"You changed the world. You did."

 "You changed the world.  You did." 

Dr Abe V Rotor

There is a movie, Evan Almighty, I watched not so long ago. It is about a modern Noah commanded by God to build an ark. Like the Noah's Ark story in the bible, a deluge was coming and the world was going to end. But nobody believed him. Noah and his family gathered all the animals in pairs, and in the last hour took the believers with them. The ark perilously was swept over the flooded cities and rammed into the White House at the end. The corrupt official and his cohort who built the huge dam that broke and caused the flood were apprehended,

The plot of the story ends up with a conversation between God and Evan
under a tree on top of a hill.

"So you changed the world, huh." says God (played by Morgan Freemen).
"No, I did not." replies Evan (played by Steve Carell)
"You did."
"No, I did not."
"You did. You have a happy family. And you gave a lost dog a home."

And God disappeared leaving Evan and a white dove behind. ~

(Assignment: Interpret the theme of the story.)

Take this IQ Test on Analogies, Similarities, Opposites, and Odd Out Words

 Take this IQ Test on Analogies, Similarities, Opposites, and Odd Out Words

Dr Abe V Rotor

   Words, words, words - they come in analogies, similarities, opposites, odd out. Confusing, tricky, intriguing. They make good testing materials which we often encounter in IQ and other tests. Here are some examples. Answer them in one sitting, in say 10 minutes.

Albert Einstein, world's greatest genius  

You may adopt the patterns and come up with your own set of test materials for your class, research, group dynamics, or simply to spice up informal gatherings.

A. There are four terms in analogies. The first is related to the second term in the same way that the third is related to the fourth. Complete each analogy by picking two words from the four in parenthesis.

1. mother is to girl as (man, father, male, boy).
2. wall is to window as (glare, brick, face, eye).
3. island is to water as (without, center, diagonal, perimeter)
4. high is to deep as (sleep, cloud, float, coal)
5. form is to content as (happiness, statue, marble, mold).

B. Similarities. Pick the two words in each line with the most similar meaning.

6. lump. wood, ray, beam
7. collect, remember, concentrate, gather
8. idle, lazy, impeded, indolent
9. divert, arrange, move, amuse
10. antic, bucolic, drunk, rustic

C. Opposites. In each line below pick the two words which are most nearly opposite in meaning.

11. short, length, shorten, extent, extend
12. intense, extensive majority, extreme, diffuse
13. punish, vex, pinch, ignore, pacify
14. reply, tell, relate, disconnect, refute
15. intractable, insensate, tract, obedient, disorderly 

D. Odd Out. Pick the two words which have commonality, from the rest in the group.
16. knife, razor, scissors, needle, lance
17. bravery, disgust, faith, energy, fear
18. prosody, geology, philosophy, physiology, physics
19. glue, sieve, pickaxe, screw, string
20. receptionist, draftsman, psychiatrist, blacksmith

Answers:
1. father, boy
2. face, eye
3. center, perimeter
4. cloud, coal (one is found high above the earth, the other deep within it)
5. statue, marble (these are examples of form and content)
6. ray, beam
7. collect, gather
8. lazy, indolent
9. divert, amuse
10. bucolic, rustic
11. shorten, extend
12. intense, diffuse
13. vex, pacify
14. relate, disconnect
15. intractable, obedient
16. needle, lance (the others have sharp edges)
17. disgust, fear (emotions; the others are virtues)
18. prosody, philosophy (aspects of literary culture; the others are sciences)
19. sieve, pickaxe (these separate things; the others fix them together)
20. receptionist, psychiatrist (main work is dealing with people; the others deal with things)

Acknowledgment: How intelligent are you? by V Serebriakoff

Guimaras Island– John Milton's Paradise

Guimaras Island – John Milton's Paradise

Paradise Lost in Postmodern Times

Reprinted on viewers' request

Dr Abe V. Rotor

(Written in 2006, dedicated to the victims of the oil spill tragedy, and to those who rose to their finest hour to help.)

NOTE: Recently another oil spill incident hit the island.  Although on a lesser scale, the damage is likewise irreparable. This article is dedicated to the inhabitants whose beautiful place has become an unwilling victim of economic and technological progress. It is also dedicated to the brave workers many of them are volunteers, whose effort brought hope and light in the hour of need. From these the world can see the goodness and evil of today's modern living.  It is man's firm belief however, that goodness shall always prevail.    

