ISCC Workshop Lesson 5: Green Revolution for the Masses (OF, FOR and BY the People)

Lesson Series 5 - Ilocos Sur Community College (ISCC Bantay) 

Green Revolution for the Masses

of, for and by the people

(Home- and Community-Based)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Part 1 - Natural Farming Models
Part 2 - Village Biotechnology
Part 3 - Homemade Fruit Wines
Part 4 - Herbals for Medicine, Culinary and Pest Control
Part 5- Three Green Revolutions

                        Part 1 - Natural Farming Models

Farm Life in acrylic by AVRotor

The other name of natural farming is organic farming. In the United States and Europe, the trend now is for people to reach for organically grown food. In malls and large groceries, we find rice labeled "organically grown."

Mere substitution of fertilizer from chemical to organic is not enough. The organic fertilizer must be free from pathogens, toxic waste and metals.

The crops and animals must not be products of genetic engineering, meaning they should come from natural gene pools.

Natural farming also requires the absence of chemical spraying. If it cannot be avoided, the spray must be biodegradable, using botanical derivatives like derris, neem and chrysanthemum.

Here are scenarios of natural farming in the country.

1. Payatak method (Samar) - This is a local version of zero tillage. No plowing, no harrowing is done. A herd of carabaos trample over the soil until it turns into puddle, then the one-month old rice seedlings are transplanted. There are no sprays or fertilizers. This is natural farming in the marginal sense, a carryover of age-old tradition.

2. Mixed orchard (Zambales) – This is a stand of several kinds of trees, where orchard, firewood trees and forest trees grow together. These trees follow a natural pattern of arrangement. They have no common pest and need soil fertility differentially. The trees have their own niche and grow into layers resembling storeys. Management is simple and practical.

3. Multiple cropping model (Sta. Maria. Bulacan) - The farmer engages in the production of three commodities. A two-hectare farm may produce fruits, vegetables and rice, plus several heads of carabao and cattle. A pond supplies irrigation and produces tilapia and hito.

Why three commodities? It is because these commodities are closely integrated. First, the animals produce, other than meat and milk, manure for the plants. The plants produce food for the family and market. Plant residues are made into animal feeds and compost. The pond is source of irrigation. It is a waterhole for wildlife conservation, too. Because of its integrated structure and management the farm becomes a balanced system. This is the key to sustainable agriculture, otherwise known as ecological farming.

4. Sloping agricultural land technology or (SALT in Bohol). Call this natural farming even if the farm is a logged over area. The idea is for the farmer to revert the land to its natural state as much as possible. How does he do it? If one sees the model, the land has a slope of around 20 degrees. The steeper the grade the more difficult it is to apply the system. It does not work for slopes above 30 degrees.

In SALT, the contour of the slope is marked and outlined. The contours are spaced uniformly, and the rows that follow the contour are planted at intervals with annual and permanent crops. The idea is for the permanent crops (like fruit trees and firewood trees) to be sandwiched with annual crops (like peanut, rice, corn, and vegetable). The ipil-ipil herbage is used as organic fertilizer. The Neem tree is used for pesticide, while Lantana (L. camara) is a natural pest repellant, so with Eucalyptus. Legume intercropping and crop rotation replenish the soil of Nitrogen and other elements.

5. Modified models (rice and corn areas). Rice farming can be modified to suit the conditions of natural farming. There are farms today that rely entirely on homemade or commercial organic fertilizers. An equally important aspect of successful farming is cleanliness. This means effective weed removal, trimmed waterways, properly disposed of farm wastes, efficient drainage, well arranged rows, and properly scheduled farming activities. All these activities require low technologies that are also affordable. Together they contribute to good health for both the producer and consumer - and the environment.

As more people go for organically-grown food, agriculture becomes more environment-friendly, which is the essence of ecological farming.~

Part 2 - Village Biotechnology

"Small is Beautiful."

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Yes, Small business is beautiful. There must be something wrong somewhere. But while we diagnose our country’s ills, we should make references to our own successes, and even come to a point of looking on models within our reach and capability to imitate. 

Basi, fruit wine and vinegar - products of village biotechnology

There are “unsung heroes” in practically all fields from business, agriculture, manufacturing to folk medicine and leadership. Perhaps for us who belong to the older generation, it is good to feel whenever we recall old times when life was better – and better lived. 

Let me cite particular areas of biotechnology in which small entrepreneurs play a vital role and which they have proven themselves successful in one way or the other. The first group involves the production of alcoholic drinks and vinegar through fermentation. 

 These products are  Basi (sugarcane)  Lambanog (coconut)  Tuba (coconut)  Layaw (nipa)  Bahalina (coconut and tangal)  Fruit wine (kasoy, bignay, pineapple, etc.)  Vinegar (nipa, sugarcane, coconut, various fruits) 

 With readily available raw materials and simple tools used, brewing is a practical industry. More so, with the simplicity of fermentation itself which is the conversion of sugar into ethanol through fermentation with yeast. The brewed product is either consumed immediately or aged. Aging improves quality and lengthens the shelf life of the product. 

These home breweries are reminiscent of European vintages. It is said that the best wine in the world is not found in bars and wine shops, but in home cellars of Europe. It is true. There, wine making is an art, and a personalized enterprise, with each cellar having a distinctive quality trademark.

Bordeaux in France for example, is famous for brand, while the Scotch Whiskey remains a top grade liquor made from grains. Similarly we have basi in Ilocos amd lambanog in Southern Tagalog. So with Apple cider compared to our own Sukang Iloko, or Sukang Paombong. 

 The second group of village biotechnology products are beverages, food condiments, tobacco and betel for chewing. 

