Types of Wild Tea

Types of Wild Tea Its quite disappointing that while we have been putting too much attention to the ballyhooed â€Å"Cheaper Medicine† Law, we failed to pursue with equal vigor a promising effort to develop medicines which come from the backyard garden. If we can just put our act together, we might be able to offer our people herbal remedies that could even be much more effective and wallet-friendly than the so called â€Å"cheaper† medicines we get from the drug store now. During the administration of President Ramos, in 1992 to be exact, the Department of Health under then Secretary Juan Flavier launched a nationwide Traditional Medicine Program for a period of 6 years, with technical support from the World Health Organization. According to Roger Lee Mendoza in his â€Å"A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Legalizing Complementary and Alternative Medicine† the said programs most notable accomplishment was the identification of 10 (out of 1,500) herbs for their safe (non-toxic) medicinal properties. The program clearly paved the way for what should have been follow-up efforts to develop these herbs for their possible therapeutic effects. You can get the list and more details from the website of the Philippine Herbal Medicine. Scientific background One of the medicinal plants thoroughly tested and clinically proven to have value in the relief and treatment of various ailments is Tsaang Gubat. Tsaang Gubat belongs to the Carmona Boraginaceae family of plants. It has many scientific names. In their study, Forest Starr, Kim Starr, and Lloyd Loope of the United States Geological Survey Biological Resources Division stationed in Maui, Hawaii as published in www.hear.org lists them down in their Latin names: Carmona retusa (Vahl) Masamune (Lorence et al. 1995, Wagner et al. 1999); C. microphylla (Lam.) Don; Ehretia microphylla Lam.; Ehretia buxifolia Roxb.; Cordia retusa Vahl (Lorence et al. 1995; Bailey and Bailey 1976; GRIN 2001). In the Philippines, its commonly known as tsaang gubat (â€Å"wild tea,† â€Å"forest tea. † or sometimes Philippine tea) But in the provinces, your neighborhood herbalist or plant expert would know it by its names in the local dialects: †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨In Luzon: Kalabong, Kalimumog, Katdalugod, Maragued, Mara-mara, Taglokot, Talibunog, Tsaang-gubat, Tsa-tsa. In the Visayas: Alibungog, Semente†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨And in Mindanao: Alangitngit, Alingitngit, Truth to tell, tsaang gubat is more known as an ornamental plant than a medicinal herb. It was and still grown as bonsai because of its attractive appearance. The Starr research study cited previously mentions the fact that tsaang gubat is a â€Å" popular ornamental plant cultivated in Hawaii as a hedge or specimen plant.† How to identify it What exactly does it look like? So you would you be able to tell it apart from other shrubs, it is described as a low, woody plant with several stems. The book â€Å"Medicinal and Poisonous Plants† by de Padua and Bunyapraphatsara says that it grows to about 1 to 4 meters high. Its leaves are small and have dark, green and shiny upper surface. Because it can be found in secondary forest in low and medium altitude, its called â€Å"wild.† The medicinal property of tsaang gubat comes from its leaves which grow in clusters on short branches, 3-6 cm long, somewhat toothed or lobed near the apex and pointed at the base, short stalked and rough on the upper surface. Tsaang gubat bears small white flowers, axillary, solitary, 2 or 4 on a common stalk. It bears yellow fruits when ripe which are about 4-5 mm in diameter. Whats it good for? Old folks who most of the time know better, recommend it as a herbal remedy for many ailments. But for a start, its safe to drink it as your daily cup of tea for general good health. You dont have to go the forest to get tsaang gubat. It is now available in the form of herbal tea bags and in pills capsules at your local mall and herbal stores. My cursory look at tsaang gubat led me to www.medicalhealthguide.com which reveals that tsaang gubat in fact, has anti-bacterial and anti-allergenic properties. It also has fluoride so its a natural mouthwash. For the scientifically minded or just plain skeptics, the same site states that tsaang gubat has been studied for possible anti-allergic property because it contains â€Å"rosmarinic acid and microphyllone† which is believed to control allergy. It goes on to say that some studies also reveal that tsaang gubat leaves also show a â€Å"mixture of triterpenes- a-amyrin, ß-amyrin and baurenol and a wide range of bioactivity† including â€Å"analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal and antibacterial activities.