Saluyot: The Wonder Vegetable

Native to India, saluyot -- or Corchorus olitorius -- is a leafy vegetable. Its green teardrop-shape leaves resemble basil, except that saluyot’s are serrated. Jute fiber -- used for paper, string and burlap -- is derived from the saluyot’s stalks, adding to its economic value. The dried leaves of this annual plant are also used medicinally and provide vitamins and minerals. Before you use it to treat a health condition, consult your doctor.

During Nursing school we have talked with a lot old people ages 70 and above about what do they usually eat (because most of them don't have or is lacking a complete set of teeth and lacks dentures) and they're reply is "Saluyot" either, "Diningding a local delicacy in the North or Laswa a common vegetable soup in the South". They said that aside from being easily swallowed because the soup is quite slimy when cooked, it keeps them strong and healthy.

The recent popularity of saluyot has to do with how the leaves are marketed for their alleged anti-aging properties. Cleopatra, probably one of the most vain women in history, supposedly ate a lot of saluyot during her lifetime. But saluyot isn’t just for the vain — the leaves have a medicinal use apart from being a good source of daily vitamins and minerals.

Saluyot in Traditional and Folkloric Medicine

• Saluyot being rich in vitamins and minerals generally promotes good health and well-being.
• Saluyot being rich in vitamin A can provide health benefits for good eyesight.
• Saluyot contains vitamin E and other antioxidants. It is said to prevent wrinkles and promote youthful looking skin.
• Saluyot is used to treat inflammation and pain such as arthritis , headache, stomach ache and others.
• Saluyot being rich in fiber helps to control blood pressure, cholesterol build-up, diabetes and prevents heart disease.
• Saluyot leaves are rich in fiber and its slimy consistency when cooked is used to treat various digestive problems such as diarrhea, stomach ache, dysentery, constipation and ulcers.
• It is also claimed that together with other herbs it can cure cancer.

Antioxidants

The Philippines Department of Agriculture promotes saluyot leaves as food that offers benefits fresh or dried. They are rich in vitamin E and also contain vitamin A and C. All three nutrients are antioxidants that protect your cells from disease-causing molecules known as free radicals. The antioxidants in saluyot may sharpen vision, fight arthritis and improve fertility.

Minerals and Other Vitamins

Besides antioxidants, saluyot leaves provide the minerals iron, calcium, sodium, phosphorous and potassium. Each has a number of roles it plays to keep you healthy. Iron, for example, makes it possible for your body to make myoglobin and hemoglobin, two proteins essential to the circulation of oxygen through your body. The leaves also have the B-complex vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. As a group, the B-vitamins facilitate the extraction of nutrients from foods during digestion. The three that saluyot provides contribute to energy production.

Extended Shelf Life

After harvest, saluyot leaves become limp quickly. They last a few days longer if you take the greens out of the ground with the roots and place them in a vase of water. The dehydrated leaves, however, offer the benefit of a longer shelf life. According to the University of Illinois Extension, dried herbs last one to two years in storage. Keep the leaves whole and crush them as needed. Store them in an airtight container in a dry and dark place.

Using Dried Saluyot

You can make tea with dried saluyot leaves. According to the Philippines Department of Agriculture, the beverage is a remedy for blood pressure, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and cholesterol. The government agency, tasked with promoting crops of economic value, also states saluyot tea can prevent asthma, diabetes, heart problems and cancer. Ask your doctor to weigh in on those health claims if you are considering the plant as a preventive or curative remedy. That said, it seems the drink is a harmless source of nutrient.

Saluyot tea preparation:

• Gather fresh Saluyot leaves then air dry
• boil half a cup of dried saluyot leaves to a liter of water
• let it seep for 10 minutes
• remove from heat
• Strain solids
• drink while warm 3 - 4 glasses a day for best results.

Saluyot being an annual plant can be grown in your backyard or can be bought in your local wet market by the  bunch.
Saluyot leaves may be dried and stored for later use.

Saluyot leaves are dried and boiled to make a medicinal tea.

Saluyot leaves being a vegetable can be thrown in as an ingredient in making stews or soups  and other viands.  The Ilocanos are known to prepare delicious dishes with saluyot, the most popular are dinengdeng and bulang-bulang. Some Ilocanos even attributes their youthful looks and longevity in saluyot rich diet.

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Massage for Gout

Massage for Gout

Gout is a common form of arthritis. The condition presents itself as a sudden onset of swelling, redness and pain in and around the joint of the big toe. The condition is caused by high uric acid levels in the blood and the result of this is needle-like crystals formation in and around the joints. In the past two decades, the prevalence of this condition in the United States has been increasing steadily. Approximately 1-2% of the population of the U.S. is estimated to suffer from the disease.

The most common causes of gout include consumption of a diet high in protein, being male in gender, having a family history of gout, excessive alcohol consumption, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diuretic use, obesity, uric acid overproduction and metabolic syndrome. Treatment for gout varies depending on whether the condition is chronic or acute. Complementary therapies such as massage are commonly sought in addition to the available medical treatments.

Massage focuses on the whole body, but in particular, on areas that experience pain due to diseased joints. It is an ancient therapy designed to enhance the body's natural healing mechanisms. Massage is designed to stimulate the metabolism, improve the circulation of blood to the damaged joints and to the muscular tissue surrounding them, reduce experience of pain, and avoid spasms. Pain relief from massage may be quick or make take numerous massage sessions, depending on the degree of pain experienced.

Acupressure is a form of stiff, deep massage performed only with bare hands. Massage practitioners utilize the palms, thumbs and fingertips to perform the massage. Movements are made with the hands in firm yet smooth manner on specific pressure points on the body. Conventional massage and acupressure differ in that conventional massage adopts use of massage oils.

While massage may be an ancient therapy, there is sufficient evidence to prove its effectiveness. Much of the research into massage focuses on osteoarthritis caused by gout-related generative joint changes in the big toe, foot, ankles, knees, fingers, elbows and wrists. The Touch Research Institute based at the University of Miami investigated the effectiveness of massage on wrist/hand arthritis in 22 adults. Participants in the massage group received massage on the area affected by arthritis once a week for four weeks in duration and also performed self-massage on the area on a daily basis. Participants in the massage group reported less pain and greater relief from their arthritis than participants in the other research group.

Adam I. Perlman, Alyse Sabina, Anna-Leila Williams, Valentine Yanchou Njike and David L. Katz conducted a randomized controlled trial into the effectiveness of massage therapy for osteoarthritis of the knee joint, a joint commonly affected by gout. The study involved 68 adults, all of whom were confirmed to have been suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee, were split into two groups: a treatment group and a control group. Those in the treatment group received twice-weekly Swedish massage therapy during weeks 1-4 and once-weekly massage sessions during weeks 5-8. The control group received what was described as delayed intervention. The results of the study, published in 2006, demonstrated significantly reduced experience of pain and improved functionality of the knee in the treatment group. This led researchers to conclude that massage therapy appeared to be effective in the treatment of arthritis of the knee joint.

While at present there are no cures for gout, massage can help to control the symptoms of gout and aid sufferers in maintaining a normal lifestyle whenever they experience a gout flare-up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvsRMatrNns

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Food to avoid if you have high Uric acid , Arthritis or Gout

Food to avoid if you have high Uric acid , Arthritis or Gout

High uric acid levels in the blood stream can lead to a common form of arthritis called gout.

To prevent gout, it is essential to maintain good eating habits and have proper medication. To reduce the uric acid levels in blood, you may need to limit intake of alcohol, sugary foods and reduce purine rich foods like meat, poultry, seafood and pulses. Vegetables such as cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, peas and mushroom also contain a lot of purines. Digestion of purine leads to the formation of uric acid. If uric acid is not eliminated normally which is seen in gout sufferers, it can build up in the blood stream leading to joint inflammation and pain.

1. Water
Water flushes out toxins including excess uric acid from the body. Have at least 10- 12 glasses of water daily.

2. Cherries
Cherries have anti - inflammatory substances named anthocyanis that help reduce uric acid levels. It prevents the uric acid from crystallizing and being deposited in the joints. Cherries also neutralize the acids and help prevent inflammation and pain. 200 gms per day is very effective in bringing down uric acid.

3. Berries
Berries especially strawberries, and blueberries have anti-inflammatory properties so include them in your diet.

4. Apple
Malic acid in apple neutralizes uric acid and thus provides relief to the sufferers. You should consume one apple daily after a meal.

5. Lime
The citric acid found in lime is a solvent of the uric acid. The juice of half a lime squeezed into a glass of water should be taken twice daily.

6. French bean juice
Another effective home remedy for gout is french beans juice. The healthy juice can be consumed twice everyday for treating gout or high uric acid.

7. Celery seed
This is a popular home remedy to lower uric acid levels in the body. Have celery seeds extract to get best results.

8. Apple cider vinegar
Drink apple cider vinegar. Add 3 teaspoons of vinegar to 8 ounces of water and have it 2-3 times every day to treat uric acid.

9. Pinto beans
A diet rich in folic acid can help lower uric acid naturally. Folic acid rich foods like pinto beans, sunflower seeds and lentils should be included in your diet.

10. Vegetable juices
Carrot juice in combination with beet and cucumber juice is also very effective. 100 ml each of beet juice and cucumber juice should be mixed with 300 ml carrot juice and taken daily.
Low fat dairy products like milk, curd help lower uric acid level.

11. Foods rich in vit c
Include vitamin c rich foods & supplements in your daily diet to reduce uric acid in the body. It disintegrates uric acid and forces it out of the body through urine. Good sources of vitamin c are awla, guava, kiwi, sweet lime, oranges, capsicum, lemon, tomato and green leafy veg.

12. High-fibre foods
According to the university of maryland medical center, adding foods high in dietary fibre may help lower uric acid levels in your blood. Dietary fibre may help absorb uric acid in your bloodstream, allowing it to be eliminated from your body through your kidneys.

 Increase the consumption of dietary soluble fibers such as isabgol, oats, broccoli, apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers, celery, and carrots, barley.
Bananas are also beneficial in lowering uric acid.

13. Green tea
Consume green tea on a regular basis to control hyperuricemia (high uric acid levels) and lower your risk of developing gout.

14. Eating grains that are more alkaline such as jowar, bajra are helpful.

15. Vegetables
Tomatoes, broccoli, and cucumbers are some of the veggies that you need to start including in your meals. Tomatoes are one of the best vegetables that you could have for lowering uric acid. Fresh tomato is alkaline by nature and when it is exposed to the blood stream it increases the alkalinity of the blood. Raw vegetables like potatoes or corns are effective to reduce uric acid in the body. Have them raw or steam these vegetables.

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