 Kapeng barako (Batangas and Cavite) 

 Cacao (Batangas, Mindanao) 

 Vanilla (Mindanao) 

 Tsaa (Batangas) 

 Fruit puree (mango, guyabano, etc., Southern Tagalog, Mindanao) 

 Bagoong and patis (Navotas, Balayan, Dagupan)

 Kesong Puti (Laguna);  Toyo (Southern Tagalog, Mindanao) 

 Betel (Cordillera, Laguna, Ilocos) 

 Ketsup (banana, tomato) 

 Rolled tobacco (Cagayan Valley, Ilocos

Like in the first group, these products are area-specific which point out to their indigenous production and processing, so with their patronage. Rolled tobacco or pinadis, for example, has a special market for old people who are used to the product – and not to the younger generation. This is also true with betel or nganga. On the other hand, bagoong and patis, which used to be a specialty among Ilocanos, are now marketed abroad. So with kapeng barako a local coffee which is mainly grown in the highlands of Batangas and Tagaytay. Fruit puree and fruit preserve, though relatively new, are amazingly growing fast, as people are shunning away from carbonated drinks. Because of high demand, these products became a boom to small growers, who recently are becoming mere conduits or raw products suppliers of big companies, instead of making and marketing the finished products themselves.

Tea, coffee, fruit juice and chocolate, in this order, make up the world’s top beverages, thus pointing out the vast opportunities of biotechnology. The third and largest group of village biotechnology products is in food. 

 Puto or rice cake, very popular 

    among Filipinos 

 Bibingka (rice) 

 Maja (corn grit) 

 Burong manggang paho, mustasa) 

 Burong Isda (dalag and rice) 

 Hamon (manok, baboy, pato) 

 Tocino, longganisa 

 Itlog na pula and century egg 

 Balot and Penoy 

 Tokwa (bean curd) 

 Taosi (fermented black bean) 

 Talangka Paste 

 Pickles (papaya, carrot, ampalaya, onion, cucumber, etc.) 

 Toge (mungo sprout) 

 Cakes (banana, cassava) 

 Ripening of fruits (madre de cacao) 

 Food processing constitutes the bulk of village biotechnology in developing countries, on both domestic and commercial scales. Like in the other groups, these undertakings are seldom organized as formal establishments, but rather fall under the category of informal economics.

 “The biggest piracy that is taking place today is not at sea and on the rich. It is stealing people’s resources – from herbal medicine to indigenous technology – stolen by rich countries and big corporations. Biopiracy and technopiracy constitute the greatest violation to human rights and social justice in that the people are not only deprived of their means of livelihood; they are forced to become dependent on those who robbed them.” 

 Informal or “underground” economy is the lifeblood of rural communities. They are the seat of tradition, rituals, barter and other informal transactions. They link the farm and the kitchen and the local market. They are versions of agro-processing and agribusiness on the scale of proprietorship and family business. They strengthen family and community ties. It is for this reason that the NACIDA – National Cottage Industry Development Authority – was organized. 

And truly, it brought economic prosperity to thousands of entrepreneurs and families in the fifties to sixties. 

South Korea for one in the late sixties, saw our PRRM and NACIDA models and improved on them with their SAEMAUL UNDONG development program which ultimately brought tremendous progress in its war-torn countryside. 

 In Tanzania, one can glimpse some similarities of our program with LAEDZA BATANI (Wake up, it’s time to get moving) rural development program. The Philippines stood as an international model, recognized by the WB and ADB, for our countryside development program – cottage industries, farmers’ associations, electric cooperatives, rice and corn production program, which made us agricultural exporters. 

 So with our biotechnology in farm waste utilization through composting with the use of Trichoderma inoculation, and in natural rice farming by growing Azolla in lieu of urea and ammonium nitrate. Another area of biotechnology is in the retting of maguey fiber, which is a work of decomposing bacteria. 

 Today there are many opportunities of biotechnology that can be tapped and packaged for small and medium size businesses and organized groups of entrepreneurs and farmers. These opportunities also pose a big challenge to the academe and to enterprising researchers in government and private institutions. 

 Important organisms for biotechnology

 • Spirulina (blue-green alga or Eubacterium) - high protein, elixir.

 • Chlorella (green alga) – vegetable, oxygen generator

 • Pleurotus and Volvariella (fungi, mushroom) – anti-cancer food.

 • Azolla-Anabaena (eubacterium with fern)– natural fertilizer

 • Porphyra, red seaweed, high-value food (“food of the gods”)

 • Hormophysa (brown alga) – antibiotics

 • Eucheuma (red alga) – source of carageenan, food conditioner

 • Gracillaria (brown alga) – source of agar, alginate

 • Sargassum (brown alga) – fertilizer and fodder 

 • Saccharomyces (fungus, yeast) – fermentation

 • Aspergillus (fungus) – medicine, fermentation

 • Penicillium (fungus) – antibiotics

 • Caulerpa (green alga) – salad

 • Leuconostoc (bacterium) – nata de coco, fermentation of vegetables

 • Acetobacter (bacterium) – acetic acid manufacture

 • Rhizobium (bacterium) – Nitrogen fixer for soil fertility 

 • Nostoc (BGA or Eubacterium) – bio-fertilizer 

 • Ganoderma (tree fungus) – food supplement, reducer 

 • Halobacterium and Halococcus (bacteria)- bagoong and patis making

 • Lactobacillus (bacterium) lactic fermentation, yogurt making 

 • Candida (yeast) – source of lysine, vitamins, lipids and inveratse

 • Torulopsis (yeast) – leavening of puto and banana cake 

 • Trichoderma (fungus) – innoculant to accelerate composting time. 