 

Guimaras Island on the map

Irreversible loss of natural habitats covering thousands of hectares of mangrove, estuaries, coral reefs and sea grasses.  Fishing virtually came to a halt; other livelihoods closed down.

Guimaras can be imagined to be the Paradise in the Book of Genesis.

The big difference however is that on Guimaras Island Paradise was destroyed by man, whereas in the Bible man was banished from Paradise as punishment for his sin, and Paradise was preserved.

Nature reveals her beauty on the green fields that turn yellow and gold at harvest time. The pasture is a carpet green dotted with grazing cattle in roan, black, white and spotted colors, moving slowly, if at all, in docile pace that you think they are strewn boulders in the distance.

The trees, when the wind blows, sing in soft, plaintive, rustling notes, their branching swinging to the music. Towards the end of the year when the cold wind from the north arrives, their leaves turn into autumn colors of red, orange and yellow, falling off and littering the ground around. Now and then a gust of wind takes them to the road, and when the sun is up and you happen to step on them barefooted, they crackle and tickle. They send children giggling with delight. And they would rally the leaves floating down the whistling stream as if they were racing boats.

It is a similar experience you get when walking on the shores of Guimaras. White sands swallow you up to the ankle at the water edge, pegging you down. You cannot resist taking a dip or swim in the pristine water, and before you know it you are joined by colorful fishes, a school of them, bobbling to the surface to greet you and diving around your feet, sometimes playfully nibbling your toes. They live among the seaweeds and corals that make the forest of the sea.

And speaking of forest, look behind you. Afar the mountains are dark green because they are covered with virgin forests. They catch the clouds and make them fall everyday. The rain makes the trees lush, irrigates the fields, feeds the rivers and lakes and down it meets the sea. It is here where freshwater and sea water meet. It is call estuary.

The estuary is the sanctuary of countless organisms; it is their breeding ground, their nursery. It is in the estuary where mangrove trees, coconut and nipa palms densely grow, binding soil and mud to build a new land, or form a delta. On the sea side they serve as a living wall that buffers the impact of tidal waves or the sudden onslaught of tsunami. They are nature’s fortress to protect the villages, farms and pastures.

But these scenarios are a thing of the past. It is a beautiful dream that ended in a nightmare.

On waking up, the gentle people in Guimaras, a small island near Iloilo in the Visayas, came face to face with the biggest catastrophe that changed their lives and their island forever.

Oil spill!

A huge barge carrying millions of liters of fuel oil broke and sunk into the bottom of the sea directly facing the island.

The black liquid oozed for days, and continued for weeks and months from the sunken ill-fated tanker, and because oil is lighter than water, it floated and spread over many square kilometers, polluting the once pristine sea and beaches. Soon fishermen abandoned their trade. Tourists no longer came. Because oil is poison to all living things – fish, amphibians, corals, trees and the like – died. And under the shearing heat of the sun, spontaneous combustion finishes off the dying trees and palms.

Many people died – and more are dying due to the cumulative and long-term effects of oil, because being a hydrocarbon it destroys the liver, kidneys and nervous system. Many people got sick, mostly children. Schools closed. The streets were empty. There was little to buy in the market. Fumes filled the air, and into the lungs sending people to live elsewhere. Many of those who chose to remain got sick and died.

Ka Pepe and Aling Maria lost their only son. He worked too hard cleaning up the black oil that seeped under their house, until he succumbed to the deadly fumes.

“What have we done to deserve this?” The stricken couple asked. “Why are we punished for a sin we did not commit.”

"It is a wrath of God," a religious said with firmness in her voice, "because we have sinned." Many were angry with pointing fingers. Nobody could offer any other acceptable answer, until one said, “Forgive your brother who sinned.” Yes, it is Christian to forgive for the love of God. It was consoling. It made people feel calm compassionate.

Indeed there were many people who went to Guimaras after the tragedy struck. Fr. Ben said mass. Nuns sang hymns. Petron, the owner of the spilled oil, paid residents to clean their own homes and environs. Hairdressers sent shipments of hair to bind the floating oil, but this only compounded the problem of disposal because hair does not readily decompose and burning it further creates another problem - another pollution.

