I was in Manila last December with my dad and sisters when I stumbled upon a herbal tea called Ashitaba.
We were visiting my uncle who lived in Manila with his Filipina wife. He is already retired from corporate life (he used to work for the World Bank and had had work stints all over the world). He decided to retire in Manila instead of Penang as he wanted to be near his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter but I also think he likes the easy accessibility of being able to fly east or west as he likes from The Philippines.
This uncle of ours had always asked us to visit him in Manila and finally after much coercion (and not that my dad or his brother are going to get any younger), my sister booked us all on a trip to visit this uncle.
As part of the itinerary, Uncle Mike wanted to get us out of the humid city that Manila is. He escapes to the mountains of Baguio every so often to golf and to relax.
Baguio is like our Cameron Highlands, only better! It is also 5 hours away from Manila.
I'm still not sure if the 5 hours is inclusive of the horrendous Manila traffic. Filipino traffic is no joke.
I can see why Uncle Mike often escaped up to the mountains of Baguio - the Cordilerra range - as it is far more peaceful and less polluted than Manila. Its mountains are gorgeous and Baguio itself is picturesque and serene. In fact, it looks American in its house structure as it used to be the American base!
When I was in Baguio (actually Baguio Country Club), I was looking for unique souvenirs and food to buy. They were famous for a few things - mini brooms (apparently, the Baguio brooms are sturdier than most brooms says my Filipina aunt), peanut brittle, native crafts, strawberry jams and more. I stumbled upon Ashitaba tea when I was browsing at one of the shops serving tourists.
"Ashitaba is a large herb that grows primarily in the central region of Japan. Its root, leaf, and stem are used to make medicine.
Ashitaba is used for “heartburn” (gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD), stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gout, constipation, and hay fever. It is also used for cancer, smallpox, fluid retention, blood clots, and food poisoning. Women use it to increase the flow of breast milk. The fresh leaves and dried powder are used as food."
If you cut up the ashitaba stem, it oozes a thick yellow sap. The sap contains chalcones called "Xanthoangelol" and "4-Hydroxyderricin."
Chalcone makes ashitaba what is is - it purifies the blood, strengthens the immune system, regulates cholesterol, regulates blood pressure, suppresses acid secretion, prevents thrombus, suppresses cytopathy, is antibacterial, prevents cancer, and promotes metabolism.
This site says that ashitaba's vitamin B12 helps build new hemoglobin (red blood cells) allowing more oxygen in the blood and better cell functioning in all organs and muscles including the heart - keeping it strong.
So the question is: what does the tea taste like?
I steeped the tea bag in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and to tell the truth, there's not much taste to the tea. It's mild with a light yellow hue. But the good thing is, as it is so mild, the tea doesn't get bitter or tannic even if you steep it far longer than you should.
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| The pretty cabins in Baguio highlands with its pine trees |
We were visiting my uncle who lived in Manila with his Filipina wife. He is already retired from corporate life (he used to work for the World Bank and had had work stints all over the world). He decided to retire in Manila instead of Penang as he wanted to be near his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter but I also think he likes the easy accessibility of being able to fly east or west as he likes from The Philippines.
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| The Baguio pine tree forest just outside our balcony - cool mornings with fresh air! |
This uncle of ours had always asked us to visit him in Manila and finally after much coercion (and not that my dad or his brother are going to get any younger), my sister booked us all on a trip to visit this uncle.
As part of the itinerary, Uncle Mike wanted to get us out of the humid city that Manila is. He escapes to the mountains of Baguio every so often to golf and to relax.
Baguio is like our Cameron Highlands, only better! It is also 5 hours away from Manila.
I'm still not sure if the 5 hours is inclusive of the horrendous Manila traffic. Filipino traffic is no joke.
I can see why Uncle Mike often escaped up to the mountains of Baguio - the Cordilerra range - as it is far more peaceful and less polluted than Manila. Its mountains are gorgeous and Baguio itself is picturesque and serene. In fact, it looks American in its house structure as it used to be the American base!
When I was in Baguio (actually Baguio Country Club), I was looking for unique souvenirs and food to buy. They were famous for a few things - mini brooms (apparently, the Baguio brooms are sturdier than most brooms says my Filipina aunt), peanut brittle, native crafts, strawberry jams and more. I stumbled upon Ashitaba tea when I was browsing at one of the shops serving tourists.
Ashitaba tea
"Ashitaba is a large herb that grows primarily in the central region of Japan. Its root, leaf, and stem are used to make medicine.
Ashitaba is also called Angelica keiskei, Ashitaba du Japon, Herbe de la Longévité, Japanese Ashitaba, Kenso and Leaves of Tomorrow. And all for good reason.
Its remarkable regenerative property makes it a valuable herb. It is said that if you plant the leaf at dawn, you'll see it sprout the next day!
Chalcone makes ashitaba what is is - it purifies the blood, strengthens the immune system, regulates cholesterol, regulates blood pressure, suppresses acid secretion, prevents thrombus, suppresses cytopathy, is antibacterial, prevents cancer, and promotes metabolism.
It also contains fibre, calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B1, B2 and vitamin K.
From the TCM perspective, ashitaba tea is believed to activate the Qi and blood which means it is good for women with menstrual problems and stagnation. It is also a tonic for calming the spiritual well-being. Ashitaba is also used in TCM to harmonize the Spleen and Stomach, balancing the Earth element.
I steeped the tea bag in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and to tell the truth, there's not much taste to the tea. It's mild with a light yellow hue. But the good thing is, as it is so mild, the tea doesn't get bitter or tannic even if you steep it far longer than you should.
Since the Baguio highlands are quite cool, I can imagine that the ashitaba thrives well and their leaves are dried and made into tea. I am surprised though that the tea is rather low profile despite its nutritional profile. And like most packaging, the tea I bought didn't seem to exult the properties of such an incredible herb either. That's sad as I could have passed it by had I not decided to buy and try the tea.
More information about ashitaba here and in this video.
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