 Informal or “underground” economy is the lifeblood of rural communities. They are the seat of tradition, rituals, barter and other informal transactions. They link the farm and the kitchen and the local market. They are versions of agro-processing and agribusiness on the scale of proprietorship and family business. They strengthen family and community ties. ~

 Part 3 - Homemade Fruit Wines     

Homemade Fruit Wines from Mango, Dragon Fruit, Banana, Nangka, Caimito, Chico, Pineapple, Rambutan, Mangosteen, Guava, Duhat, Bignay, Pakwan, others 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Checking growth of yeast innoculum from natural sources - 

bark of kamachili (Pithecolobium dulce) and leaves of samat 

(binunga Tag), Macaranga tenarius 

Experimental lot of five tropical fruits on first week of 

fermentation using PET 5-liter bottles. 

Filtrate after separating the sediments, after fermentation is done (one to two months). In commercial production, earthen jars are used, each with a capacity
of 50 long neck bottles (175 ml) on the average. Aging in plastic container is not advisable. The use of PET bottle is for experimentation only. Once the formula for a particular fruit is established the same is translated into large scale production using earthen jars.

Commercial production in glazed earthen jars (burnay). Sugar content of the filtrate is determined by hydrometer and refractometer. Ideally it takes two years of aging. Specially made wine is aged five to seven years. Note clay cap over the jar, hermetically sealed from air, contaminants and and pests like termite.

Final product ready for the market after one to two year of aging in earthen jar (burnay).  Specially made fruit wine for tourists shops (and export) from chico (Achras sapota) pineapple, dragon fruit and mango (three-fruit blend).  Note special presentation for for wedding, and personalized designs. At the right is Ilocos vinegar from sugar cane. 

Duhat (Zyzygium cumini) and caimito (Chrysophyllum cainito) make excellent fruit wine.   Mangosteen is high in tannin and red pigment, but during aging the pigment eventually fades out giving way to crystalline transparency, with the exception of duhat and bignay which remain opaque dark in the bottle.

Fermentation is closely monitored as to color, bubble and gas evolution,

 sediments, odor, etc. Fruits have different fermenting characteristics. The must (fermenting material) eventually settles at the bottom giving way to the formation of filtrate that soon becomes clear, occuppying the upper half of the bottle.

University researchers take pride in displaying the products of wine fermentation on the backyard. 

                        

  

Homemade fruit wines successfully passed the international standards set by the Food Development Center of the National Food Authority, and the FDA as well as US and European standards for Port and Sherry.   Top, homemade fruit wines join the prestigious fruit wines of other countries. Former NFA Administrator Jesus T Tanchanco, and Mrs Tanchanco grace the occasion when our local wines were chosen recipient of BIDA (Business Incentive Development Award).

           Part 4 - Garden Herbals for Medicine, Culinary and Pest Control

Dr Abe V Rotor

4.1- Oregano (Coleus amboinicus)

 

Oregano is a centuries-old remedy for many ailments, from bad digestion to diabetes. It is an excellent food adjunct. To Italians, it is the secret of their cooking and making  pizza, just as the Mexican make chili con carne. Our own dinuguan tastes best with this aromatic herb.

There is always oregano (Coleus amboinicus) at home, ready to ease cough and sore throat. I  imagine myself wearing a handkerchief around my head, advising my family and neighbors not to take cough drops or antibiotics for simple colds.  

I tell them to pick a young leaf or two of oregano and chew it while taking juice or soft drinks. Or blanch it, extract the juice, and add sugar and warm water. It is practical and there are no side effects. And what a feeling! No wonder the plant's name which comes from the  Greek words, Ore/Oros means mountain, and ganos is joy. Joy on the mountain.

Pliny the Elder claimed oregano as a remedy for bad digestion. To Italians, it is the secret of their cooking and making pizza, just as the Mexican make chili con carne. Our own dinuguan tastes best with this aromatic herb.

On the other hand, I found out that oregano is an insect repellant. I noticed that mosquitoes, flies and roaches are kept away by its odor. Oregano has essential oil, thymol, which is also a strong antiseptic and disinfectant. 

Warning: Oregano extract is not advisable for plant pest control, specially on garden plants, either as spray or sprinkle solution. It has allelophatic substance, which means it is phytotoxic to certain plants, causing stunting or death. Never plant oregano side by side with your favorite garden plants like rose, mayana, anthurium and ground orchid. 

Plant oregano in pots by cutting, or the whole shoot or branch. It can grow in the shade or under direct sunlight, with moderate amount of water. During rainy months keep the potted plants away from too much rain water. Oregano grows best in summer, but don't forget to water it regularly. A full grown oregano can be made into cuttings which you can grow in individual plastic pots to supply the neighborhood - as token or gift. It takes a cutting to reach full growth in two to three weeks. 
~

  

Two types of oregano: local (dark green) and variegated (Italian). The variegated oregano is sensitive to Philippine condition. It was given to the author by Dr Domingo Tapiador who brought it from Rome where he was based with UN-FAO headquarters. 

Facts about Oregano 
Acknowledgement: Philippine Medicinal Plants (Internet)

This information is helpful to medicine, pharmacology, botanical research, and to the public in general. It is the intention of this program, Paaralan Bayan sa Himpapawid to encourage the use of natural medicine and food, and to potential scientists to direct their attention to our own indigenous resources as the subject of their study.

