Zentraveler on Sambong Natural Herb!

Sambong Natural Herb

Sambong is a remarkable medicinal plant that grows wild in the Philippines and used as alternative medicine. It is commonly used in capsule form or as teas in the treatment of kidney disorders. Doctors in the Philippines routinely prescribe Sambong now for the dissolution of kidney stones. Sambong is also known as a diuretic, and is used in cases of hypertension and mild to moderate congestive heart failure. Sambong is high in essential oils, and contains significant amounts of camphor oil.

Since it is a diuretic, it helps dispose of excess water and sodium (salt) in the body. Sambong is one herbal medicine (of ten) approved by the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) in treating particular disorders. Helps in dissolving Kidney Stones in persons with Normal Kidney Function. It also helps men with prostate problems.

The Medicine
Consist purely of dried matured sambong leaves without any synthetic chemicals. These leaves are processed and manufactured into tablet form in one of the country’s Premiere Pharmaceutical facilities, strictly adhering to Current Good Manufacturing Practice standards prescribed by the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

The Plant
Sambong is a tall, erect, half woody herb growing up to 3 meters high. The leaf is green with a hairy underside and can have a diameter of 100mm. Its stem is also densely hairy. It is abundant in all regions of the Philippines and grow in shady areas. The Pascual Laboratory herbs are nurtured organically in prime farms untainted by synthetic chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Disclaimer: This website is simply the writers views and is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide specific medical or health advice and should not be used to make a diagnosis or to replace or overrule a qualified health care provider’s judgment. None of the statements on Zentraveler are to be understood as a recommendation on how to treat any disease or health related condition. If you require medical or other assistance Zentraveler strongly encourages users to consult with a qualified health care professional.

So there you have it. If you want to take charge of your good health… why not try some proven herbs!

QUOTE: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.” -Thomas Edison, Inventor

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Good health is possible!

First, you must understand that our bodies have the natural blueprint for good health. We fall ill mainly because our modern way of living not only denies our bodies the opportunity to exercise that blueprint, it takes things to the other extreme and hammers them daily with harmful lifestyles, toxins and poisons.

The very good news is, you CAN do something about it. There exist simple, effective, natural and often inexpensive steps we can take to reverse disease-creating conditions and give our health a mighty boost.

There is one big catch though – to be truly healthy, you MUST take personal responsibility. Yes, you are responsible for your own health. Not your doctor, not your parents, not your boss, not even your spouse – only YOU! And you must be committed to your new life, because so much of the modern way of living creates disease and NOT health.

Our body needs more than just the right and healthy fuel to continue to perform efficiently. It needs exercise, proper diet and supplementation as we grow older. In addition to Sambong natural herbs the natural products from Herbalife offer great nutrition and have a great weight loss track record. The Herbalife research team recently won the nobel prize for nutrition and is currently available in over 70 countries.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Your good health!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: “Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise.”..did I say that?

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler on I am!

Zentravelers I Am

These two small words I AM are loaded with mystery, history, religion, and mysticism. In Popeye’s version he says: “I am what I am.” which can mean many things. In religious circles god instructed Jesus to say simply I am –therefore there is no need for anymore clarity.

As we apparently mature some move from the me, me, me, state to the service state, others continue whining and ask the question… what is in it for me?

If you listen to almost any two-way conversation around the world you will hear people say: I climbed a mountain, I own a BMW car, I won an award, I am the best pool player, I am… and therefore your identity is tied to your I am!
I am a race car driver, I am a computer programmer. I am a nerd! I am a politican….I am.

The more philosophical questions is: are you really I am or just a carbon copy of the supreme being. If so you are really a surrogate representative of the supreme being and I am only states you exist.

In revealing his mysterious name, (“I AM HE WHO IS”, “I AM WHO AM” or “I AM WHO I AM”), God says who he is and by what name he is to be called. This divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name, and hence it better expresses God as what he is – infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is the “hidden God”, his name is ineffable, and he is the God who makes himself close to men.

In the recent movie: “I am” the director asks the question: “What’s wrong with our world?” and “what can we do it about it!” He took a movie production team of four and sought out Spiritual leaders to find out How we can improve the world and the way we live in it. Food for thought!

Try going the whole day from waking to going to sleep without using the word I am with your voice.If you are able to do this nearly impossible task.Try thinking the whole day without using the mental thought voice (inner voice) without using the word I. If you can do this you are beginning to understand your ego. The ego feeds on i’s.

