Garden of Mom Siony Part 1

Hi! So it was Tuesday. I went home early because my mom was in a good mood and she said we'll play with our dogs, Zimmer and Digong. But it took her a little while so I ended up wandering around her garden. Hahaha. She has the whole lot as her garden. If you know her, she's very much fond of flowers and all other plants. I featured only few (4 actually HAHA) of her plants because though I had a semester or two subjects in our undergrad which are basically about plants - I have to admit, I have very minimal knowledge on this. Let me waste 3 minutes of your day and watch the video. ♥

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Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) is an evergreen shrub native to West Africa, and it is believed to be eaten by Africans for hundreds of years prior to its introduction to the Western world.

The secret to miracle fruit’s “miracle” powers is a unique protein appropriately named “miraculin.” At first, it is believed miraculin works by changing the shape of your sweet receptor proteins. They normally respond to sugars to register a sweet flavor, but since the composition has been altered, acidic foods become sweet as well.

However, according to a recent study from the University of Tokyo, this explanation is not exactly correct. According to the author, miraculin latches to the sweet receptors and suppresses them. And when your tongue comes into contact with acidic food, miraculin supercharges the sweet receptors’ signals. The sweetness occurs due to miraculin gaining extra protons that change shape and influence the receptors. (Miracle Fruit)

 Gumamela is a shrub that is highly cultivated as an ornamental plant in the Philippines. It is the local term used in the Philippines for Hibiscus, China Rose, and Shoe Flower. This plant has a scientific name known as Hibiscus rosasinensis. Usually, this ornamental plant grows from one meter up to four meters high. Its flower may come in various colors similar to orange, white, pink, yellow, red, purple, and other color combinations.

As herbal medicine, gumamela flower, leaves and roots are used. Gumamela has the following medicinal characteristics: expectorant, diuretic, emollient, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, anodyne and refrigerant. Gumamela leaves, usually blended with Rose Hip has long been used in the Middle East and Okinawa as herbal tea. Today, the use of gumamela tea is gaining worldwide popularity – including Asia. Gumamela (Hibiscus) is associated with longevity. (Gumamela)

Sili or capsicum is a member of the solanaceae family of plants (nightshade) which includes tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants. There are five species of chili peppers: annum (annual), baccatum (berrylike) Chinese (from China) frutescens (shrubby or bushy) and pubescens (hairy). Siling labuyo is from the frustescens species, although we have the annum and the other varieties of chili. Siling labuyo is the most popular in the Philippines for spicing all foods specially barbecues. It is mainly used as a condiment like the hot banana sauce and palm vinegar spiced with chili and garlic. Other chili peppers like the sweet bell peppers are grown only in Bagiuo or Mountain Province because of the cool climate in the region. The sweet banana pepper variety is also popular for spicing up soups especially the sour soup we call “sinigang” (just like tom yum soup of Thailand).

In herbal medicine, the old folks use the hot peppers in relieving arthritis pain and rheumatism. I remember my mom putting hot peppers (siling labuyo) in a glass bottle and filling it with kerosene and sliced gingers. I guess the hotness of the mixture helps in the relief. Capsaicin is the alkaloid compound that is found in the white membranes of the hot peppers and is now used widely in medicines for all kinds of illnesses. They say that if you eat this hot stuff everyday, you will always be in a happy mood! (Sili)

Rose apple which is also known as water apple or “tambis” is a watery fruit that is native to Eastern Australia. This bell-shaped fruit has shinny skin that may vary from light pink to red or yellow and green. Its white flesh contains lots of juice and is foamy.

 The health benefits of rose apple fruits come from its nutritional contents:protein, fiber, vitamin C, iron and calcium. It contains no saturated fats andsugar. Rose apples have insignificant amounts of cholesterol and sodium, aswell. (Tambis)