Constituents 
- Fresh leaves yield 0.055 volatile oil, largely carvacrol.
- Phytochemical screening yielded carbohydrates, proteins, phenols, tannins, flavanoids, saponins, glycosides.
- Aerial parts yielded essential oil with 28 constituents, 16 of which were identified. Thymol (83.39%) was the major compound, while 1-octen-3-ol, terpine-4-ol, eugenol, trans-caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide and α-cadinol were present as minor constituents. (16)
- Study of flowers and aerial parts for essential oils yielded four compounds from flowers oil and twelve from the aerial parts. The major constituent was carvacrol in flowers and aerial parts, 50.98% and 77.16% respectively. Other constituents were p-cymene, ß-caryophyllene, and trans-a-bergamotene.
Properties
- Aromatic, carminative (relieving flatulence), emmenagogue (encourages menstrual bleeding) , diaphoretic (increase sweating), tonic, stimulant.
- In India, considered antilithiotic, chemopreventive, antiepileptic, antioxidant.

Culinary
· As condiment, provides fragrance to salads and strong-smelling meat dishes.
· Sometimes, used as flavoring for drinks.
· In India, leaves of the green type often eaten raw with bread and butter. Chopped leaves used as a substitute for sage.
Folkloric
· 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, help in place by a bandage.
· 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.
· The juice of the leaves for dyspepsia, asthma, chronic coughs, bronchitis, colic, flatulence, rheumatism. The dose is one tablespoonful of the fresh juice every hour for adults and one teaspoonful every two hours, four times daily, for children. As an infusion, 50 to 60 grams to a pint of boiling water, and drink the tea, 4 to 5 glasses a day. For children, 1/2 cup 4 times daily.
· For otalgia (ear aches), pour the fresh, pure juice into the ear for 10 minutes.
· For carbuncles, boils, sprains, felons, painful swellings: Apply the poultice of leaves to the affected area, four times daily.
· 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.
· The Chinese used the juice of leaves with sugar, for cough in children, asthma and bronchitis, epilepsy and convulsive disorders.
· Leaves are applied to cracks at the corners of the mouth, for thrush, headaches; against fever as a massage or as a wash.
· Used for bladder and urinary afflictions, and vaginal discharges.
· Used as carminative, given to children for colic.
· In Bengal, used for coli and dyspepsia.
· Expressed juice applied around the orbit to relieve conjunctival pain.
Others 

Fresh leaves rubbed on clothing or hair at the time of bathing for its scent.
Respiratory ailments like cough, asthma and bronchitis: Squeeze juice of the leaves. Take one teaspoon every hour for adults. For children above 2 years old, 3 to 4 teaspoons a day inflated throat, and short lips. 

NOTE: Many homes have other useful plants on their backyards, such as

• Soro-soro, a species of Euphorbia used to control ringworm;
• Lagundi (Vitex lagundi) is good for fever and flu (PHOTO);

• Alovera (Aloe vera) for burns;
• Pandakaki (Tabernamontana pandacaqui) for minor cuts;
• Bayabas (Psidium guajava) for skin infection and allergy;
• Ilang-ilang (Cananga odorata) for natural freshener;
• Sampaguita (Jasminium sambac) for lei and natural air freshener. ~

4.2 - "Pansit-pansitan", weeping willow, 

and "takip kuhol"  

"Pansit-pansitan" (Piperomia pellucida) relieves arthritis, and lowers uric acid. But as a general rule consult your family doctor.

Pansit-pansitan or olasiman-inhalas (linlinna-aw Ilk). It is a succulent weed growing in moist and shady places. Pellucidus means waxy or translucent which is characteristic of this common annual plant. I can vouch for the effectiveness of this herbal remedy. This is how it is used.

• Gather the fresh plants from around the house, usually among potted plants. Leave the main stem and roots to grow new shoots for the next harvest.

• Wash the stems and leaves with running water. You may remove the elongated floral part which bears plenty of tiny black seeds.

• Boil two cups of water for three minutes. Three to four stems make a decoction. Allow it to cool.

• You may add honey or sugar while decoction is still hot.

• Add hot water for a second or third serving. It may be taken liberally at anytime or until ailment subsides.

• There are other ways pansit-pansitan is prepared. In Vietnam’s Ho ChiMinh public market it is sold in bundles as salad vegetable. It reaches a length up to two feet.

It is usually served fresh or blanched. I found out that pansit-pansitan can be taken with coffee by simply adding to it while it is very hot. Or simply dip into a cup of to piping hot water, and allow it to cool. Pandan mabango (Pandanus odoratissimus) may be added to flavor the drink. Patients may find relief in a day or two. If there is any allergic reaction such as diarrhea or palpitation, discontinue the treatment and see your doctor.

 4.3 - Kutsay (Allium tuberosum): Spice and Vegetable 

Kutsay is a spice-vegetable known as nira in Japanese,  gachoy in Cantonese, 

buchu in Korean, garlic chives, Chinese chives.

 

A country lass, Isang displays a rare phenomenon of tillers (young plants)* arising from the inflorescence of Allium tuberosum. Seeds normally reach maturity on the stalk (lower photo), before they are dehisced or disseminated by wind, animals and other means.     

 

Potted kutsay serves as ornamental and food condiment.  The plant is also repellant against flies, moths, mosquitoes and common garden pest, including African Giant Snail. Kutsay grows perennially owning to its tubers that can survive extreme drought, and spring back to robust vegetation come rainy season. The small bulbs or tubers are group in clusters.  In summer kutsay produces umbel inflorescence characteristic of members in the lily family (Alliaceae) to which onion and garlic belong - so with many ornamental lilies. 

  

 We have never been without kutsay growing in our garden since I was a child. Dad would gather some leaves and add to fried or scrambled eggs. “It’s good to health," he would tell us. Miki (Ilocos noodle soup) is not complete without this spice-vegetable that has the combined flavor of garlic, chive and onion in a moderate degree. The seed contain edible oil which carries the characteristic flavor.  

