MALUNGGAY (Moringa olifera)

Good morning everyone. Another tree with medicinal value found in the Philippines. I’m sure if many have this plant you can use it to cure some ailments. There are a total of 96 Philippine medicinal trees under 83 genera and 38 families. I want to share the most seen trees here.

Malunggay is an exotic species but grows well throughout the Philippines. The tree can grow well throughout the Philippines. This tree can grow as high as 3 to 5 meters in a span of 1 year and can reach a height of about 15 to 30 meters without cutting.

Medicinal Value:

■ Decoction of leaves used for hiccups, asthma, gout, back pain, rheumatism, wounds, and sores.

■ Pods are cure for intestinal parasitism.

■ Leaves and pods are helpful in increasing breast milk in the breastfeeding mothers. 6 tables of leaf powder will provide nearly all the woman’s daily iron and calcium needs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

■ Pounded roots are used as poultice for inflammatory swelling.

■ The fruit could increase the sperm count.

■ The root bark has sex-hormone related properties.

KAPOK (Ceiba pentandra)

Good morning everyone. Another tree with medicinal value found in the Philippines. I’m sure if many have this plant you can use it to cure some ailments. There are a total of 96 Philippine medicinal trees under 83 genera and 38 families. I want to share the most seen trees here.

This is an erect, deciduous tree, 15 m high. The trunk is cylindrical, usually bearing scattered, large spines. The branches are in distant whorls, and spread horizontally. The leaves are compound with 5-8 lanceolate leaflets, 6-15 cm long, pointed on both ends.

Medicinal Value:

■ The bark is used as a vomitive and diuretic. It is used to treat ever and diarrhea. It is also applied on wounds and swollen fingers.

■ A decoction of the flowers is used for constipation.

■ An infusion of the leaves is used for cough, hoarseness, intestinal catarrh and urethritis. The tender leaves are administered for gonorrhea.

■ The unripe fruit is regarded as a demulcent (soothing medicine, provides a protective coating on mucus membranes) and astringent.

■ A tender fruit used as emollient.

■ A decoction of the roots is given for chronic dysentery, diarrhea, ascites (abnormal accumulation of serious fluid in the abdominal cavity) and anasarca (edema characterized by accumulation of serum in the connective tissue of the body).

■ The gum is an astringent and useful as a styptic (having a harsh acrid, flavor). It is given with milk as a cooling laxative to children. It is also used for incontinence of urine of children.