Protecting the Patch

It irks some people to see empty patches of landscape. They bemoan the barren-ness of the garden when in fact it is by neglect a certain piece of the terrace has been left uncultivated. Perhaps the owner of the house has forgotten to water the lawn, or the house is empty at the moment, or that by overuse of weedicide chemicals that patch is bared, or any of a myriad of reasons. To rectify the owner can choose to re-seed the lawn, or plant some plants inside. Let me introduce a lovely looking landscape plant, which is fast growing, hardy, mops up empty spaces inside your heath, and is only about a few inches in height. The false heather (cuphea lythraceae) pictured above should be able to satisfy those who have been irked by the moonscape-like condition of their favourite patch.

Water melon to enhance your sex life?

The citruline in watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is responsible for its Viagra-like effects, because the citruline is converted in the body to is changed into arginine, an amino acid that benefits the heart and the circulatory and immune systems. Your blood vessels will subsequently be relaxed by as the arginine boosts your nitric oxide levels. Increased nitric oxide levels will also help with angina, high blood pressure and cardiovascular problems. The highest concentrations of citruline are found in the rind

"The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in providing natural enhancers to the human body", said Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station(Feb 2009) “We’ve always known that watermelon is good for you, but the list of its very important healthful benefits grows longer with each study."

Source:agnews.tamu.edu Publication date: 7/1/2008

King of Bitter (andrographis paniculata)

King of Bitter (andrographis paniculata) is a common plant (or weed?) found throughout South East Asia, and India. Its Malay name is hempedu bumi. A decoction of its leaves is used for treatment of high blood pressure and for treatment of diabetes. The bitterness of the decoction also leads herbalists to believe the plant is useful for liver ailments also. A neighbor gave a cutting for me and eversince I have been keen on breeding the plant. As a weed its quite hardy, able to withstand tropical dry and hot weather. Sometimes I forget to water it and although it looks wimpy then, yet the plant soldiers on. After I water it - very quickly it seems to regain its rigors.

Prickly Pear (opuntia littoralis)

Prickly pear is native to the Western Hemisphere. My uncle David Ho brought this up at his Facebook page. Anyway the prickly pear, which he also grows, is found in many countries also, including Australia. Its fruits, also known as cactus figs, can be eaten provided its spiny needles are removed. The tiny spikes if not properly removed can cause irritation to the throat and stomach. Its used to make candies, jelly, and alcoholic drinks. Some people have reported its helpful to remedy a hangover. Its medicinal properties included treatment of type II diabetes. Other uses included hair conditioner (from its sap), and as red dye (from an insect which it hosts).

Cats whiskers (orthosiphon staminus Benth)

Cats Whiskers or misai kucing (Malay) is common herbal plant throughout the South East Asian region. It belongs to the lamiaceae family. Its leaves are decocted as tea for the treatment of bladder and kidney diseases, stone formation, removal of toxins, including uric acid, sodium chloride etc. Research shows the tea increases the rate of perspiration and control one's body weight. Latest research shows the plant may be potentially helpful against cancer.

Green Tea - Does it Have Caffiene?

Technically speaking green tea is defined as having undergone minimal oxidation during processing. Green tea originates from China and has become associated with many cultures in Asia. Unlike black tea, which is grown in India and Ceylon mainly, green tea is made from the leaves of the bush, Camellia sinensis and is associated with the Far East. One of the most intriguing question is whether it contains caffiene or not.

Green teas contain two caffeine metabolites (caffeine-like substances): theophylline, which is a stronger stimulant than caffeine, and theobromine, which is slightly weaker than caffeine. While coffee and tea are both sources of caffeine, the amounts of caffeine in any single serving of these beverages varies significantly. An average serving of coffee contains the most caffeine, the same serving size of tea provides 1/2 to 1/3 as much. One of the more confusing aspects of caffeine content is that coffee contains less caffeine than tea when measured in its dry form. The caffeine content of a prepared cup of coffee is significantly higher than the caffeine content of a prepared cup of tea.

Moreover the length of infusion with hot water and the number of times the leaves are reused can greatly alter caffeine intake. Using a given amount of green tea leaves steeped in 100 mL of water, experiments have shown that after the first 5 minutes of brewing, the tea contains 32 mg caffeine. But if the same leaves are then used for a second and then a third five minute brew, the caffeine drops to 12 mg and then 4 mg, respectively.

Well I hope that cleared up some of our confusions!

Saga of a Runaway Kid

Yesterday we were informed a runaway year-6 schoolboy surfaced at our apartment building. Apparently the little fellow had befriend the wrong people and was tricked into travelling from his hometown, Johor Baru. When money ran out, he walked all the way from Terminal 2 to the city center, a distance of 6km. There a widow took pity on him and fed him at her foodstall. After that she arranged for him to call his family over the phone and they despatched an airline ticket. This morning at 5am he was sent to airport and its the last we heard of him. I hope he gets home safely. This is a reminder the perils of befriending strangers. I wondered what the bad guys were up too. On the other hand - for some of the older women in our housing estate - I think it was sheer joy for them the privilege of looking after the lost kid. Its been years since they had a chance to mother someone that age. I say this to their credit, befriending strangers, in this case the lost boy, who had no one else to turn to.