Kutsay has antibacterial, anti-emetic, and stimulant properties. It improves circulation and digestion, and kidney function. It is used to treat urinary incontinence, kidney and bladder weaknesses. Traditional medicine recommends kutsay in the treatment of spermatorrhoea. (Spermatorrhoea is involuntary loss of semen, which generally takes place during sleep or under various conditions, like during urination. It is often associated with irritability and debility of the generative organs.).

I remember my Auntie Yaya applying mashed leaves of kutsay on sprain, cuts and bruises.  Our herbolario applied kutsay poultice on dog bite. Today we understand that this remedy is just a palliative measure to prevent infection and ease pain, and that medical attention is needed.

As a vegetable kutsay leaves are mixed with salad. They contain about 2.6% protein, 0.6% fat, 2.4% carbohydrate, 0.95% ash. They also contain small amounts of vitamins A, B1 and C. Flowers and flower buds make a delicious flavoring - raw or cooked - of many recipes of fish and meat. 

Next time you prepare scrambled egg, miki and batchoy,  add liberally chopped fresh kutchay leaves. You'll know why a home garden or a kitchen is not complete without this humble aromatic herb. ~

4.4 - Turmeric (Luyang dilaw) Curcuma longa -

Medicine-and-Spice

Luyang dilaw has outstanding medicinal properties that are a potential cure to many ailments and diseases associated with our postmodern living. 

You may miss the plant on the farm, roadside, pasture, or the garden.  It is because it is unassuming in its vegetative stage - appearing like lily, baston de San Jose, lobster's claw, camia or any of its relatives under Family Zingiberaceae or ginger family.

Miss Jules SM Rojas poses in a garden of luyang dilaw (Curcuma longa) at home in Lagro QC. 

But no one would miss in its flowing stage, this plant universally known as tumeric,  Its flowers are typical of ginger species led by the popular Zingiber officinale or luya, no kitchen is without it.  

Luyang dilaw is a leafy plant, 1 to 1.5 meters tall, with 5 to 6 leaves. Rhizomes are bright yellow inside, thick and cylindrical. Leaf blade is green, oblong, 30 to 45 centimeters long and 10 to 20 centimeters wide. Petiole is as long as the blade. Peduncle is 15 centimeters or more in length, borne within the tuft of leaves. Spikes are 10 to 20 centimeters in length and about 5 centimeters in diameter. Floral bracts are pale green, ovate, 3 to 4 centimeters long, the comabracts tinged with pink. Flowers are pale yellow to pink, as long as the bracts. Fruits are capsules.

Luyang dilaw is pantropic, native of India, Its rhizomes are contain flavonoid curcumin (diferuloylmethane) and various volatile oils, including tumerone, atlantone, and zingiberone. It contain volatile oil (3-5%), tumerol (alcohol), d-alpha phellandrene, carvone, camphor, curcumone; fat, 3%; starch (30%); resin; curcumin (yellow orange pigment). It is a good source of phosphorus and iron.

As one who grew up on the farm, luyang dilaw is a familiar wild plant which old folk would gather for spice like the local luya. My Auntie Yaya, Basang would dig up a hill even if the rhizomes are still young and small, and would crush them as poultice for minor wounds and insect bites. A decoction would expel bad air, and loosen breathing if you have colds or flu. Little did I know about this annual plant. It aestivates in summer, awaking at the first rain in May, profusely growing to overcome weeds around. It would bloom shortly, then dries up leaving its rhizomes beneath the ground - if not harvested -  only to germinate again the next monsoon season.  

Here is a summary of some distinct characteristics of luyang dilaw, largely from researches I conducted in the university and from the Internet. Thanks to Philippine Medicinal Plants, and Alternative Medicine. Special thanks to the late Dr Eduardo Quisumbing, author of Medicinal Plants of the Philippines, who was then my professor in botany in the early sixties.

            Roots and young rhizomes of Curcuma longa

This list serves only as a guide and does not endorse self-medication. Medical advice is recommended before using the product or any of its preparations. 

1. The rhizome is pungent and bitter tasting, warming, carminative. In Chinese medicine it is , believed to Improve Ch'i circulation.

2. Studies have demonstrated various therapeutics effects: antioxidant, antiinflammatory, cholesterol-lowering, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and anticarcinogenic activity.

3. As a folkloric medicine luyang dilaw is used as antiseptic, anti-contusion, antibacterial, antifungal. This is greatly appreciated with its aromatic, stimulant, tonic, cordial, emmenagogue and astringent properties. It is also used as carminative and for dispelling flatulence. In China used for colic, amenorrhea, congestions.


4. Turmeric paste mixed with a little lime and saltpeter is applied hot to sprains and bruises.
For smallpox and chicken pox, coating of turmeric powder or thin paste applied externally to facilitate scabbing. Paste made from flowers used for ringworm and other parasitic skin infections. Ointment is used in neuralgia and rheumatism.

5. In the Philippines rhizome with coconut oil is used as stomachic and vulnerary (promotes healing of wounds). Internally, juice of fresh rhizome used as anthelmintic. Rhizome is also used for intermittent fevers, flatulence, dyspepsia. (Dyspepsia is a group of symptoms which often include bloating, nausea and burping. Belching, nausea and a bloated feeling are common symptoms of dyspepsia).

4. As condiment, it is an ingredient of curry powder, and for food coloring In dried or powdered form, used like ginger.

5. Used for menstrual irregularities, contusions and associated with painful swelling.
Crush rhizome and apply to wounds, insect bites, leech-bites,.ringworm, bleeding.

6. Fumes of burning turmeric used as inhalation in catarrh and severe head colds.

7. Turmeric is one of the best known of material dyes, used for dyeing silk, wool and cotton. Rhizomes used for dyeing mats in the Philippines.

8. Ointment: Wash the unpeeled ginger. Chop the rhizomes to fill half a glass of water. Sauté with one glass of coconut oil on low heat for five minutes. Place in a clean bottle and label.

