Is Ampalaya in your #FARMacy? Ampalaya is a common ingredient for dishes such as ensalada, pinakbet, monggo, dinengdeng, paksiw na isda, and more!
It is also one of ten medicinal plants approved by the DOH. Ampalaya has long been used to treat different ailments, including diabetes and blood sugar level control.
More than 4 million Filipino adults have diabetes (IDF 2021), and it is the 4th leading cause of death in the country (PSA 2023). To help, maintain or transition to a more active livestyle and eat lots of vegetables like ampalaya. Tending a simple garden #FARMacy is a great way to do both, or “feed two birds with one seed!”
Printable art
Get printable art of Ampalaya for that bitter someone in your life, in the Filipino Food Art Etsy shop!
References
- International Diabetes Federation, 2021. https://idf.org/our-network/regions-and-members/western-pacific/members/the-philippines/
- Philippine Statistics Authority, 2023. Top 4 causes of death in the Philippines from January to December 2022. https://psa.gov.ph/content/2022-causes-deaths-philippines-preliminary-28-february-2023
- HA Boy, et al., 2018. Recommended Medicinal Plants as Source of Natural Products: A Review. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589377719300187#bib8
- Directory of herbs. Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care. https://pitahc.gov.ph/directory-of-herbs/
- M Karamanou, et al., 2016. Milestones in the history of diabetes mellitus: The main contributors. (study)
More homegrown food for your FARMacy
- Sambong: consume as a tea for cough and headaches.
- Ampalaya: used for blood sugar level control.
- Pancit-pancitan: used to treat joint pains.
More Filipino food that starts with A!
- Adobong sitaw
- Afritada
- Alimango
- Ampalaya
- Apa
- Asin tibuok
- Atsara or Achara
- More Filipino food that starts with A!