Others sent old clothing, canned goods, some money. Local officials visited places on rugged wheels, places they had missed in their itenerary before. Doctors and nurses worked into the   night. Media documented the tragedy. Victims were interviewed. There were volunteers who would come and go. There was no let up of investigations trying to pin down the culprits. Soldiers stood guard.

Every morning the curtain unveils this pathetic drama of life, and closes it at the end of the day, trying to erase it from memory and in the darkness of night. How long will this nightmare continue, one would only guess. Perhaps years. Perhaps a generation or longer. And future generations will never know what happened.

There were no laughters, not even from the children playing. The sea did not clap. The waves simply died on the shore, muffled under sludge of oil. A crow flew above, gave off some sonorous notes – the sound of death.

It is Paradise Lost in our times before our very eyes. ~ 

Photos Courtesy of Francis Allan Angelo, The GUARDIAN Newspaper; Wikipedia;  Acknowledgment: Iloilo City Boy

Field Trip to Guimaras

 A Living School of Nature's Beauty and Bounty  

Photos by the author

Field trip - on-site and hands-on learning. Participants to the Philippine Society for Educational Research and Evaluation (PSERE), representing 26 colleges and universities from different parts of the Philippines, visited the JBLFMU Ecological Park, listened to field lecture and demonstration, and experienced social immersion with the members of the community. Cruising by motorboat to reach Guimaras Island from Iloilo, and to the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) marine station, is adventure - a learning process seldom encountered by teachers and students in the city.

Scenes on Guimaras: Professors all, academicians, educators. The world is exploding with knowledge, the world is traveling on two feet (communication and transportation).  Tradition is left behind if not being waylaid, generations are losing their connections by culture, exposure, distance. We must keep abreast, we have to be computer literate, we go back to school, attend continuing education training, get ourselves involved in social immersion. This is PSERE's thrust in research, but research that looks not only to discoveries and inventions, but to ascertain the continuity, contiguity, and sustainability of progress, of proven techniques and formulas, of working models, of every research that contributes to the efficiency of  a system.  

   

Who qualifies as tour guide?  Field instructor? Like in the field of sports, he is a player himself - and somebody who has won medals and trophies.  So in science and technology, in marine biology, in explaining the mangrove, the flying foxes (giant fruit bats), in predicting a coming storm, the spawning of dulong and other species, sudden swarming of jellyfish. Why the deer is no longer around.  Are there still crocodiles in the swamp? Pick a leaf and he will tell you the plant, its scientific name and family, too. Why do starfishes stay on sea grasses, how are they harmful to shellfish like clams and oysters (because they have five arms alternately prying the bivalve which ultimately loses its muscle grip to keep close).  We smile for new knowledge, and at people who bring it to us in their simplicity and sincerity and friendliness.  

Meet Jun a marine technician of SEAFDEC (in blue green) an expert by virtue of long, rich experience and domicile by the sea since birth.  Ask about the giant lapulapu (kugtong), mother bangus, mullet (ludong), mayamaya, matangbaka, and the like, and he will recite their natural history at fingertip.  If he were in music he is a musico de oido (by ear), and if there is a blue thumb, counterpart of green thumb in farming, he is surely one in fishing. He is indeed a naturalist. 

Nature posters express concern on the environment by students who spend time in the Eco Park, making it an extension of the classroom and laboratory. Here they forget for the time being the TV, the computer, and other amenities of life.  It is communion with nature. ~

Balanced Environment is the Key to Allergy Control-

 Balanced Environment  is the  Key to Allergy Control-

Dr. Abe V. Rotor

Everyone of us has allergies - there is no exception. But many are not aware of this fact. Allergy comes from land, water and air. The food we eat, medicine and drugs we take, clothes we wear, cosmetics we apply, chemical sprays and fumigants, farm and industrial chemicals, plastics and other synthetics, and a lot more. By knowing those that cause us allergy, we would be in a better position to institute prevention and immediate remedy, and not become a victim of of this silent epidemic.

Are you allergic to marine fish, like talakitok, and crabs?

Allergy, the Silent Epidemic of our times is masked by the Good Life. It is surreptitiously leading millions of people all over the world into various complications and diseases that may even lead to death.

