Folk remedy for children too quiet for their age

Dr Abe V Rotor

Fruits of guyabano (Anona muricata), one
partly eaten by fruit bat. At home, Lagro QC 

A person who eats fruits partly eaten by birds becomes talkative.

It is a folk remedy for delayed speech in children, or those who are just too quiet for their age.
Old folks would give them ripe fruits they had first offered to a parakeet or parrot. When I was a kid, I was given guayabano (Anona muricata) ripen on the tree which was partly eaten. It was the fleshiest part that was consumed, but luckily it did not fall off. Since then I began reciting in class. I told Lolo Vicente, my tutor in"abacada," about it, and he was just too amazed. "I'm sure your pitch will improve later," he added with a chuckle.

It was a fruit bat that fed on the guyabano fruit, but sunrise must have overtaken this nocturnal animal. A word of warning: birds and bats may carry certain diseases, such as bird flu and rabies.

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