† On the other hand, for those of us who want it stated simply, the website of the Philippine Herbal Medicine enumerates the following ailments that can be relieved by tsaang gubat: Stomach pains Gastroenteritis Intestinal motility Dysentery Diarrhea or Loose Bowel Movement (LBM) Body cleanser/wash And in addition, because it is found that its leaves have high fluoride content. tsaang gubat is also used as a natural mouth wash for stronger teeth and prevent cavities. Sidebar:Preparing fresh tsaang gubat tea To prepare tsaang gubat tea, the same website recommends the following: Thoroughly wash the leaves of tsaang gubat in running water. Chop to a desirable size and boil 1 cup of chopped leaves in 2 cups of water. Boil in low heat for 15 to 20 minutes and drain. Take a cupful every 4 hours for diarrhea, gastroenteritis and stomach pains. Word of caution: if the stomachache or diarrhea is not relieved, it is advised that you see your doctor. The ailment could be caused by something else. In boiling the leaves in water, the article entitled â€Å"Herbal Medicines Part 1† published on September 14, 2006 in pinoyraket.blogspot.com recommends suggests that you strictly follow these rules: a. Use only enameled container or claypot (palayok), never an aluminum pot.†¨ b. A standard glass or cup should contain 240 ml. or 8 fluid ounces of water. This measurement is the same as the content of a bottle or regular size softdrink bottle.†¨ c. Mix leaves in water before placing on fire.†¨ d. As soon as the mixture boils uncover the pot and let boil continuously for 15 minutes. Remember that the mixture should boil uncovered.†¨ e. Strain and let cool. You now have what is called decoction.†¨ For convenience, you may prepare enough decoction that you can use for several days. Simply adjust the amount of leaves to use according to the amount of water that you will boil. When stored in a thermo pot (termos ), the decoction should last for three days without losing its efficacy. If kept in a refrigerator, the decoction should last up to four days without losing its efficacy. Keep in mind, however, that whether kept in thermo pot or refrigerated the decoction must not be taken anymore when its color has changed or when it has grown molds or fungus. Tsaang gubat v.s. cancer? The latest news on tsaang gubat is that its good for fighting cancer. An article in the Philippine Daily Star reports that a Dr. Gerard Penecilla, a pharmaceutical scientist of the National Research Council of the Philippines has discovered the potential of two indigenous plants as cure for cancer, the third leading cause of death in the country. He found that banaba and tsaang gubat â€Å" have high potential in fighting growth and multiplication activities of cancer cells.† The report goes on to say that out of the many sample extracts tested, a certain dosage of tsaang gubat was found effective against cancer cell, the DOST said. It added that the scientist hopes this technique â€Å"could pave the way for the strong interaction and cooperation among the Filipino chemists, botanists, biologists, physicians and the government research funding institutions as well, in coming up with solid scientific research on medicinal plants that could aid local pharmaceutical companies to produce anticancer medicine at very low cost.† And thats exactly our point at the start. If only we can just get our act together and pursue with greater vigor these kinds of initiatives in the development of our local herbs, then we are on the right road towards keeping the cost of medical care much lower than we have right now. And come to think of it, these potent herbal remedies are practically just in our own backyards. What these promising research findings of Dr. Penecilla also indicate is that weve just barely scratched the surface on what tsaang gubat and other herbs can do for our health. Further research and test will prove their full potency in fighting more serious diseases. For now, when its time for your tea break, go wild for a change over tsaang gubat, the wild tea thats good for you. Sources: â€Å"Halamang Gamot at Mga Sakit† published by Sto. Nino Catholic House, Inc. â€Å"Nature Healers,† edited by Ana May A. Artus, published by Cebu Green Emerald Publishing Co., Cebu City, Philippines,1994 â€Å"A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Legalizing Complementary and Alternative Medicine† Roger Lee Mendoza, USA Journal of Social Sciences 6 (1): 74-84, 2010 ISSN 1549-3652  © 2010 Science Publications â€Å"Herbal Medicines Part 1† September 14, 2006 pinoyraket.blogspot.com â€Å"Bioactivity studies on triterpenes isolated from carmona retusa (vahl) masam. leaves† a research study by Irene M. Villaseà ±or, Arlyn P. Canlas, Karen M. Faustino, Katherine G. Plana, Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines, Diliman â€Å"Carmona retusa Carmona Boraginaceae† by Forest Starr, Kim Starr, and Lloyd Loope United States Geological SurveyBiological Resources Division Haleakala Field Station, Maui, HawaiI, January, 2003 published in www.hear.org www.philippineherbalmedicine.org/ www.medicalhealthguide.com de Padua,L.S., N. Bunyapraphatsara, R.H.M.J. Lemmens (Editors). 1999. Plant Resources of South East Asia 12(1) Medicinal and Poisonous Plants. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, the Netherlands.771 pp. â€Å"Banaba, tsaang gubat vs cancer?† as published in www.philstar.com July 18, 2008.