- Antiseptic for wounds: Extract juice of the fresh rhizome and apply directly 

   on the wound or swelling.

- Gas pain in adults: Decoction from thumb-sized rhizome in a glass of water

   reduced to half. 

- Turmeric for cough: Link provides preparation of turmeric as home remedy 

   for coughs

9. Here is a list of studies on luyang dilaw

• Tobacco Chewer and Chronic Smoker De-Addiction : 
• Anti-parasitic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory
• Anticancer 
• Antifungal activities against Trichophyton longifusus.
• Antibacterial 
• Antioxidants and showed significant reduction in blood glucose. 
• Anti-Inflammatory 
• Peptic Ulcer Healing 
• Antifertility Effect
• Radioprotective
• Antithrombotic 
• Antiplatelet Effects 
• Effect on Arsenic Toxicity
• Renoprotective: 
• Healing Effect on Smoking-Induced Liver Damage 

Continuing researches in these fields or topics challenge the young to pursue medicine, pharmacology, or any related career, including the promotion of alternative medicine and natural healing. 

Weeping willow PHOTO top right, is a natural pest repellent. It drives mosquitoes and flies around. You save on expensive and dangerous pesticides by having a tree in the yard. Its leaves exude fresh and pleasant smell in the surroundings. The leaves when crushed is best for aromatherapy. It exudes fresh menthol. Burn some dried leaves to drive out vermin like mosquitoes and cockroaches. Try some crushed leaves as deodorant in the bathroom and bedroom. 

Gotu Kola or Takip Kuhol (Centella asiatica)

LESSON: Former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio 738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday
Acknowledgement: Philippine Alternative Medicine (Internet)

 4.5 - Kitchen Garden - Practical Hydroponics

Three-week old kamote tops kitchen garden

You can grow kamote or sweet potato tops* in the kitchen. It also serves as a greenery of sort on the window sill.

Fill to three-fourth a convenient glass jar with tap water. Place a healthy tuber on the mouth of the jar. To keep it steady, stick three pieces of toothpick like a tripod. Add water daily as roots develop. Be sure to replace water weekly to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the jar.

In a week's time or two you can start harvesting. At first allow the tops to extend. Just clip the leaves you need in your cooking. Rotate the position of the tuber towards the source of light, so that you will have more shoots, and greener and bigger leaves.

Now you have a dish garden for a whole month or longer. You can grow fresh onion leaves with this technique. Try it on garlic.

You see, this is simple hydroponics - soil-less gardening. It is introduction to the science of hydroponics and aeroponics. For school children, why don't you try this as your project?

Read more about hydroponics and aeroponics. Happy gardening! 

(Model: Miss Gelyn S Gabao, 19 Filipina)

Kamote (Ipomea batatas) tops contain more minerals and vitamins than any other vegetables, or its equivalent weight in meat and poultry. It is a glow food that enhances natural beauty and health, and gives that gait, poise and stride that many beauties display. It is the secret to acquiring and maintaining natural immunity and high resistance against diseases and other ailments. It contains substances that sharpen the brain and quicken responses to situations and the environment. 

It is a vegetable all year round. In summer kamote is grown in the fields and gardens for its enlarged roots or tubers which are rich in carbohydrates (go food) and rich in protein (grow food). In the habagat, it grows wild and luxuriant on hilltops, on levees and dikes, on the uplands, covering wide areas, keeping weeds down and protecting the soil from erosion. 

Kamote tops make an excellent dish with mungo and pork, bulanglang with shrimp or fish, and mushroom, or cooked in other recipes, or served as salad, blanched with red, ripe tomatoes and sliced onions, with a dash of salt, or a dip of fish sauce - bagoong or patis. Or cooked in tinola in place of pepper leaves, and green papaya. Why not blanch the tops on rice in its final stage of cooking? Add bagoong squeezed with calamansi or lemon. 

Kamote tops, maligned for being a poor man's food, rise to the apex of the food pyramid, top the list health programs, and doctors' prescription. Kamote tops occupies the rank of malunggay, alugbati, talinum, and spinach, relegating lettuce and other crucifers - cabbage and cauliflower and pechay - to the backseat.

Kamote tops are safe to health and the environment because they don't carry residues of pesticides applied on the field on many crops, and also those of toxic metals like lead, mercury and cadmium. Damaged parts are simply discarded, harvesting only the succulent and healthy leaves for further safety and better presentation.

Kamote tops come in green and purple, characteristic of the plant varieties, but in both cases, the same nutritive values are derived, with some advantage from the purple variety which contains xanthophyll in addition to chlorophyl. Both are recommended for anemic persons for their high iron content, and to those suffering from poor bone development, poor eyesight, and poor metabolism.

Kamote tops are used as planting materials, a case of cloning in the plant world, each stem becoming a new plant rejuvenated and true to type genetically - and younger than the parent source.  The new plant is capable of carrying all processes that constitute the plant's cycle.  It is a phenomenon known in variable observations in the living world, which heretofore remains unsolved by science.

Beauties come naturally with good food, simple and active lifestyle, in the rural areas where sunshine, clean air and surrounding, make a perfect combination from which spring the true beauty of man and woman, as compared to the makeup beauty from cosmetics, expensive salons, and by the so-called wonders of science and technology like liposuction and surgery. Why can't we simply eat kamote tops more often.

4.6 - Kitchen Garden: Grow native onion leek at home

                              

Native onion grown in pot provides ready fresh onion leek for a number of recipes like fried eggs, soup, omelet, kilawin, porridge (lugaw), arroz caldo.