To bring medicine to the understanding of the people, to make themselves well in their own capacity is perhaps the biggest challenge of medicine today. Thus, the three contending areas of medicine should work together like a tripod.

1. Conventional medicine from which modern medicine grew and developed well into computerization and genetic engineering.

2. Alternative medicine, being part of Filipino culture and closest to local remedies, time-tested and practical remedies - the mainstay of folk medicine which caters to the grassroots.

3. Environmental Medicine, the most practical and original to the point of being primeval, if I may say so. Its rules are universal and as natural as Nature’s laws. It is dependent on ecological principles in the conservation of a clean and balance environment

Environmental medicine was born out of the rush of modernization and apparent lack of concern on our deteriorating environment. As we prosper economically we seem to have forgotten a basic equation of weighing the deleterious by-products of progress, and keeping them out of harm’s way. Basic as it is, we have forgotten the equation of oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange that keep the biosphere in balance, energy-matter relationship that maintains steady energy supply, organism-habitat balance that protects species and ecosystems, acid-alkaline balance that prevents formation of acid rain, and the like.

In fact we have grown too progressive – we call our era Postmodernism, as if we are living in the future. It has become difficult for us to distinguish – much more to separate – our needs from our wants. There seems to be no end of affluence. We want power, wealth, pleasure, in a materialistic way. But we have homogenized them too, with pollution, allergy, acid rain, AIDS, diabetes and many other sources that destroy our health and our environment. Through globalization we heat the atmosphere a frying pan, warming it up to spawn hurricanes, floods, cyclones – even tsunamis. We pierced a hole through the ozone layer as if the amount of sunlight entering the earth is not enough.

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How little would one give importance to ailments and discomforts, while fighting for survival, and loneliness and despair. People who are placed in such a dilemma may not even care, and they may not even know the difference between being healthy or sick, much less between colds and allergy rhinitis, simple indigestion from candidiasis, rashes developed from different causes. Phobia, anxiety, disease, malnutrition, loneliness, are difficult to decipher and separate when one is suffering of physical, mental and emotional distress. AVR
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Indeed our world has changed a lot in the past century, and continues to accelerate as towns grow into cities, cities into megapolises, opening settlements to an exponentially growing population. There could be no better conditions for allergy to flourish - modern living in the city. It is Pandora’s box.

It is the microcosm of many other cases, perhaps in lesser degree or worst, older or more recent, that prevail in many cities around the world where the same recipe of allergy is supplied by the by-products of industrialization, high-rise buildings, affluent living style, that characterize progress, and exacerbated by lack or inefficient Governance.

But this is the pulse beat of trade and commerce that has taken over the healthy and vigorous biological clock; it is the signature of modernity that capitalism has brought into the life of modern man. This is the circulatory flow of money and goods, men and ideas, survival and affluence reaching all levels, nurturing the organism, determining what we gauge as growth and development.
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Dr. Arturo B. Rotor, the first Filipino Allergist, tells us that the human being should be regarded holistically, therefore too, when it comes to attending to his health – body and spirit, psyche and intellect. And we realize that man is truly divine with these attributes: Man the Thinker (Homo sapiens), Man the Maker (Homo faber), Man the Player (Homo ludens) and the Man the Reverent (Homo spiritus). 
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At this point allow me to cite the case of Germany, considered a classical case about allergy. For 45 years Germany was divided by a wall. Economic wise, West Germany was very progressive, while East Germany was poor. The West Germans enjoyed one of the world’s highest standards of living. They live in luxurious homes, drive Mercedes-Benz as they pleased. The East Germans on the other hand, were living under extreme poor living condition, with housing and consumer goods always in short supply. They had to wait years to be able to buy a second hand automobile. In short West Germany was a capitalist Utopia, while East Germany was a socialist Third World country. It was a case of one people living on separate and unequal planets. Then in 1990 Germany was reunited. The Cold War was over.

Now, what has this historical event to do with allergy?

Scientists compared the two extreme environments and came up with startling results.