“I AM A BUDDHIST …I write these words with a great deal of serenity and satisfaction. This glorious, ancient practice has helped to bring clarity to my heart in ways that I still cannot comprehend. For me, it is but the logical progression of a person who has embraced the tenants of an ephemeral, yet, ever-powerful movement called Voluntary Simplicity.If Voluntary Simplicity is my destination, Buddhism is my roadmap. I simply am!”

So there you have it! Two of the simplest words in the English language are full of dichotomies, contrasts, hidden meanings, powerful sayings and double meanings. To put it simply: I am! The following quote could not say it any better…proof that you are you and not just a figure of speech. I am Me.

“In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me. Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine, because I alone chose it — I own everything about me: my body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions, whether they be to others or myself. I own my fantasies, my dreams, my hopes, my fears. I own my triumphs and successes, all my failures and mistakes. Because I own all of me, I can become intimately acquainted with me. By so doing, I can love me and be friendly with all my parts. I know there are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other aspects that I do not know — but as long as I am friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously and hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles and ways to find out more about me. However I look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically me. If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought, and felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that which I discarded. I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do. I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be productive, and to make sense and order out of the world of people and things outside of me. I own me, and therefore, I can engineer me. I am me, and I am Okay.” — Virginia Satir

QUOTE:The words “I am” are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you’re claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you. ~A.L. Kitselman

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW:Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, “This I am today; that I will be tomorrow.” ~Louis L’Amour

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: I am me!

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: I am what I am… therefore I am.

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler travels north to Santa Ana in Cagayan Valley, Philippines

Landing Tuguegarao Airport

As I have the incurable travel bug there is only one thing to do and that is to travel! Every trip starts the same way… first you do some research on the internet, than you book your flights and hotels for arriving and leaving and put together a bit of an itinerary with lots of extra time so you’re not just a travel junkie, but can discover new adventures along the way.

We left Cebu on Airphil Express arriving Manila one hour later then flew on a small two prop plane to Tuguegarao another hour flight. From Tuguegarao City we traveled by shared van to the small town of Santa Ana the northeast most town in the Philippines …travel time approx three and one half hours. You can also travel by bus from Manila approximately 12 to 15 hours along some scenic countryside.

We stayed at Jotay Resort located directly on the South China Sea operated by an Englishman and His Filippino wife.
The town of Santa Ana was smaller than I expected and they are just beginning to add more resorts, restaurants, and travel guides to take you to some very remote islands… visiting such things as the Cape Engano Lighthouse built 1894 and Calayan Island which is as nature provided with its powdery white beaches and for the adventurous unexplored rock formations and water falls. They can also arrange mountain trekking and complete tours of the Cagayan valley.

Jotay Resort

Santa Ana is billed as the Game Fishing Capital of the Philippines and has been host to several IGFA fishing tournaments. Surrounded by the waters of the Babuyan Channel, South China Sea, and the Pacific Ocean Santa Ana area is ideal for snorkeling, fishing, whale and dolphin watching, hiking or just lazing on one of the many beaches.

Beach Scene Jotay Resort

Santa Ana is geographically unique since it is closer by flight to Japan than it is to Manila and has direct links to Asian shipping routes. Sana Ana has a designated FREE ZONE where there are literally acres of used cars which have arrived here from many Asian destinations and become a great bargain for individuals and dealers to purchase cheap used cars.

We were caught in the first typhoon of the season. We planned to fish several days, but after seeing the 3 meter waves roll in we just had to make the best of it and adapt our plans. We traveled 15 min by motorized trycle to San Vicente Port… the jumping off point for island travel. In the distant you could see where the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean merge.

San Vicente Port

Jotay Resort is an excellent place to stay while in the Santa Ana area, they have clean air-con rooms, a swimming pool, an excellent restaurant with fresh seafood including: sashimi tuna and can make the arrangement to go island hoping and deep-sea fishing. From the resort you can walk to the local market which is just across the street from the bus stop… and while there don’t miss going to the Blue Plate Restaurant owned by a local Filipino and decorated in reto-antique wood carvings, glass balls, octopus and more.

Blue Plate Restaurant

We ordered their pizza billed as the “best pizza in the north” for more than 12 years and grilled tuna belly to almost die for. I knew there was a reason we love to travel. The owner also has a floating restaurant on a nearby river which you can reserve or share depending on the situation.

In conclusion even though we had bad weather we got to witness the dramatic South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean, photograph the north-eastern most end of the road in the Philippines, had great meals and took some photos… plus got an idea how vast and unspoiled this part of the Philippines really is. We chalked this part of the tip to Research and Development and vowed to return for a longer visit and more exploration.