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams :: A Streetcar Named Desire Essays

Tennessee Williams is known for his powerfully written psychological dramas. Most of his works are set in the southern United States and they usually portray neurotic people who are victims of their own passions, frustrations, and loneliness. The play represents the conflict between the sensitive, neurotic Blanche DuBois and the crude, animalistic Stanley Kowalski. Blanche visits the home of her sister, Stella, in New Orleans and that is when Stanley started picking at her, almost testing her. Before she had met Stanley, she told her sister of how their plantation had been lost due to the costs of paying for the funerals of many family members. There was not enough money for her to keep the plantation. While Blanche bathed after her arrival, Stanley came home. Stella had told him what had happened and he immediately insisted that Blanche was swindling them. He hinted that Blanche had sold the plantation in order to buy beautiful furs and jewelry. He went through Blanche's trunk while she bathed, Stella insisted he stop. He was looking for sale papers from the plantation. After Blanche was finished bathing, Stella was outside, so Stanley started questioning Blanche. She insisted that she had nothing to hide from him and let him go through all historical papers from Belle Reve, the plantation. While living with Stella and Stanley, Blanche had met a man named Mitch, who she started dating. She liked him a lot but she hid many things from him. Firstly, she hid secrets of her first lover, her husband Allan Grey. Every time she thought of him, she thought of how he killed himself and she heard the polka which played in the background. She did not want to speak of this to Mitch. After Allan's death, Blanche used to go to the Tarantula Arms hotel where she would have intimacies with strangers. She did it because she felt it would fill her empty heart. She did not want to tell Mitch because she wanted him to respect her.Blanche was very careful to hide her looks too. She felt that she was old looking and tried to avoid bright lights from glaring down on her. She covered a light in Stella's house with a Chinese paper lamp to keep it from being so bright she hid her looks from Mitch, he never saw her in the day. Finally, one day, Stanley tried to find out many of Blanche's secrets and told them to Mitch so he would not fall for her, even though he was considering marrying her.