The Robert Koch Institute came up with a revealing finding: allergies were far more common among Germans from the affluent West. West German baby boomers were up to 83 % more likely than their East German counterparts to have allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma. Since there was no such differences in allergy rates were found in German born before World War II, the researches suspected that West Germany’s postwar lifestyles had somehow sensitized its children to pollen, mold, dust mites, and other types of allergens.

West Germany represents a microcosm of a global Silent Epidemic, and countries that adopted the same lifestyle have more allergy cases than countries, which like East Germany, have remained, for one reason or another, underdeveloped.

What makes an affluent society have more allergy cases as compared to a marginal society?

Which of these fall under West Germany’s condition? And which ones fit East Germany’s?
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Dr. Arturo B. Rotor Memorial Lecture 11th Biennial Convention, Sept 9, 2008, Philippine Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Theme: Understanding Allergies Across Specialties. Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Manila
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Bonding - Key to Success in Evolution

 Bonding - Key to Success in Evolution

Mural Paintings by Dr Abe V Rotor

Bonding, above Darwinian competition - 

flock, school, colony, population, and so on,

that no species can exist without its own, 

 in cooperation with others, ad infinitum.

A flock of white doves from the blue sky,

emerges through the light in the forest,  

heralds the new day.  They joyfully fly 

and ask us if we had a good night's rest.

Can different species peacefully live together?

Ask the blue, white, yellow butterflies,

Swarming into the light of morning together, 

Peace is universal where unity lies. 

Natural Agriculture: Accelerated Composting with Wild Sunflower

 Natural Agriculture: Accelerated Composting with Wild Sunflower

Who would think those shrubs with bright yellow flowers growing on the roadside and wastelands make excellent compost? 

Dr Abe V Rotor 

Wild sunflowers, painting in acrylic by AV Rotor 

Wild sunflower, Tithonia diversifolia, has been found to contain high nitrogen content, exceeding nearly 6 percent, and enzymes that hasten decomposition and cut down composting time from three months to just a few weeks. This is why it is an excellent additive in composting rice hay and other farm wastes which have low nitrogen content and which normally decompose slowly.

Sunflower added in the compost pile builds heat and sustains it at a high level, 55 degrees Celsius on the average. At this temperature weed seeds and harmful microorganisms are killed, including those that cause acidic reaction. Acidic soil locks up, so to speak, nutrients that are otherwise made available for plant use.

With the addition of chopped sunflower in the compost pile, its pH value remains at 7 to 8 (neutral to slightly alkaline), throughout the decomposition period. Under this condition nitrogenous materials are immediately mineralized into ammonium nitrogen (NH4N+) and nitrate (NO3) which are directly absorb by the plants.

These are highlights of a graduate research at the University of Santo Tomas leading to a masteral degree in biological science by Luisito Evangelista, a professor at Siena College QC.

“Accelerated composting is the key to successful production of on-farm organic fertilizer specially in areas where sunflower abounds,” Evangelista concludes.

Sunflower is an alternative to Trichoderma a cellulose-acting fungus strain discovered by Dr. Virginia C. Cuevas of the Institute of Biological Sciences at UPLB especially in areas where the inoculant’s is not available. 

When the sunflower-activated compost was used on Red Creole onions, yield increased by as much as 20 percent, and the physical quality of the bulbs improved. Other than being bigger, the bulbs are brighter, heavier and more uniform in size. Their neck is well closed and this is important in storage as danger of rotting is reduced. 

 

Natural vegetation of wild sunflower, Tithonia diversifolia 

How can one make his own sunflower compost? Here is how. 

1. A well drained area, half shaded if possible, is prepared. Here a compost pile of 2 x 4 meters in dimension, breast high when compact, will be constructed.

2. The raw compost materials are prepared by chopping the rice straw and green wild sunflower separately. The ratio by weight of sunflower to rice hay is 3:1. Chicken droppings or animal manure and topsoil from the farm are also readied.

3. These materials are piled in the following arrangement: the rice hay makes the first layer, 20 cm thick. On top of it is the chopped sunflower, followed by manure and soil.

4. A second set of layers is made on top of the first, compacting the pile as the process is repeated. The pile should not be higher than 1.5 meters for convenience in watering and turning over.

5. Aeration tubes made of bamboo are planted vertically into the pile 50 cm apart. The tubes are made by partly opening the nodes, outside and inside to allow air to enter and heat to rise.

