kidney stones; akapulko (Cassia alata L.) for fungal diseases; niyug-niyogan or Chinese honey suckle (Quisqualis indica L.) for intestinal worm; tsaang gubat (Carmona retusa) for diarrhea and stomachache; ampalaya (Momordica charantia) for diabetes mellitus; lagundi (Vitex negundo) for coughs; ulasimang bato or pansit-pansitan (Peperonica pellucida) for rheumatism and gout; garlic (Allium sativum) for high cholesterol and high blood pressure; guava (Psidium guajava L) for diarrhea and as a disinfectant for wounds; and wild mint or yerba buena (Mentha cordifolia Opiz) for nausea and muscle aches.

Now sold in drugstores and health shops, they come in capsules, tablets, teas, syrups, and salves.

Industry of the future

The Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines reportedly targets $1 billion in export of herbal products to the United States and the Middle East by 2010.

With the profusion of edible and medicinal plants in the country, the natural ingredients or raw materials industry promises to be the industry of the future.

Continuing scientific studies on the application, efficacy and safety of folkloric herbal medicines will therefore mean two good things for Filipinos: Good health and wealth.

Like Flor Tarriela, city folks should really think big of getting back into herbs.

Ryan Drum, noted botanist and author of the book 'Planting the Future,' underscores the urgent need to go herbal quite succinctly: 'Down with lawns, up with herbs.'