Sunday, July 15, 2018

Folk Wisdom (Answers to Self-Administered Test of 50 items, True or False)

Dr. Abe V. Rotor

1. A child around 5 years old is ready for school if he passes the “touch your opposite your ear” test. F around 7, Grade 1 – age of reason.

2. Añil or azul makes white clothes whiter. Añil is made from Indigo plant which is also used by farmers as green manure. T

Giant spiny puffer fish (butete), Santo Domingo, Ilocos Sur

3. Of all the banana varieties the  
leaves of latundan and lakatan are the best for food wrapper. F Saba and bongolan varieties

4. For school children the circumference of the neck is twice the waistline – ideally. T

5. Diamond is real if it scratches glass. T

6. Leaves of neem tree is used to hasten the ripening of fruits. F kakawate

7. Lime is applied on the butt end of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli to keep them fresh and stay longer. T

8. More fish are caught in the sea during full moon. F new moon

9. Mungo seeds that remain hard after cooking are seeds which were immature when harvested. T

10. Oranges with protruding bottom are sweeter, and the rounder lansones is, the sweeter. F

11. Stir rice while cooking to distribute heat for faster cooking, especially in large pots or talyasi. F never.

12. During thunder and lightning nitrogen gas is combined with Oxygen to form nitrate, P with O to form phosphates, S and O to form sulfates – all these are important in the growth and development of plants, mushroom and other organisms. T.

13. When planting on sloping land be sure that the rows follow the contour of the field to minimize erosion and siltation. T.

14. Burying fruits in ash, sand or sawdust hastens ripening. F delays

15. Corn harvest increases by decapitating the standing crop (detasseling). T

16. You can count with the finger the macapuno trees in a coconut plantation, and if you find one, all the nuts of that tree are macapuno. F

17. Farm animals grow faster with music, so with certain plants. T, try Mozart

18. Bad gums can lead to heart attack. T

19. A candidate of heart attack is known by his features, like being bald, having a big waist. T

20. An unconscious person is revived by pressing his base of his thumb. F large toe.

21. This is a test for fresh egg. When immersed in water it lies at the bottom on its side. T

22. Pruning enhances survival of seedlings and cuttings, pruning stimulate flowering and fruiting. T, like grapes.

23. It is true that rain while the sun is out breeds insects. T

24. Jackfruit or nangka may bear fruits under the ground, ganon din ang rimas or breadfruit . F nangka only.

25. Light trapping of insects is effective and practical. T, especially for nocturnal insects.

26. Today’s agriculturists and botanists are more familiar with many wild food plants than old folks. F

27. Old folks use garlic and red pepper (siling labuyo) to control common insect pests. T (and believe, kasamang aswang)

28. Pinag-aasawa ang kalabasa (pollination) to insure fruit formation. T

29. Carabao’s milk is more nutritious than cow’s milk, and produces more in a year. Carabaos also have longer lactation period and shorter dry period. F

30. Chopped banana stalk makes a cold pack substitute. T

31. Corn silk tea is good for the kidney. T

32. Back of the hand is ideal to use to test a tepid bath. F, use elbow

33. Ethnic music makes a wholesome life, it is therapy. T

34. Fly maggots heal deep wounds before the advent of antibiotics. T.

35. Guava seeds cause appendicitis. F

36. Gulat ang gamut sa sinok. Jolting the patient stops his hiccup. T

37. In the absence of vinegar or any medication, coke or any carbonated drink should be immediately applied on wound caused by sea urchin. F



38. Ipil-ipil seed is an expectorant, just by pounding around 5 mature seeds and mixing it with syrup. F expels ascaris worms

39. Ipon or dulong is the a favorite delicacy of Ilocanos, quite often eating it raw. T


40. It’s strange but true, “When dust gets into your eyes, blow your nose.” T
  Sea urchin

41. Kamoteng kahoy or cassava builds as much gas (flatulence) as kamote or sweet potato), kaya ang tawag sa dalawa as kamote. F

42. Lead (Pb) poisoning can be obtained unknowingly from paints, prints, dyes, because lead is an excellent fixer. T

43. Lead poisoning because common among the Greeks when they changed their drinking bronze vessels into lead alloys. F Romans

44. A mother should read, sing and talk to her baby in the in the womb from the time of conception. T Pregnant mothers should also have a happy and positive disposition.

45. Mothers should not do heavy work for 40 days after childbirth. T

46. Pansit-pansitan or Piperonia pellucida relieves arthritis. T

47. To catching a live monkey, bore a whole on a ripe papaya just enough for its hand to enter. It will gather the soft flesh and make a firm grip, thus trapping its hand. Then it is time to subdue the bewildered animal. F use buko (young coconut)

48. It’s the male seahorse that gets pregnant, but turns over to the female the babies so that he will be free of babysitting. F

49. Dogs eat grass for self-medication, so with parrots eating clay. T

50. A green grasshopper in summer turns brown in the rainy season. F other way around.

Living with Folk Wisdom, AVR-UST 2009

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