Hi Herbal Hiveans. Here's the second of my new series of posts covering how to use the herbs in our garden. You can find the earlier ones by wandering back through our blog. Once I've quite a few, I'll make an index page for them for your ease of use. This installment is about Mango
Common names: Mango
Taxonomic name: Mangifera indica
Family: Anacardiaceae
Uses: Bronchial problems, high blood pressure, diarrhoea
Area of origin: India
Warnings: None
Mangoes (Mangifera indica) are the favourite fruit of a lot of the world’s population. Little do many know that it’s a great medicinal plant. It’s one of the main ingredients of Pito-Pito, an almost miraculous Filipino herbal tea.
I know that Mangoes, technically, aren't herbs because they're trees but they fit well into a herbal garden and are equally as useful as their non-woody stemmed counterparts.
Our young Mango is destined to be a supplier of leaves which can be used as a tea for many bronchial problems such as coughs, sore throat and hoarseness, asthma. The fresh juice of the leaves can also be used for diarrhoea and dysentery (I hope I never get that again!).
They’re used for the effects of illnesses related to those most Western of diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure as they help regulate the levels of blood sugar and his levels in the body. It does these things through its actions as a diuretic.
To use the leaves, just dry them slowly, out of the full Sun. Then shred them or powder them. A couple of spoonfuls brewed to your taste as a tea several times a day will help you out.
To make Mango tea, simply place a teaspoonful or two of dried or fresh leaves into a cup of hot water. Cover the cup while the brew steeps so that you don't lose any of those precious oils.