This is one way to encourage kids to have a daily supplement of vegetables. Vary the use of leek in their diet. Onion leek is rich in vitamin K, A, C and B6, manganese, folate, iron, fiber, magnesium, molybdenum, copper, calcium, and potassium. It also contains thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, and antibiotic substances like Allicin and Alliin - from Allium, the genus of onion (A. cepa), garlic (A. sativum), kutchay (A tuberosum), and the original leek (A. ampeloprasum). Leeks generally have also high calorie value, and fair amounts of protein and fat. It is no wonder onion is the most important vegetable in the world.

 

Spouting bulb of shallot or bulb variety (Red Creole). Gather only what you need for the moment using scissor. Don't cut the entire stem - only mature leaves.

Grow leek where there is sufficient sunlight, preferably on an elevated place. It's easy to grow leek from shallot (Sibuyas Tagalog) and from bulb onions (Granex or Creole). Staggered planting assures continuous supply of leek for the family - and for neighbors too.

A pot of onion leek makes a unique gift to friends who love to cook, those in their senior years, and those convalescing. Don't forget to add a little ribbon and a personal message. Make this as project in school and community. ~

Part 5 - Three Green Revolutions

The First Green Revolution took place when man turned hunter to farmer, which also marked the birth of human settlement, in the Fertile Crescent, (PHOTO) between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers where the present war in Iraq is taking place.

The Second Green Revolution is characterized by the improvement of farming techniques and the expansion of agricultural frontiers, resulting in the conversion of millions of hectares of land into agriculture all over the world. This era lasted for some three hundred years, and marched with the advent of modern science and technology, which gave rise to Industrial Revolution. Its momentum however, was interrupted by two world wars.

Then in the second part of the last century, a Third Green Revolution was born. With the strides of science and technology, agricultural production tremendously increased. Economic prosperity followed specially among post-colonial nations - the Third World - which took the cudgels of self rule, earning respect in the international community, and gaining the status of Newly Industrialized Nations (NICs) one after another.

Towards the end of the last century, the age of biotechnology and genetic engineering arrived. Here the conventions of agriculture have been radically changed. For example, desirable traits are transferred through gene splicing so that trans-generic – even trans-kingdom – trait combinations are now possible. Bt Corn, a genetically modified corn that carries the caterpillar-repelling gene of a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, exemplifies such case. Penicillin-producing microorganisms are not only screened from among naturally existing species and strains; they are genetically engineered with super genes from other organisms known for their superior production efficiency.

Biotechnology for people and environment

The need for food and other commodities is ever increasing. Together with conventional agriculture, biotechnology will be contributing significantly to the production of food, medicine, raw materials for the industry, and in keeping a balanced ecology. This indeed will offer relief to the following scenarios:

1. World’s population increases from today’s 8 billion to 10 billion in 10 years.

2. Agricultural frontiers have virtually reached dead end.

3. Farmlands continue to shrink, giving way to settlements and industry,
while facing the onslaught of erosion and desertification

4. Pollution is getting worse in air, land and water. (Photos: right, garbage clandestinely exported by Canada to the Philippines)

 

5. Global warming is not only a threat; it is a real issue to deal with.

These scenarios seem to revive the Apocalyptic Malthusian theory, which haunts many poor countries - and even industrialized countries where population density is high. We are faced with the problem on how to cope up with a crisis brought about by the population-technology-environment tandem that has started showing its fangs at the close of the 20th century.

Now we talk in terms of quality life, health and longevity, adequate food supply and proper nutrition - other human development indices (HDI), notwithstanding.
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As scientists open the new avenue of genetic engineering to produce genetically modified organisms for food, medicine and industry, entrepreneurs are shaping up a different kind of Green Revolution on the old country road – the employment of veritable, beneficial microorganisms to answer the basic needs of the vast majority of the world’s population.

Green Revolution for the masses

This Green Revolution has to be addressed to the masses. The thrust in biotechnology development must have a strong social objective. This must include the integration of the mass-based enterprises with research and development (R&D). Like the defunct NACIDA, a program for today should be cottage-based, not only corporate-based. Genetic engineering should be explored not for scientific reasons or for profit motives alone, but purposely for social objectives that could spur socio-economic growth on the countryside, and the improvement the lives of millions of people.

Alternative Food

These lowly organisms will be farmed like conventional crops. In fact, today mushroom growing is among the high-tech agricultural industries, from spawn culture to canning.

Spirulina, a cyanobacterium, has been grown for food since ancient times by the Aztecs in Mexico and in early civilizations in the Middle East. Its culture is being revived on estuaries and lakes, and even in small scale, in tanks and ponds. Today the product is sold as “vegetablet.”

Seaweeds, on the other hand, are being grown extensively and involving many species, from Caulerpa to Nori. (PHOTO below)  Seaweed farming has caught worldwide attention in this last two decades, not only because it offers a good source of food, but also industrial products like carageenan and agar.

Environmental Rehabilitation

In the remote case that a nuclear explosion occurs, how possible is it to produce food and other needs in the bomb shelters deep underground? Fiction as it may seem, the lowly microorganisms have an important role. For one, mushrooms do not need sunlight to grow. Take it from the mushroom-growing termites. Another potential crop is Chlorella. While it produces fresh biomass as food it is also an excellent oxygen generator, oxygen being the by-product of photosynthesis. But where will Chlorella get light? Unlike higher plants, this green alga can make use of light and heat energy from an artificial source like fluorescent lamp.

Sewage treatment with the use of algae is now common in the outskirts of big cities like New York and Tokyo. From the air the open sewer is a series of reservoirs through which the sewage is treated until the spent material is released. The sludge is converted into organic fertilizer and soil conditioner, while the water is safely released into the natural environment such as a lake or river.

