Archive for July, 2009
Welcome to Pato-o, Odiongan
This way is going to our barangay. That’s the only part cemented, this is still part of Barangay Poctoy.
We are now here in Barangay Pato-o, the biggest barangay in town of Odiongan. Road here is not yet cemented, so sometimes when I walked home from school my school shoes torned easily.
Little by little the road of Barangay Pato-o became cemented, just some part of it.
This picture is taken before the Barangay Fiesta, volleybal competition beside the Barangay Captain house open field.
BALIMBING (CARAMBOLA)
This fruit is called BALIMBING in Tagalog, SABIRIL in Bisaya dialect and CARAMBOLA or STAR FRUIT in English.
This tree is older than me, it was planted at the back portion of our house. I don’t know who planted it, they told us when we are little it was my late uncle who planted it. He was slained in a restaurant without any reason.This is my favorite tree when I was still a little kid, when I feel hungry I just went up to the three bringing some salt in my hand. Well, I am not the only kid who loves this tree, everybody on the neighborhood like it too. Baptist church is just near us, so every sunday those little kids after Sunday school or before they are already at the Balimbing Tree. They look like little monkeys. lol.
There’s a time that I thought this tree wouldn’t survived anymore because termites ate the tree’s body, but time heals all wounds, the tree survived.
Until now, this tree served a food for kids like me who’s hungry from playing.This tree still feed my niece and nephews (from my cousins).
Well for the information of others I have included some article about this plant, this is also medicinal plant:
Botany
Small tree growing to a height of 6 meters or less. Leaves are pinnate, about 15 cm long. Leaflets are smooth, pairs and ovate to ovate-lanceolate. Pannicles are small, axillary and bell-shaped, 5-6 mm long. Calyx is reddish purple. Petals are purple, often margined with white. Fruit is fleshy green to greenish yellow, about 6 cm long, with 5 longitudinal, sharp and angular lobes. Seeds are arillate.
Medical properties and constituents
Vermifuge, laxative, refrigerant, antiscorbutic, febrifuge, sialogogue, antiphlogistic, stimulant, emmenagogue, anodyne, emetic.Studies indicate the presence of saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins.
Distribution
Planted in cultivated and semi-cultivated areas.
Parts used
Leaves, flowers, seeds, fruit..UsesNutritionalEdible fruit is a source of iron (low in calcium) and vitamins B and C, oxalate and potassium.
Folkloric
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Tea of boiled leaves used for aphthous stomatitis.
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Crushed shoots or leaves used externally for headaches and ringworm.
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Boiled flowers used to expel worms: 50 gms to a pint of boiling water; drunk in normal doses.
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Fruit is laxative.
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Decoction of fruit, 50 gms to a pint of boiling water, 4-5 glasses a day for bleeding piles.Juice of fresh fruit for affections of the eyes.
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Seed is used for asthma and colic:
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Powdered seeds, 10 gms to a cup of warm water, drunk 4 times daily.
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In India, the ripe fruit is used to stop hemorrhages and relieve hemorrhoidal bleeding.
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The dried fruit or juice used for fevers.
Others
The acid type carambola dissolves tarnish and rust, occasionally used for cleaning and polishing metal.Fruit juice is used to remove stains.Contains potassium oxalate which is used for dyeing.
Studies
• Negative inotropic and chronotropic effects on the guinea pig atrium of extracts obtained from Averrhoa carambola L. leaves: The study showed that the A. carambola extract is an agent that strongly depresses the heart rate and the myocardial contractile force. Although the active compound has not been identified, its action on the L-type Ca2+ channels is important to explain the mechanism of action of this plant on the mammalian atrial myocardium.
• Fatal outcome after ingestion of star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) in uremic patients: The study warns that patients with renal failure who ingest star fruit may develop neurological symptoms and run the risk of death in severe cases.
• Neurotoxicity: Report of study on 32 uraemic patients who ingested star fruit. Most common presenting symptoms were persistent hiccups, vomiting, mental confusion, psychomotor agitation, insomnia, paresthesias and seizures. Ideal treatment was daily hemodialysis.
• Antioxidant: Research reports the residues from star fruit juicing process is a rich and excellent source of extractable phenolic antioxidants
