Showing posts with label high blood pressure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label high blood pressure. Show all posts

Monday, May 25, 2015

Mexican Trees Plumeria - Frangipani Trees Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat      
Blog 324-365





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Frangipani names around the world

The botanic name is Plumeria. Around the world the frangipani (plumeria) is called:
  • The Aztec word is Cocaloxochite.
  • Tipanier in Tahiti.
  • Dok jampa  or Dok champa in Laos
  • Pomelia and Frangipane in Italy
  • Couleuvre, or Snake Tree in St.Barths Bois
  • Kemboja kuning in Malaysia
  • Pansal Mal in Sri Lanka
  • Jepun in Bali, Indonesia
  • Flor de Mayo in Yucatan, Puebla, El Salvador
  • Flor de la Cruz in Guatemala
  • Pumeli or Melia in Hawaii
  • Amapola in Venezuela
  • Kang Nai Xin in China
  • Phool in India
  • Hoa Su (Southern ), Hoa Dai (Northern) and Hoa Su Ma (ghost Plumeria) in Vietnam
  • Kalachuchi in the Philippines
  • Flor de Cebo in the Canary Islands
  • Sacuanjoche in Nicaragua (the name is derived from the word "xacuan" from a native language called náhuatl and means "precious yellow feather or flower".
  • Common names are Temple Tree or Pagoda Tree in India and the Far East, Graveyard Tree in the Caribbean Islands, Temple Flower in Sri Lanka, and May flower (for the time of flowering) in Nicaragua.
Description
 
Plumeria (English) Sac Nicte (Maya) Flor de Mayo (Spanish), Plumeria rubra, from the Apocinaceae family, it is native to Mexico and South-America. Today this perfumed flowering tree is found in many tropical countries.  Plumeria trees bloom during the spring in Yucatan. 
 
Frangipani flowers are also traditionally used in leis – Hawaiian necklaces made from leaves, seashells, ivory and flowers. The leis are made by stringing flowers through the centre until a complete necklace is formed. Polynesian custom is that leis are worn at weddings and given out to signify a genuine welcome – and a fond farewell – for visitors to Hawaii.

Flowers have various tones from white, yellow, rose, and magenta.

 Each separate species produces differently shaped, alternate leaves with specific forms and growth habits. Frangipani add a sweet aroma to the night’s air as they are nocturnally fragrant. 


These plants can reach a height of 6 meters and a spread of 5 meters wide but may grow even taller depending on age. Many Queensland gardeners who plant frangipani enjoy their beautiful fragrant smells and colors throughout the summer while they sit and relax in its shade.

Growing Frangipani By Propagating Cuttings 

Frangipani is considered one of the best plants grown in subtropical and tropical climates which is great considering that they are not extremely difficult to care for. 

These shrubs and small trees propagate well from aseptically germinated seed and cuttings obtained in the winter or early spring when their sap is less runny. These cuttings need to be left out in an area where they can dry out before planting. The soil you plant in must be well-drained as moist soil promotes plant disease. 

When watering frangipani you want the soil to remain just above a state of dryness. This plants thrives well in full sun especially in the early hours of the day and may also do well in partial shade in the late afternoon hours. The better balance maintained between sunlight and water the better chance you have of significant growth and bloomage. 

 Frangipani pruning is best done in the winter after these trees have shed their leaves. It is also useful to prune young frangipani to promote a strong and healthy structure. With proper care, you can enjoy the magnificent flowers of frangipani shrubs and trees from November to May.

Medicinal Uses
 
Among ulcers, gonorrhea (gonorrhea), swelling, warts, calluses, smoothes the skin and yaws.


  • The raw material essential oils. Frangipani flowers are dried, for approximately 3-4 days, then distilled to produce essential oils, which is the basic ingredient of the perfume or ointment (for treatment) naturally.
  • Overcoming swelling. How to cure swollen body parts is the frangipani tree bark. Way, take first shingle frangipani tree bark and pounded until smooth. Boil half a pot of water to boil. The water used to soak the swollen body parts if possible. If not, use it to compress.
  • As antibiotics. Frangipani flower has a number of compounds that have medicinal properties, namely triterprenoid Amirin, lupeol, and fulvoplumierin. These substances are antipyretic (fever lowering), antiinflarnatif (overcoming inflammation), and analgesic (pain relieving). Because the contents of this, frangipani flower handy to reduce menstrual pain and prevent fainting due to the heat or sun exposure (heat stroke).
  • Treat toothache. To relieve pain in cavities. Take a few drops of sap Frangipani by using a cotton swab, then place the cotton on the aching tooth. Be careful, do not let the teeth do not hurt. The dose 1-2 times a day. However, treatment with the sap is only temporary, and can not heal completely.
  • As drug ulcers.  Benefits and efficacy of frangipani flowers for one's health is as ulcer medications you must provide frangipani flowers and leaves of the olive oil. The combination of these two drugs that will cure ulcers. First take frangipani flower on fire then heat until wilted. Eventually the interest spread with olive oil. In circumstances still hot, stick it on your ulcer.
  • Curing Diabetes Pus (Gonorrhea). Rinse and 1 piece of root frangipani trees, then boiled in two cups of water to boil and the remaining 1 cup. The herb water taken once a day as much as 1 cup.
  • Curing yaws. Take 2 shingles skin frangipani, then finely ground and boiled with 1 pot of water to a boil. Water used for bathing and rubbing the injured body part.
 

Facts - Good for Reforestation in hot areas.

Did you know that frangipanis will only burn in extreme heat (over 500 degrees)? 
If you want to add more trees to your yard for shade or more color in the summer and fall, plumeria grows relatively quickly directly from cuttings -- with the added benefit of not having to purchase an expensive new tree. Cut a branch off the tree in the spring, making sure it's a reasonable size. Limbs about 1 to 2 inches in diameter work well for propagation, although you can use larger branches if you need to trim them to help shape the tree. Dip them in rooting hormone, and place them cut-side-down in well-draining soil, such as a mixture of garden soil and perlite or a cactus mix. The branch should start developing roots within two weeks and can begin blooming in about two years.


Curiosities
 
  • The frangipani is the flower of the city of Palermo in Sicily, Italy.
  • The frangipani is the national flower of Nicaragua and it features on some of their bank notes.
  • Frangipanis won't burn except in extreme (over 500 degrees) temperatures.
  • In Caribbean cultures the leaves are used as poultices (a healing wrap) for bruises and ulcers and the latex is used as a liniment for rheumatism.
  • According to Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (by Scott Cunningham; Llewellyn Publications, 1984) the frangipani (plumeria) is associated with the feminine, ruled by Venus, its element is water, its deity is Buddha, its power is love and its magical uses are in love spells.
  • The frangipani is also associated with love in feng shui.
  • In modern Polynesian culture, the frangipani can be worn by women to indicate their relationship status - over the right ear if seeking a relationship, and over the left if taken.
  • In India the frangipani is a symbol of immortality because of its ability to produce leaves and flowers even after it has been lifted out of the soil. It is often planted near temples and graveyards, where the fresh flowers fall daily upon the tombs.
  • In Vietnam the frangipani is used for its healing qualities: the bark, mashed in alcohol, prevents skin inflammation, it is also used to treat indigestion and high blood pressure, while the roots have purgative effects on animals and the milk-like sap serves as a balm for skin diseases. The white flowers are used in traditional medicine to cure high blood pressure, haemophilia, cough, dysentery and fever.

Frangipani Myths and Legends

  • There is a theory that Catholic missionary priests spread frangipanis (Plumerias) around the world as they travelled. This may explain why the frangipani is so popular and common in the Philippines and Thailand but very rare in China and Vietnam. Thailand and the Philippines welcomed the Christian missionaries while, in China and Vietnam, they were persecuted until around the 1850s.
  • Frangipani trees were once considered taboo in Thai homes because of superstitious associations with the plant's Thai name, lantom, which is similar to ratom, the Thai word for sorrow. As a result, frangipanis were thought to bring unhappiness. Today, however, the blossoms are presented as fragrant offerings to Buddha and Thai people wear them on special festival days like Songkran (Thai New Year).
  • According to Vietnamese myth, ghosts live in trees with white and fragrant flowers including the frangipani. In Vietnam and China the colour white is associated with death and funerals.
  • In Hindu culture, the flower means loyalty. Hindu women put a flower in their hair on their wedding days to show their loyalty to their husbands.
  • It's believed the Aztecs used a decoction of frangipani flowers and other plant materials mixed with certain internal organs of predatory animals (with a reputation for cunning, strength and bravery) as a powerful potion against fear, lethargy and faintheartedness.
  • "Warming" oils -- such as those from Plumeria, sandalwood, lotus flower, frankinense, cinnamon and basil -- are said to have a calming influence on those suffering from fear, anxiety, insomnia or tremors, according to the principles of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old Indian holistic science that seeks to balance mind, body and spirit.
  • A popular legend among sailors shipping overseas from Hawaii during WWII was to toss a lei into the waters as the ship passed Diamond Head. If the lei floated ashore, the sailor would return. If it floated toward the ship, he wouldn't be coming back.
  • In the language of flowers, Frangipani (Plumeria) are said to stand for love long in absence, as for a sailor long at sea.
  • Frangipani (Plumeria) is very rare in China, and even more precious than orchids. So, when a person gives frangipani flowers to a sweetheart, it is the closest thing to saying you're special, I love you in a culture where expression of personal feelings is frowned upon.
  • According to Mexican (Lakandon) myth the gods were born from Frangipani (Plumeria) flowers.
  • In Malay folklore the scent of the frangipani is associated with a vampire, the pontianak.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Cecropia Tree Medicinal Use for Obesity, Diabetes Asthma, Kidney Disorder

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 304-365


One of the most interesting symbioses in the rainforest exists between the Cecropia tree and the Cecropia ant (Azteca sp.) The Cecropia trees recruit ants to live in them and protect the tree.  

The ants drive off herbivorous insects, attack herbivorous vertebrates, and remove epiphytes and competing plants.  Their wastes also provide a lot of nitrogen to the plant.   The plant provides them with housing (inside hollow stems) and gylcogen-rich  bodies.  At least, that's the simple explanation of the relationship.


















The Cecropia leaf is quite popular among the Amazonian Indian tribes who use it for its anti-inflammatory qualities in the treatment of lung, kidney and rheumatic inflammations. For instance, these tribes prepare a tea made of leaves to treat respiratory problems and diabetes. 

It is further used to cure liver disorders and to stimulate menstruation. People from Trinidad take these leaves as a remedy for colds, fever, flu, snake and scorpion bites. The Palikur indigenous people resort to Cecropia leaves when they need to take care of bruises, wounds, bone fractures and mostly to clean the genitalia and relieve the pain felt after childbirth.

Cecropia is a Neotropical genus consisting of sixty-one recognized species with a highly distinctive lineage of dioecious trees.

The genus is easily identified by its large, circular, palmately lobed leaves, about 30–40 cm in diameter and deeply divided into 7-11 lobes. The trees consist of very few branches, usually with candelabrum-like branching system. In Costa Rica, three-toed sloths are often spotted easily in Cecropia trees because of Cecropias’ open, leafless branches compared to other trees. 

Cecropia trees have a hollow trunk and branches, which are divided into a series of chambers by partitions. The tree produces special structures in velvety-brown glandular patches under the leaf stems, providing nourishment for Azteca ants, which defend the leaves.

Common nameTrumpet tree, embauba, trompettier, snake wood, yagruma, bois cannon, Yagrumo hembra, ambay, sandpaper tree.


FamilyMoraceae (Mulberry family).

Medicinal Uses

The trumpet tree or embauba is widely used in traditional medicine throughout Central and South America.Virtually every part is used – bark, roots, sap, leaves and fruit – to treat a diversity of ailments. 

Each country has different uses for extracts of this plant, such as treatment for bronchitis and snakebites in Trinidad and a cure for diabetes and hypertension in Guatemala.

Recent scientific research on the trumpet tree has shown 

  • potential for treating obesity, as well as 
  • bacterial infections and 
  • cancer. 
  • The tree is regularly used throughout the world by herbalists for treating respiratory disorders and 
  • diabetes.


Suriname's traditional medicine.

