MEDICINAL USES OF COCONUT

Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a "functional food" because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Pacific Islanders consider coconut oil to be the cure for all illness. The coconut palm is so highly valued by them as both a source of food and medicine that it is called "The Tree of Life." Only recently has modern medical science unlocked the secrets to coconut's amazing healing powers.

Coconut In Traditional Medicine

People from many diverse cultures, languages, religions, and races scattered around the globe have revered the coconut as a valuable source of both food and medicine. Wherever the coconut palm grows the people have learned of its importance as a effective medicine. For thousands of years coconut products have held a respected and valuable place in local folk medicine.

In traditional medicine around the world coconut is used to treat a wide variety of health problems including the following: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds.

Coconut In Modern Medicine

Modern medical science is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above conditions. Published studies in medical journals show that coconut, in one form or another, may provide a wide range of health benefits. Some of these are summarized below:


Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.

Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.

Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.

Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.

Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.

Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.

Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.

Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.

Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.

Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.

Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.

Helps protect against osteoporosis.

Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.

Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.

Improves digestion and bowel function.

Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.

Reduces inflammation.

Supports tissue healing and repair.

Supports and aids immune system function.

Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.

Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.

Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.

Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.

Functions as a protective antioxidant.

Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.

Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.

Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.

Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).

Reduces epileptic seizures.

Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.

Dissolves kidney stones.

Helps prevent liver disease.

Is lower in calories than all other fats.

Supports thyroid function.

Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.

Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.

Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.

Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.

Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.

Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.

Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.

Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.

Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.

Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Helps control dandruff.

Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.

Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.

Is completely non-toxic to humans.

medicinal uses of cassava

Cassava has had many folk medicine uses in tropical and subtropical countries where it has been a staple food for millions of people. Leaves and roots have been a folk remedy for tumors and cancers, which may be due to the B17 content, also known as laetrile. Vitamin B17 is also found in some seeds like apricots, peaches, apples, plums, nectarines, cherries, bean sprouts, flax, millet, lentils, macadamia nuts, as well as bamboo shoots, watercress and sweet potato. Edward Griffin in his research and book, ‘World without cancer, the story of vitamin B17’, says that B17 stimulates haemoglobin red blood cell count. Griffin believes many ailments of man could be related to a simple vitamin B17 deficiency. It is noteworthy, that in some ethnic cultures, where the way of life has been a very simple diet with cassava as a staple food, cancer is a very rare occurrence.
Medicinal Uses of Cassava

1. For relief of headache or fever apply a head compress of pounded cassava leaves.

2. Solution formed by boiling the bark of the stem of the cassava plant will help expel intestinal worms and will also serves as medicine for rheumatism.

3. Pounded cassava tuber may be applied on ulcerated wounds as medicine. The juice from the pounded tuber also as an antiseptic.

4. Cassava starch relieves the ill-effects of rashes and prickly heat. Place cassava starch on affected parts.

Nutritive Value of Cassava

1. The cassava tuber is boiled and eaten with or without sugar.

2. The tuber is a good source of gapleck and sago. From gapleck, starch is manufactured which is then made into flour and used in the preparation of biscuits, cookies and bread. Sago is used in the preparation of "guinata-an", a native delicacy.

3. The cassava starch is also made into paste which serves as glue.

MEDICINAL USES OF APPLE

APPLE AND ITS MEDICINAL USES
The apple is a highly nutritive food. It contains minerals and vitamins in abundance. The food value of the apple is chiefly constituted by its contents of sugar which ranges from 9 to 51 per cent. Of this, fruit sugar constitutes 60 per cent and glucose 25 pet cent and cane sugar only 15 per cent.
Apples are useful in kidney stones
The skin of apple should not be discarded when taking it in raw form as the skin and the flesh just below it contain more vitamin C than the inner flesh. The vitamin content decreases gradually towards the center of the fruit. The skin also contains five times more vitamin A than the flesh.
Iron contained in the apple helps in formation of blood.
Raw apples are good for constipation.
Cooked or baked apples are good for diarrhea.
Apples have been found useful in acute and chronic dysentery among children. Ripe and sweet apples should be crushed into pulp and given to the child several times a day.
Apples are of special value to heart patients. They are rich in potassium and phosphorus but low in sodium. It is also useful for patients of high blood pressure.
Apple is also said to be beneficial to gout patients caused by increase of uric acid in blood.
The apple peel water is an excellent medicine for the inflamed eyes as an eye wash. The over-ripe apples are useful as a poultice for sore eyes. The pulp is applied over the closed eyes.
Tooth-decay can be prevented by regular consumption of apples as they possess a mouth cleansing property.
The apple is the best fruit to tone up a weak and run-down patient. It removes deficiencies of vital organs and makes the body stout and strong. It tones up the body and the brain as it contains more phosphorus and iron than any other fruit or vegetable.
AN APPLE A DAY KEEP DOCTORS AWAY





FACTS ABOUT AND MEDICINAL VALUE OF APPLE
--- Apples come in all shades of reds, greens, yellows.
--- 2500 varieties of apples are grown in the United States.
--- 7500 varieties of apples are grown throughout the world.

---- The top apple producing states are Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which produced over 83 percent of the nation’s 2001-crop apple supply.
---- Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free.
---- A medium apples is about 80 calories.
---- Apples are a great source of the fiber pectin.
---- One apple has five grams of fiber.
---- Apple trees take four to five years to produce their first fruit.
---- In Europe, France, Italy and Germany are the leading apple producing countries.
---- Most apples can be grown farther north than most other fruits because they blossom late in spring, minimizing frost damage.
---- It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
---- Apples are the second most valuable fruit grown in the United States. Oranges are first.
---- In colonial time apples were called winter banana or melt-in-the-mouth.
---- Newton Pippin apples were the first apples exported from America in 1768, some were sent to Benjamin Franklin in London.
---- In 1730 the first apple nursery was opened in Flushing, New York.
---- Some apple trees will grown over forty feet high and live over a hundred years.
---- Apples have five seed pockets or carpels. Each pocket contains seeds. The number of seeds per carpel is determined by the vigor and health of the plant. Different varieties of apples will have different number of seeds.
---- China is the leading producer of apples with over 1.2 billion bushels grown in 2001. World's top apple producers now are China,Poland,USA,Italy and Turkey.