Requiem to a Heritage Acacia Tree

Requiem to a Heritage Acacia Tree

Living with Nature Center

San Vicente, Ilocos Sur

"If you have never loved a tree, life's true magic has ceased to breathe."  - Angie Weiland-Crosby

Dr Abe V Rotor

Author points at an on-the-spot painting he made in 1976 of a standing heritage acacia tree. Adjacent to it is a outdoor furniture shop. San Vicente is famous for wood furniture industry. The painting graces the lobby of the San Vicente Municipal Hall in Ilocos Sur.

"A great acacia, with its slender trunk

 And overpoise of multitudinous leaves.

 (In which a hundred fields might spill their dew

 And intense verdure, yet find room enough)

 Stood reconciling all the place with green." 

          - Elizabeth Barrett Browning Internet

Author, with coeds from the University of Northern Philippines, pose

with the relics of the heritage acacia he painted in 1976 as seen above.

     "Life is like a tree. Every Leaf is a dream, it may be big or small. When the leaves fall, dreams disappear but when the trees have new leaves, life has new wonderful things." - Pinterest

    

Closeup of the mounted artwork.  It serves as a memorabilia, 

more than a biological specimen and work of art.           

"In Egyptian and early Judeo-Christian traditions, the acacia is linked to life after death and the soul's immortality. It symbolizes spiritual rebirth and the eternal nature of the human spirit." - Oak & Hyde Internet 

Restoring Old, Forgotten Works of Art

Restoring Old, Forgotten Works of Art

Dr Abe V Rotor

Erythrina, Erythrina

Capture Nature in Murals

                Capture Nature in Murals

Capture sweet memories of lost nature,

relive, enshrine;

capture time, brief as it may -

it's yours and mine.

                                            Murals and Poem by Dr Abe V Rotor

Watershed

Row of Trees and Pond

                                Author poses with his work, Forest Stream

Capture nature in murals,
as big as screen;

capture creation from imagination
as it has been;

capture sunrise and sunset,
and the moonbeam;

capture the breeze passing over
a lovely stream;

capture the lilies in the pond rising
with the sunbeam;

capture the clouds becoming nimbus
before the rain;

capture the rivulets from the hills
writhing in pain;

capture the creatures talking,
sing and scream;

capture the essence of the gods
into a theme;

capture silence away from where
you have been;

capture the throb of the heart
away from sin;

capture the world in a grain of sand,
pure and crystalline;

capture nature through the arts,
classic and fine;

capture sweet memories of lost nature,
relive, enshrine;

capture time, brief as it may -
it's yours and mine. ~

Flower of Paradise, also known as Caballero and Peacock Flower ( San Vicente Botanical Garden 12)

San Vicente Botanical Garden 12:

Flower of Paradise 

Bulaklak ng Paraiso - Caesalpinia pulcherrima Linn

(also known as Caballero and Peacock Flower)

Photos and Verse by Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Caballero - horseman, cavalier, in name,

 peacock's flair and Paradise symbol,

 behind a fence at sunset in yellow flame,

all glory is yours after the Fall.

Common names of Peacock Flower or Bulaklak ng Paraiso - Caesalpinia pulcherrima Linn include Poinciana, Peacock Flower, Red Bird of Paradise, Mexican Bird of Paradise, Dwarf Poinciana, Pride of Barbados. The plant is native to the tropics and subtropics of the Americas. It is an erect, smooth shrub or small tree, 1.5 to 5 meters high. Branches are armed with a few scattered spines. After flowering, the fruits appear which are pod-like. When they ripen, the pods split open and disperse the small seeds. The seeds contain tannic acid that is poisonous and can result in gastrointestinal discomfort if ingested. 

On the other hand, the plant has beneficial properties owing to its anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties as reported by researchers of the University of the Philippines and published in a scientific journal. Here is the abstract of the study. [ISSN 0975-413X CODEN (USA): PCHHAX Der Pharma Chemica, 2016, 

8(17):99-104 (http://derpharmachemica.com/archive.html) 99] (Internet)

Antioxidant Activity and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration of the Crude Methanolic Extract of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (L.) Swartz 

Angelina A. Atienza1*, Erna C. Arollado2,3, Richelle Ann M. Manalo3 , Leslie B. Tomagan3 and Gerwin Louis T. Dela Torre3 1Department of Basic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of the Philippines - Manila, Philippines 2Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, University of the Philippines – Manila, Philippines 3 Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences – National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines- Manila, Philippines 

