MY BACKYARD’S HERBAL PLANTS

Aldamar, Regine C.
2BSN6

Name of herbal plant: Atis

Description: Atis, also known as Ativisha, is a tall herb mainly grown in the Himalayan
region. It is a characteristic species of Nepal, Chumbi area, and Sikkim. Atis is effective in
maintaining a healthy digestive system due to its carminative property.

Medicinal use: The herbal benefits of atis fruit, leaves, and bark include:
 Treating colds and fever.
 Alleviating rheumatic pain.
 Regulating sugar in the body.
 Helps control blood pressure.
 Treating ringworm.
 Healing wounds as it has anti-inflammatory properties and a soothing effect.
 Treating diarrhea.
 Soothing insect bites.
Plant parts utilized: Ayurveda mainly suggests the use of the root tubers of this
herbaceous plant for various medicinal purposes. Owing to the presence of numerous
essential oils, the roots have a characteristic pungent smell and are used for the
treatment of diseases since time immemorial.
Name of herbal plant: Kalamansi
Description: Calamansi (also known as kalamansi and calamondin) is a small citrus fruit,
with a bright orange flesh and a peel that goes from green to orange as it ripens. It tastes
sour with a hint of sweetness, like a mix between a lime and a mandarin. It has a distinctive
aroma – citrusy and floral.

Medicinal use: The following medicinal uses of calamansi juice: As a febrifuge (has a rich
source of vitamin C), as a medication for coughs and for itches, as a deodorant, and as
an antiphlogistic. One of the biggest calamansi benefits is that it fights inflammation in your
body. Similarly to apple cider vinegar, this little crazy-sour buddy, which is full of anti-
inflammatory tannins too, helps with normalizing the acidity levels in your stomach.

Plant parts utilized: Fruit, leaves, roots.

Name of herbal plant: Mangga
Description: Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera which consists of about 30
species of tropical fruiting trees. It has been an important herb in Ayurveda and
indigenous medical systems for over 4000 years. Manga is a large tree, with a dense
and spreading crown. Leaves are oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 10 to 30 centimeters
long. The flowers are yellow, small, 3 to 4 millimeters long, borne on erect and hairy
panicles, which as as often as long as the leaves. The fruit is a drupe, of varying shades
of yellow, fleshy, oblong-ovoid,10 to 15 centimeters long, and slightly compressed, the
skin is thin, and in the center is a large flattened, fibrous seed, and when
ripe, surrounded by an edible yellow pulp.
Medicinal use: In the Philippines, decoction of root is considered diuretic.
- Bark and seeds are astringent. In Cambodia, used in hot lotions for rheumatism and
leucorrhea.
- In India and Cambodia, solution of the gum from the bark is swallowed for dysentery.
- Resin is used for aphthous stomatitis.
- Cough: Drink infusion of young leaves as needed.
- Diarrhea: Take decoction of bark or kernel as tea.
- Fluid extract, or infusion, used in menorrhagia, leucorrhea, hemorrhoidal bleeding, and
hemorrhage from the lungs, nasal catarrh, and for lumbrici.
- Root bark is a bitter aromatic, and in Sind, used for diarrhea and leucorrhea.
- Decoction of leaves with a little honey used for loss of voice.
- Infusion of young leaves used in asthma and cough.
- Juice of peel of unripe mangoes used for skin diseases.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves, kernel, bark and fruit.
 Name of herbal plant: Malunggay
Description: The malunggay plant, also known as moringa oleifera, is a type of plant
that can be found in many tropical and sub-tropical areas in the world. It is known
as a multi-purpose plant because most of its parts – from the leaves, to the pods, fruits,
flowers, and even the roots and bark – can be used for various purposes.
Medicinal use:

 Malunggay leaves pounded and combined with coconut oil is used to treat scalp
problems and to promote hair growth.
 Boiled malunggay leaves contain immune boosting nutrients used in sickness
recovery.
 Boiled malunggay leaves used to promote milk production in nursing mothers.
 Malunggay leaves combined with honey and calamsi to treat cough and asthma
 Malunggay soup is used to lower high blood pressure
 Malunggay tea from bark or leaves is used to treat insomnia and restlessness.
 Malunggay pod is chewed to treat and prevent intestinal parasites in children.
 Malunggay is also recommended for sufferers of diabetes
 Malunggay oil or poultice is used to treat bone and ligament related conditions
that involve inflammations such as gout, rheumatism, back pain, sprains.
 Malunggay is also used to improve eye problems.
 Malunggay is used along with other herbal medicines to treat cancer.
 Decoction of boiled roots used to wash sores, cuts, skin ulcers, wounds and
other skin diseases to alleviate pain and promote healing.
 Malungay is also used for stomach and intestinal problems such as ulcers and
constipation.
 Malunggay roots and bark have been used as abortifacient.
 Malunggay flower with soy milk is used as aphrodisiac and promote fertility for
men. While malunggay roots are believed to suppress fertility, chewed as a
contraceptive by women.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves, pods, roots, seeds, bark, flowers.
Name of herbal plant: Saging
Description: There are many types of bananas in the Philippines. There is the wild
butuan [Musa errans (Blco) var. botoan Teodoro] cultivated edible varieties of
M.sapientum L. (latundan, lakatan,bungulan, etc.) and commercial varieties such as the
Giant Cavendish introduced more recently to meet export requirements.
Nutritionally, the fruit of banana is significant only in terms of its carbohydrate content,
which is about 20-25% of the pulp. Vitamins and minerals are not found in particularly
high amounts except in the wild butuan, which is fairly high in calcium and phosphorus
but, as its name implies, has many seeds which makes it unpalatable to many people.
Medicinal use:
 Fruit of Banana - Fruit of Banana- The unripe fruit can be eaten to help control diarrhea.
The fruit can be mashed with milk or sugarwater to make an emulsion for patients with
diarrhea. gastritis. ulcers and other digestive disorders.
 Banana Powder- The pectin in banana helps to control diarrhea. It also provides
potassium which the body loses during diarrhea. Use 14 teaspoons of the powder at a
time, mixing it with soup, rice gruel (Lugao) or a sugar and salt water solution.
 Tuyong Bulaklak- The dried flowers of banana are rich in iron and calcium. It should
 be one of the suggested dietary supplements for anemic patients.
 Young Leaves - Soften young leaves by warming them over a low fire or over coals
(uling). Coconut oil can be added and the leaves applied as a dressing for wounds,
blisters and other conditions where the skin is inflamed.
 Sap from the Trunk - The sap from the trunk can be applied on wounds as an astringent
 and styptic.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves, Pods, Flowers, Sap, Roots
Name of herbal plant: Papaya
Description: Papaya is the source of the enzyme papain. Papain is a proteolytic
enzyme with action similar to pepsin, one of the digestive enzymes found in animals,
including man. It is now produced commercially as a meat tenderizer and as a drug.
Medicinal use:
Fruit - The fruit is a mild laxative.
Latex from Unripe Fruit - Papain is found most abundantly in the latex of the unripe
fruit of papaya. Use a clean knife to cut the fruit and collect the latex in clean containers.
 As a digestant - Use 3-4 teaspoonful of the latex, diluted with water, for
indigestion.
 As a dewormer for roundworms (Ascaris) and whipworms (Trichuris), use 24
tablespoonfuls (30·60 mI) of the latex, depending on the age and size of the
patient. Mix the latex with water (two volumes of water for every one part latex)
and a little sugar.
 As an anti-inflammatory - Fresh latex can be applied directly on wounds
(including those resulting from surgical or dental procedures), allergic reactions
and skin ulcers including bedsores. A strip of the fresh fruit can also be used
instead of the latex although this might present some problems of sanitation.
Plant parts utilized: Roots, Leaves, Seeds, Peel, Steam bark, and Latex.
Name of herbal plant: Sambong
Description: Sambong is a popular medicinal plant, used particularly as an
expectorant, antispasmodic and emmenagogue. It contains volatile oil (0.1 to 0.4% in
leaves and stems) consisting mainly of 1-camphor and I-borneol with trace amounts of
limonene and sesquiterpenes.
Medicinal use: - Leaves as poultice for abscesses.
- Decoction of roots and leaves for fevers, kidney stones, and cystitis.
- Decoction of leaves used to induced diuresis for purpose of treating kidney
stones.
- Sitz-bath of boiled leaves, 500 gms to a gallon of water, for rheumatic pains
of waist and back.
- Used in upper and lower respiratory tract affections like sinusitis, asthmatic
bronchitis, influenza.
- Applied while hot over the sinuses. Used for wounds and cuts.
Fresh juice of leaves to wounds and cuts.
- Poultice of leaves applied to the forehead for relief of headaches.
- In Zamboanga, Subanens use leaf infusion for the treatment of cough.
- Tea is used for colds and as an expectorant; likewise, has antispasmodic
and antidiarrheal benefits.
-Postpartum baths.
- Tea leaves use as emmenagogue, for treatment of menstrual cramps or