Universal Healthcare

Universal Health Care The issue of health care is a widely debated issue in the United States today. The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world, but there are 48. 6 million people that do not have health insurance. The United States also has one of the lowest life expectancies in the industrialized world, and 45,000 people die every year due to a lack of health care. The United States Congress passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010 to try to correct some of these problems. Unfortunately, conservatives and Liberals cannot agree on the subject of health care (Kleinstuber).The health care system should be changed so that universal health care is enacted in the United States. With universal health care, citizens of the United States will become healthier, therefore, people have better opportunity to obtain human capital. Also, the benefits outweigh the detriments in the case for universal health care with some small changes with how it works. The imp lementation of universal health care would benefit the United States’ economy and society’s welfare. Thousands of US citizens suffer every day from a lack of health care.This has become a serious problem in the US, and it needs to be changed. There are over 45 million people who are uninsured in the US (Ireland). Of these 45 million uninsured people, about 9. 4 percent of them are children under age 18 (Todd and Sommers). Many of these uninsured people did not have the same opportunity to obtain human capital as others did, therefore, they are stuck in the lower class without employer-sponsored health care. With universal health care enacted in the US, these healthier people would have better chance at obtaining human capital.In effect, children grow up healthier, and they have better attendance at school and have a better chance to become successful in the future. Universal health care will lead to a more prosperous, opportunistic society. Universal health care has mo re benefits than it does detriments. Described by Jae Ireland in her article â€Å"Pros and Cons of Free Universal Health Care,† the pros of universal health care are extended care, reducing medical costs, and the proof of the success of universal health care (Ireland).The cons of universal health care are raised taxes, competition between doctors and hospitals would disappear, and there will be longer wait times at health care offices and emergency rooms. Of course, with universal health care, every citizen in the US will have free health coverage. This will result in a healthier and happier citizens. A disadvantage of the enactment of universal health care in the raising of taxes. This increasing of taxes could be eased by the decreasing of some other taxes. Although this is true, the cost of medical costs will go down without privatized health care.With the medical costs decreasing, the amount the US spends on health care per person would decrease from how much they pay fo r Medicaid and Medicare. A disadvantage of universal health care is the potential loss of competition between doctors and hospitals (Ireland). This does not have to happen though. The government could still pay doctors based on their skills and how important they are to society and the medical community. Also, make sure that patients can choose their own doctors so that doctors can still compete for patients.This ensures that doctors and hospitals still have good incentive to do adequate work for patients. Another benefit of universal health care is the proof of the success of universal health care with other countries such as France, Italy, and Spain. These countries show that it universal health care can work with many benefits. These countries are able to provide universal health care with a much smaller percentage of their GDP than the US is currently using. Also, many countries with universal health care prove its success with longer life expectancies than the United States.A d rawback of universal health care is that patients are put on waiting lists for appointments since there will be many more patients (Ireland). On the other hand, this may be able to be changed. Policies that make sure patients with more extreme reasons for the need of medical attention get treated before patients with less serious reasons for medical attention. With some of the changes to the harms of universal health care, the implementation of universal health care in the United States would be undoubtedly beneficial.In essence, universal health care can be very beneficial to the United States in multiple ways. With universal health care, citizens of the United States will have a better chance to attain human capital, and they will have a better chance to be successful. Also, with some minor changes to the universal health care system, the benefits outweigh the detriments. The implementation of universal health in the United States would create a better society and improve the well -being of their citizens.

What to Seize in the Crackdown on Child Pornography

What to seize in the crackdown on child pornography Computers form the initial process of production of pornographic material. The unlimited computer access by people of all ages, form a basis of inception, production, printing, distribution and trading in child pornography (Foster, 2005). The advancement of the electronic age in information technology and the rise of computer applications enable persons of all ages to access and use computers. As such, the seizure of the computer used in the promotion of child pornography ensures the first step gets arrested. This ensures that production, viewing, distribution and selling of child-related pornographic materials undergoes primary prevention. Computer hard disks act as back-up and storage for materials, financial details from sales and phone and email contacts for users of child pornographic materials. Therefore, the search warrant need include the hard disk and other external memories that may hold any incriminating information on th e behavior of suspected child perverts. These back-ups provide vital information that may serve as evidence against suspected dealers, users, possessors and transmitters of child related porn materials (Foster, 2005). They further hold a key to the financial dealings involving porn materials. The production and storage, of child pornographic materials, in compact discs and DVDs, provide an easy way for dealers to supply porn material to their clients and other end users. Therefore, aShow MoreRelatedThe Positive Benefits Of Pornography1051 Words   |  5 Pagesseemingly main reason there is such a growth in pornography is because almost everyone and everything in the world reacts and relates to sex. People are captivated with sex and are excited to see something new or something they have not seen before. People are always looking for a version of sex that is new or more different than the norm. This is soaring the pornography industry to grow one step further in order to keep up wi th the demand. Furthermore, pornography materials are available in many ways andRead MoreUs Customs and Border Protection7176 Words   |  29 Pagespowers[edit] CBP has the authority to search outbound and inbound shipments, and uses targeting to carry out its mission in this area. Under Section 596 of the Tariff Act, CBP is required to seize and forfeit all merchandise that is stolen, smuggled, or clandestinely imported or introduced.[7] CBP is also required to seize and forfeit controlled substances, certain contraband articles, and plastic explosives that do not contain a detection agent. In conjunction with the Department of State and the BureauRead More Improving Internet Governance Essay5246 Words   |  21 Pagesas a condition the receipt of federal funds.†(Snow 300). The issue of freedom of speech on the internet in the United States is being dealt on a case by case issue. The second side of the argument is how other countries choose to regulate what is said on the internet and how freedom of speech is affected. China specifically has been known to deal with freedom of speech on the internet in a very strict manner. There have been cases in which Chinese citizens owning pro-Taiwanese web sites