So there you have it. Sometimes even your best laid plans don’t fit your time and weather. Maybe this is the time to reflect on the secret to happiness. “Life’s Secret…I don’t mind what happens.” In leaving Santa Ana we took the local commuter van and headed to a nearby resort near the town of Baua, Gonzaga.

QUOTE: “I have travelled places Indiana Jones hasn’t been to.”… Josepth Okeefe (Bantayan Island, Philippines)

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Around the island of Tahiti The traditional method of “stone fishing” is still performed for special festivals. Dozens of outrigger canoes form a semicircle, and men in the canoes beat the water with stones tied to ropes. The frightened fish are then driven towards the beach and the men jump from the canoes yelling and beating the water with their hands to drive the fish ashore.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE:Travel Log…comes in handy for history and writing blogs.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Travel light, travel often … it’s all in zee travel.

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?

Zentraveler on Miracle Food Blueberries!

Blueberries Nature’s Miracle Food

When I was growing up my father planted 200 stalks of blueberries on three terraces. As a kid I got to chase the birds and help pick the blueberries. We loved to eat fresh picked blueberries and put them on our cereal for breakfast plus eat our mothers fresh oven baked blueberry pie. Yum Yum!

Since my last blog was about longevity I might add my mother lived 99 years and nine months and was in perfect health when she went to the big sky rarely visiting the doctors, but always ate blueberries and didn’t know a thing about antioxidants or the rave about blueberries as the new SUPER FOOD. She just new they tasted good and was her favorite fruit.

There have been volumes written about the health benefits of blueberries, but sometimes we need reminders what is really important about our food choices and preventive care. The one thing that stands out Blueberries are packed with plant-based compounds called flavonoids, which are the same beneficial substances found in green tea and wine. Flavonoids reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing blood clots and relaxing blood vessels.

If I ended the blog here that would be enough to absorb… just knowing how beneficial blueberries are for your cardiovascular, but there is a lot more health benefits including lowering your cholesterol, building your immune system, anti-cancer, building strong bones, improving your brain and memory, and maybe most important of all is how the antioxidants correlate so well with your cells and blood… keeping you disease free.

Blueberries one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings. Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA.

Tufts University USA have studies claiming BLUEBERRIES as the MIRACLE BERRY. Research shows half a cup per person per day has the ability to reverse the onset of Alzheimer’s disease, reduce or reverse the rigours of old age, arthritis, skin ageing and has some positive effect on cancers and aids.

So there you have it! if you want to limit the action of free radicals racing around in your cell system just looking for weakness or a place to start cancer… why not start each day with a delicious bowl of fresh blueberries. It certainly beats being put on prescription drugs, and running to the doctors and pharmacies and they taste good too!

Disclaimer: This website is simply the writers views and is not an attempt to practice medicine or provide specific medical or health advice and should not be used to make a diagnosis or to replace or overrule a qualified health care provider’s judgment. None of the statements on Zentraveler are to be understood as a recommendation on how to treat any disease or health related condition. If you require medical or other assistance Zentraveler strongly encourages users to consult with a qualified health care professional.

Eat Healthy Foods for Longevity

QUOTE:’Simple,’ Tummeler replied.’ Blueberries is one of the great forces o’good in the world.’
‘How do you figure that?’ said Charles. ‘Well,’ said Tummeler, ‘have you ever seen a troll, or a Wendigo, or,’ he shuddered, ‘a Shadow-Born ever eating a blueberry pie?”No,’ Charles admitted. ‘There y’go,’ said Tummeler. ‘It’s cause they can’t stand the goodness in it.’ —James A Owen

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Blueberries keep you fresh, active, fit, sharp, close to nature and in a good mood, as they are very good anti depressants. You also need not spend a lot on medicines, neither are there any side effects. Here, there is an interesting thing to know. The deeper the color of the Blue Berries, the more they are rich in anti oxidants and other medicinal values. So, eat them until your tongue turns blue and live a healthy long life.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Antioxidants from blueberries! Maintain a large reserve so you can release them like packman to destroy free radicals floating around.

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Bears like blueberries and they are big enough to know better! So eat your Blueberries grasshopper or you might be on the bears menu. Need I say more!

From here to Infinity is a relatively short ride! The next leg takes eons and eons as you fly through the Barycentric Dynamical Time Zone! …and on and on and on.

Follow the Zentraveler Blog often for Travel, Health and Zen-like stories and such. Where else can you get a three in one blog for the price of free?