Marine seaweeds are known to grow in clean water. Their culture necessitates maintenance of the marine environment. Surprisingly seaweeds help in maintaining a clean environment, since they trap particles and detritus, and increase dissolved Oxygen and reduce dissolved CO2 level in water.

Bacteria being decomposers return organic substances to nature. So with algae and fungi. Fermentation is in fact, a process of converting organic materials into inorganic forms for the use of the next generation of organisms. In the process, man makes use of the intermediate products like ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, nata de coco, lactic acid, and the like.

Speaking of sustainable agriculture, take it from Nature’s biofertilizers like Nostoc and other Eubacteria. These BGAs form green matting on rice fields. Farmers in India and China gather this biomass, and use it as natural fertilizer. Another is Rhizobium, a bacterium that fixes atmospheric Nitrogen into NO3, the form of N plants directly absorb and utilize. Its fungal counterpart, Mycorrhiza, converts Nitrogen in the same way, except that this microorganism thrives in the roots of orchard and forest trees.

Let me cite the success of growing Azolla-Anabaena (PHOTO) on ricefields in Asian countries. This is another biofertilizer, and discriminating consumers are willing to pay premium price for rice grown without chemical fertilizer - only with organic and bio-fertilizers. At one time a good friend, medical doctor and gentleman farmer, Dr. P. Parra, invited me to see his Azolla farm in Iloilo. What I saw was a model of natural farming, employing biotechnology in his integrated farm –

• Azolla for rice PHOTO left,
• Biogas from piggery,

• Rhizobia PHOTO right, inoculation for peanuts 

   and mungbeans,
• Trichoderma for composting.
• Food processing (fruit wine and vinegar)

Dr Parra's market for his natural farm products are people as far as Manila who are conscious of their health, and willing to pay the premium price for naturally grown food.

Genetic Engineering

It is true that man has succeeded in splicing the DNA, in like manner that he harnessed the atom through fission. Genetic engineering is a kind of accelerated and guided evolution, and while it helps man screen and develop new breeds and varieties, it has yet to offer the answer to the declining productivity of farms and agriculture, in general, particularly in developing countries. Besides, genetically engineered products have yet to earn a respectable place in the market and household.

Genetic engineering of beneficial organisms is the subject of research institutions all over the world. I had a chance to visit the Biotechnology Center in Taipei and saw various experiments conducted by Chinese scientists particularly on antibiotics production. But biotechnology has also its danger. One example is the case of the “suicide seeds”. These are hybrid seeds which carry a trigger enzyme which destroys the embryo soon after harvest so that the farmers will be forced to buy again seeds for the next cropping. It is similar to self-destruct diskettes, or implanted viruses in computers. This is how Monsanto, the inventor of suicide seeds, is creating an empire built at the expense of millions of poor farmers over the world.

Medicine and Natural Food

As resistance of pests and pathogens continue to increase and become immune to drugs, man is corollarily searching for more potent and safe kinds and formulations. He has resorted to looking into the vast medicinal potentials of these lowly organisms, as well as their value as natural food. Here are some popular examples.

1. Nori or gamet (Porphyra, a red alga) – elixir,
claimed to be more potent than Viagra (photo)

2. Edible seaweeds - rich in iodine, vegetable substitute.
There is no known poisonous seaweed.

3. Seaweeds as source of natural antibiotics, much safer than conventional antibiotics.

4. Mushrooms have anti-cancer properties.(photo: author with wild mushroom from the field)

6. Cyanobacteria prolongs life, restores youthfulness.

7. Yeast is a health food

8. Yogurt is bacteria-fermented milk, health drink.

9. Carica and Mamordica extracts for medicine and health food

10. Organically grown food (without the use of chemical pesticide and fertilizer)

Dr. Domingo Tapiador (photo), a retired UN expert on agriculture and fisheries, helped initiate the introduction of Spirulina in the country. He showed me the capsule preparation produced in Japan. “Why can’t we grow Spirulina locally?” he asked.

Today a year after, there are successful pilot projects. Spirulina is not only good as human food but feeds as well. Prior to obtaining his doctorate degree, Professor Johnny Ching of Dela Salle University found out that Spirulina added to the feed ration of bangus improves growth rate. (MS Biology, UST). Similar studies point out to the beneficial effects of Spirulina on the daily weight gain in poultry and livestock. Earlier studies also discovered Azolla, an aquatic fern with a blue-green alga symbiont – Anabaena, as a valuable feed supplement to farm animals.

These lowly groups of organisms which cannot even qualify as plants, but instead protists with which protozoa are their kin, biologically speaking that is, are after all “giants.”

They hold the promise in providing food, medicine, clean environment, and as a whole, a better quality of human life for the people today and the coming generations.~
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*The 2021 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC 2021) highlights the remarkably high severity and numbers of people in Crisis or worse (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above) or equivalent in 55 countries/territories, driven by persistent conflict, pre-existing and COVID-19-related economic shocks, and weather extremes. The number identified in the 2021 edition is the highest in the report’s five-year existence. The report is produced by the Global Network against Food Crises (which includes WFP), an international alliance working to address the root causes of extreme hunger.

** The theme for International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 2021 is “Building Forward Together: Ending Persistent Poverty, Respecting all People and our Planet”. How many people live below the international poverty line?
736 million people lived below the international poverty line of US $ 1.90 a day in 2015. In 2018, almost 8 per cent of the world’s workers and their families lived on less than US$1.90 per person per day. Most people living below the poverty line belong to two regions: Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

*** In microeconomics, economies of scale are the cost advantages that enterprises obtain due to size, output, or scale of operation, with cost per unit of output generally decreasing with increasing scale as fixed costs are spread out over more units of output.

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid  738 DZRB AM Dr Abe Rotor and Ms Melly C Tenorio 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday