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Monday, June 20, 2011

Sambong

When my only son was in college, he would show me the skin allergy  on his back which would become more pronounced every time he would play basketball. Perhaps his clothes were not rinsed properly so I would always remind our helper to rinse them well.

Finally took him to Boy Fajardo  and he advised me to switch to Victoria Laundry soap . He also told my son to shower with  sambong leaves  boiled in water. The sambong leaves could be bought in Quiapo from a vendor named  ' Nora Aunor. ' ( not the singer ) .

I told my staff to buy P200 worth of sambong leaves in Quiapo . Little did I know that she would be bringing home two heavy sacks of sambong. She even had to take a taxi just to bring them home!

Our cook boiled the leaves in a huge vat of water,  and we would all  use it for our daily  baths for a week as we had an oversupply of sambong. The scent of the sambong was very mild. It was a mix of citrus and woody elements. It reminded me of camphor.

Later on, I read that the sambong has astringent properties , our grandparents must have used them as sponge baths . Some people would even immerse their body parts that had arthritis just to help them heal faster!

I will remind my only son to  remind me to take my sambong baths if I get arthritis in my old age! 

12 comments:

Marilou said...

My Korean acupuncturist is also an herbalist and he has high praises for Sambong. He makes extracts and vacuum seals it for some of his patients as it has a wide use. Read more about it in the internet. The plant we call ashitaba seems to come from the same family. Check out the appearance of the leaves.

Becky said...

Really? Do they have sambong in Korea? Thanks for info.

Marilou said...

Dr. Choi has lived here for more than 15 years. He grows Sambong in his garden and said that there are hundreds of varieties. Every Sat, he and other herbalists, go mountain- climbing in search of herbs in our forests. :-)

Becky said...

It is possible that they go to Banahaw, they say that there is an abundance of medicinal plants there.

Proud Mama said...

Now every night when I drink my sambong tea, I will imagine that Nora Aunor sold it to me. Hahaha!

Anonymous said...

Hi,

Am a new member residing in US. I was made aware of this blogspot by my friend, Debbie, who i think is a member here too.

Sambong is very good for UTI with fast relief.

Does anyone know of a way to get rid of calcium calcification in the heart's arteries? You may email me at tita_mel@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance (TIA).

There is a lone Filipino website, my favorite even among foreign websites. It features Philippine medicinal plants/foods (some endemic to RP/ found in RP only). He also has included new plants from abroad that are currently growing in the Philippines. His website is always current, i believe that it is updated weekly. There are some typos but due to the volume of the listings it is truly understandable. They have almost 700 plants when i visited. Not many people know about this yet, so keep it a secret among us before the foreigners that "lurk" to patent our plants get hold of this website. Also some powerful companies with presence in RP might get the place shut down, so pls. keep quiet about it. His information is backed by research done locally and abroad, so truly credible. The website is:
www.stuartxchange.com. It is located in Quezon Province near Banahaw. Please do send the owner, who is truly a nice man, Mr. Godofredo Stuart a little note of appreciation when you find him deserving of praise.
He truly deserves an award for this. This website has description, pictures (mostly of all) plants, medicinal uses, which part to use, how to use, method to make the medicine, etc. and where they usually grow. Do you know green tea plants grow in RP? Yeah, in the mountain province. Does that want you to go visit his website now?

Take care.

Melly

The Pepperrific Life said...

I have just started drinking Sambong tea, and I must say it's working so far. I've always had UTI, so this is a welcome relief.

Unknown said...

How can I get a starter plant here in US. I live in Florida. I'm sure it will grow here.

Anonymous said...

How can I get a starter plant in U.S.?

Qwest said...

Hello, I'm looking to buy Sambong, would you know a venue where I can buy it

Unknown said...

Sambong is GABON... gabon in visayan language...tnx

kenji said...

is sambong also sage in english...the leaves that the american indians used to ward off evil spirits by burning it?