dysmenorrhea. As such, folklore advise against use during pregnancy or for
women who want to get pregnant.
Plant parts utilized: -Leaves (fresh or dried) and young roots before flowering.
- Mature, healthy, fully expanded leaves are harvested while senescent
leaves are discarded. Air-dry until they crumble when crushed with the fingers.
Store in amber colored bottles in a cool, dry place.
Name of herbal plant: Oregano
Description: Suganda also known as Oregano is an erect, spreading, branched, rather
coarse, strongly aromatic, green herb, with fleshy stems. The volatile oil (O.O5%) in the
leaves) is mainly, cavacrol. Glucosides are present in the leaves and stem Oregano is
used as a carminative and expectorant. It's leaves are applied on insect bites and
stings. It is also a popular poultice for headache.
Medicinal use:
 Leaves are applied on mosquito bites and stings.
 In the Philippines, macerated fresh leaves applied externally to burns.
 Leaves are bruised and applied to centipede and scorpion bites. Also, applied to
temples and forehead for headache.
 Leaves in infusion or as syrup used as aromatic and carminative; used for
dyspepsia and also as a cure for asthma.
 The Malays used the plant juice or decoction for pains around the areas of the
heart or abdomen.
 Decoction of leaves given after childbirth.
 In Indo-China, given for asthma and bronchitis.
 For otalgia (ear aches), pour the fresh, pure juice into the ear for 10 minutes.
 For carbuncles, boils, sprains, felons, painful swellings.
 For sore throats, a decoction of two tablespoonfuls of dried leaves to a pint of
boiling water, taken one hour before or after meals.
 In India, leaves are used traditionally for bronchitis, asthma, diarrhea, epilepsy,
nephro-cystolithiasis, fever, indigestion and cough. Also used for malarial fever,
hepatopathy, renal and vesicle calculi, hiccup, helminthiasis, colic, and
convulsions.
 Used for bladder and urinary afflictions, and vaginal discharges.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves.
Name of herbal plant: Tuba-tuba
Description: Tuba-tuba is an erect, branched shrub usually less than one meter high.
Petioles, leaf margins and inflorescences are covered with numerous, capitate-
glandular hairs. Leaves are shining, smooth, palmately 3- or 5-lobed, 7 to 12
centimeters long, the lobes oblong-ovate and the younger leaves being purplish.
Flowers are purple, small, borne on cymes. Capsules are usually 3-lobed, about 1
centimeter long.
Medicinal use: Studies suggest hemostatic, wound healing, analgesic, anti-
inflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, insecticidal, antidiarrheal,
antioxidant, anticancer, anti-plasmodial, anti-acetylcholinesterase properties.
 In the Philippines, cataplasm of fresh leaves is applied to swollen breasts.
 In Venezuela, roots are used in leprosy; decoction of leaves used as purgative
and stomachic.
 Latex used on ulcers.
 Latex topically used for treatment of wounds and venomous animal bites. Seeds
and fruits used for treatment of influenza; also used as sedative, analgesic, and
anti-diarrheal.
 In Antilles, leaves are used as febrifuge for intermittent fevers.
 Decoction of bark used as emmenagogue.
 Leaves applied to boils and carbuncles, eczema and itches.
 In the Gold Coast, the pith of old, thick stems yield a yellowish, brown substance
which is placed in a clean cloth and squeezed into the nostrils, causing the
patient to sneeze and cure the headache.
 In Nigeria, used in the treatment of ringworm, malaria, tumors, typhoid fever,
tuberculosis, and dysmenorrhea.
 In Trinidad, leaf decoction is used for bathing wounds; poultices used for sores
and pain. Stem sap used to stop bleeding and itching of cuts and scratches. Leaf
bath used for sore, sprains, rash, and bewitchment in Latin America and
the Caribbean.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves, roots, latex, bark, seeds.
Name of herbal plant: Tanglad
Description: Tanglad contains 0.5 to 1% volatile oil, mainly in the roots. The volatile oil
consists mainly of citral and small quantities of methyl heptenone, various terpenes and
dipentene. Tanglad is a tufted and perennial grass. Leaves grow to a length of up to 1
meter, about 1-1.5 centimeters wide, scabrous, flat, long-acuminate, and smooth.
Panicles are 30-80 centimeters long, interrupted below; the branches and branchlets
somewhat nodding.
Medicinal use:
 One of the 10 herbal ingredients in the decoction-bath used in the post-partum
ritual of suob.
 Hot decoction of roots used for toothaches.
 Roots also used as a diuretic.
 Leaves used for aromatic baths.
 Leaves applied to the forehead and face as a cure for headaches; infusion held
in the mouth to alleviate toothaches.
 A stomachic for children. Tea made from leaves used as stomachic tonic,
diuretic, and refrigerant.
 The oil, mixed with equal amounts of coconut oil, is used as a liniment for back
pains, rheumatic complains, neuralgia, sprains and other painful afflictions.
 In various traditional systems, leaf infusions used as antimicrobial, anti-
inflammatory and sedative.
 In Cuban folk medicine, used to lower blood pressure and as anti-inflammatory.
 Essential Oil: Volatile oil, called Lemon grass oil, consists mainly of citral and
used in perfumery, soap, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, insecticide and food
industries.
 Repellent: To keep away mosquitos, plant it around your house or place crushed
leaves on your window sills.
- Liniment: Boil equal amounts of chopped leaves and roots with freshly made
coconut oil. Also use as insect repellant.
Plant parts utilized: Leaves, roots, whole plant.