________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the leaves, flowers and seeds of Caesalpinia pulcherrima L.(Swartz) methanolic extracts. The methanolic extracts were subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening, minimum inhibitory concentration (125, 250, 500 and 1000 µg/mL) and antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH, 50, 100, 250, 400 and 800 µg/mL). All the extracts showed potent antioxidant activity at 800 µg/mL concentrations comparable to the ascorbic acid standard (p values: leaves=0.088, flowers=0.102, seeds=0.056). For the antimicrobial activity, the leaf extracts showed inhibition against all the selected microorganisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aureginosa, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus mutans, Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans, at 1000 µg/mL. These activities can be attributed to the phytochemicals present in the extracts including carbohydrates, reducing sugars, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, alkaloids and triterpenoids. In conclusion, all the C. pulcherrima plant parts used possess antioxidant activity while the leaves have potent antimicrobial activity against the selected microorganisms. These results can be used to utilize this plant as a potential source of new antioxidant compounds and antimicrobial agents for several infectious diseases, particularly in endodontic infections where microorganisms such as C. albicans and E. faecalisare dominant pathogens.~

Grow native onion leek at home

           Grow native onion leek at home

                                             Dr Abe V Rotor

 

Native onion grown in pot provides ready fresh onion leek for a number of recipes like fried eggs, soup, omelet, kilawin, porridge (lugaw), arroz caldo.

This is one way to encourage kids to have a daily supplement of vegetables. Vary the use of leek in their diet. Onion leek is rich in vitamin K, A, C and B6, manganese, folate, iron, fiber, magnesium, molybdenum, copper, calcium, and potassium. It also contains thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin, and antibiotic substances like Allicin and Alliin - from Allium, the genus of onion (A. cepa), garlic (A. sativum), kutchay (A tuberosum), and the original leek (A. ampeloprasum). Leeks generally have also high calorie value, and fair amounts of protein and fat. It is no wonder onion is the most important vegetable 

in  the world.

 

Spouting bulb of shallot or bulb variety (Red Creole). Gather only what you need for the moment using scissor. Don't cut the entire stem - only mature leaves.

Grow leek where there is sufficient sunlight, preferably on an elevated place. It's easy to grow leek from shallot (Sibuyas Tagalog) and from bulb onions (Granex or Creole). Staggered planting assures continuous supply of leek for the family - and for neighbors too.

A pot of onion leek makes a unique gift to friends who love to cook, those in their senior years, and those convalescing. Don't forget to add a little ribbon and a personal message. Make this as project in school and community. ~

Don’t stay in bed; walk!

Writing a column for the newspaper
Confidentially Doctor

Don’t stay in bed; walk!

Arturo B. Rotor, MD

Do you remember not too long ago, how after a routine removal of a chronic appendicitis your surgeon kept you in bed for a week or so? The idea was to have the operative wound heal completely; a weak scar would break with the first attempt to stretch out the leg muscles.

That was the best medical opinion at that time and it was followed by surgeons, obstetrician, and cardiologist. The typhoid patient stayed in bed for weeks, “to prevent a relapse,” and as for heart disease, some patients were told to resign themselves to being bed patients for the rest of their lives.

It took doctors a long time to find out that the dangers of keeping a patient in bed was often more serious than disease itself. Asher expressed the new philosophy in strong words:

“Look at the patient lying in the bed. What a pathetic picture he makes. The blood clotting in his veins, the lime draining from his bones, the scybala stacking up in his colon, the flesh rotting in his seat, the urine leaking from his distended bladder, and the spirit evaporating from his soul.”

Many factors contributed to this changed outlook. Firstly, the development of antibiotics necessitated a revision of methods of treatment. The fever of pneumonia could be brought down in 48 hours, gangrenous legs that formerly would be amputated could be saved, infected wounds that used to keep patients in bed could be cleared up in a week.

Gradually, the surgeons observed certain strange developments in their patients for whom they had prescribed prolonged bed rest. Often, after a brilliant operation, the patients would develop blood clots along their legs or lungs. Some persons could not even be kept in bed for more than a week or two for their muscles became flabby, or worse, they developed deep ulcers where their back pressed on their beds.

Newer methods of studying the heart and lungs also made the doctors realize how wrong some of their concepts were. It has been shown for example that when you are lying down, your heart does 25 percent more work than when you are sitting up. After major surgery the breathing capacity of the lungs is reduced by more than two thirds; you have to get up to breathe normally.

The modern physician therefore does the opposite of his predecessor. Instead of telling the patient to stay in bed, he tells him to go take a walk. In many cases, the effect on the patient’s morale is nothing short of miraculous. His face lights up, his appetite returns, he takes a long step towards convalescence. Typically, he expresses his regained confidence in one revealing sentence:

“Thank heavens; I can go to the bathroom again.”

Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Lecture, 11th Biennial Convention, September 6, 2008
Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology

Big Bang – the Origin of Life

                                       Big Bang – the Origin of Life

Dr Abe V Rotor

Big Bang (19" x 23") painting by the author 2012

Once upon a distant past, a proto mass

     of converging gases, too huge

to hold on in space exploded -

     the Big Bang like a centrifuge.

Born the universe and galaxies

     in countless numbers expanding,

countless more, orphans in space,

     our known world but a sibling.

Were this true - life so little do we know

     today from its very spawn;

move over Oparin, move over Darwin,

     theories past and our own.  ~