  • The leaves of Embauba are used against: albumin in the urine and 
  • have a good effect on the urinary passages, 
  • bladder and 
  • kidney disorders.

Tea made from the leaves is used as

  •  a cure for asthma
  • cough and 
  • other upper- respiratory complaints such as bronchitis
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), 
  • emphysema, 
  • pulmonary sarcoidosis.
Trumpet tree is also used to treat 
  • high blood pressure, for 
  • childbirth and 
  • menstruation and 
  • to strengthen the heart.
The other parts of the plant are also useful: 
  • the bark decreases mucus, 
  • the roots ease bile problems and 
  • the fruit greatly soothes the skin thanks to its emollient qualities.
 In many parts of Latin America, Cecropia tea is considered to be 
  • a miraculous cure for asthma and apparently it is brewed from its leaves.
  • Cecropia has a beneficial effect in patients who suffer from type 2 diabetes. 
Dosage
Tincture: 1 - 3 ml daily
Infusion (herbal tea): 1 - 2 cups daily


Plant Chemicals

Trumpet tree has among its plant chemicals: glycosides; lipids; alkaloids; flavonoids; isoorientin; chlorogenic acid; tannins; resins; ambain; cecropin; cardenolid; leucocyanidin; methyl-salicylate; proanthocyanidins; ursolic and stearic acids. The latex contains an alkaloid, cowleyin.

Reforestation

Cecropia trees are common in the rainforest - and in the tropical dry forest as well.  The trees are often seen along the roadsides as well. They are related to the mulberry tree.  

They often invade disturbed areas (hence their presence on roadsides) and are considered a pioneer species.  They don't do well in the shade; in the rainforest they depend on the appearance of openings due to treefalls, landslides, fires, etc.  

They are very quick-growing and shed the lower limbs (this shedding epiphytes as well).  In addition to the ants, the Cecropia trees have a number of chemical defenses including latex ducts (which gum up the mouthparts of feeding insects) and tannins.

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Medicinal Uses of Rauwolfia (Rauwolfia serpentina)

By Liliana Usvat
Blog 260-365

Other Names










INDIAN SNAKEROOT


Description

More like a shrub than a tree in most places where it grows in India, rauwolfia produces extracts in its roots that have for centuries been used to treat nervous disorders. The extract also provides an antidote for snake- bites and insect stings. In the 20th century it was discovered that powdered rauwolfia root as a clinical medicinal ingredient would treat hypertension and mental disorders. Many drugs that make up tranquilizers have their origin in rauwolfia root.

Medicinal Uses

Indian snakeroot is used for 
  • mild high blood pressure,
  •  nervousness, 
  • trouble sleeping(insomnia), and 
  • mental disorders such as 
  • agitated psychosis and insanity. 
  • Indian snakeroot is also used for snake and reptile bites,
  •  fever, 
  • constipation, 
  • feverish intestinal diseases, 
  • liver ailments, 
  • achy joints (rheumatism), 
  • fluid retention (edema),
  • epilepsy, and 
  • as a tonic for general debilities.

One of the chemicals in Indian snakeroot is the same as a prescription drug calledreserpine. Reserpine is used to treat 

  • mild to moderate hypertension, s
  • chizophrenia, and 
  • some symptoms of poor circulation.
  • Root is a valuable remedy for dysentery and painful affections of bowel.
  • Juice of leaves is instilled in eyes as a remedy for the opacities of cornea.


How does it work?

Indian snakeroot contains chemicals such as reserpine that decrease heart rate and blood pressure.
History
  • It is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name shégēn mù.
  • The extract of the plant has also been used for millennia in India – Alexander the Great administered this plant to cure his general Ptolemy I Soter of a poisoned arrow.
  •  It was reported that Mahatma Gandhi took it as a tranquilizer during his lifetime.
  •  It has been used for millennia to treat insect stings and the bites of venomous reptiles. 

Habitat: Moist forests shady places near rain-forest.
Status: The natural reserves of this plant are declining, especially after reports of its medicinal properties appeared in literatures. International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has kept this plant under endangered status.
Distribution: The snake-weed genus includes about 50 species, this has fairly wide area of distribution, including the tropical part of the Himalayas, the Indian peninsula, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Indonesia.