6. Temperature is monitored with a thermometer inserted through the tubes.

Heat is expected to increase immediately reaching its peak for two weeks before it gradually declines.

7. Watering should be just sufficient to maintain moisture content of 60 to 70 percent. Plastic or sacks are used to cover the pile to protect it from rain and to help conserve the heat generated.

8. As decomposition progresses the pile will shrink, and temperature will soon equal to that of the surroundings. After three to four weeks the compost is “ripe”. To facilitate, the pile is turned once or twice before it is harvested. 

To know if the compost can now be used, here are the indicators. 

· There is no foul odor emitted by the pile.

· Temperature has gone down and is about the same as that of the surrounding area.

· The original substrates are no longer recognizable.

· The color is dark, loamy and soft to touch. Composting is a bio-oxidative process, which results in the production of stable organic product that contributes directly to soil conditioning and fertility. In many books it is called mineralization, that is, the breaking down of organic compounds into their elemental forms and as they settle down in the compost or in the soil as may be the case, become available to plants. This is particularly true with nitrogen. This is nature’s way of recycling chemical compounds, from organic to inorganic form, and vice versa. 

Composting rice hay alone is not advisable as it has low C:N ratio. This is the reason farmers seldom convert rice hay – and also corn stover - into compost but would rather have other uses, such as roughage, if not burn them.

In terms of percentage of dry weight, rice hay contains very low nutrients - 0.86 Nitrogen, 45.91 total Carbon, 0.16 Phosphorus, 2.84 Potassium. Compare this with the analysis of dry farm manure (carabao): 1.02 N, 10.66 C, 5.33 P and 1.92 K, whereas dried wild sunflower contains 5.53 N, 55.83 C, 0.36 P, and 2.78 K. Soil on the other hand contains 0.13 N, 1.49 C, 28.36 P and 0,01 K.

It is clear that the incorporation of top soil, manure and wild sunflower in the compost pile will boost these elements – N, C, P and K - and therefore, increases the nutrient value of the finished compost. 

This means that the C:N becomes closer (30:40) making it more valuable as compost, while accelerating the rate of decomposition. By maintaining moisture content at 60 to 70 percent and temperature at 50 degrees centigrade in the initial two weeks, the pH level stabilizes between 6 to 8 that are favorable to both biological and chemical reactions taking place. 

Composting then basically follows nature’s formula. In nature, crop residues are left on the field after harvest and allowed to decompose or eaten by animals that in the process leave their waste on the ground. In both cases the end products become part of soil together with weeds and other plants that are normally incorporated during plowing. This may be augmented by green manuring, the planting of leguminous plants like Indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L) which is purposely incorporated into the soil before the planting season. 

 Indigo (Indigofera hirsuta L)

We may call this system traditional for the reason that it is an old practice, yet it holds the key to sustainable productivity of centuries-old farmlands. It is also common in agricultural societies throughout the world as if it evolved naturally. Traditional farming as I see it is a shared experience with man living in harmony with nature, respecting her ways and law. What judgment can we give to modern agriculture which use synthetic input and offer high production but leave the farms unproductive and spent on the long term? 

Perhaps we should turn our attention to another example of natural composting. The floor of a forest is continuously being built by composting. It is a living carpet inhabited by a complex population of organisms responsible in converting organic materials into inorganic and elemental forms that are recycled to the living world, and down to the next generations of organisms. 

Natural composting is also observed in insect eating plants like the pitcher plant and the sundew. It is demonstrated in the watery axils of bromeliads, which trap water and dirt. This mini pool is home of wrigglers, frogs, fish and reptiles. It is no wonder how bromeliads can live an epiphytic existence without reaching the soil for subsistence. 

The ant plant is another example. Its bulbous rhizome is filled with a colony of ant that “eats” a complex tunnel network. Here inside is a laboratory that produces organic materials that the plant uses for its growth and development. This is a classical example of symbiosis. 

Next time you find wild sunflowers growing around where there are a lot of farm residues that simply go to waste, think of the potential organic fertilizer that you can produce. It is the key to natural and environment friendly farming. In nature, there is nothing called waste. ~

Vegetable Fern (Pako') - Athyrium esculentum

 Vegetable Fern (Pako') - Athyrium esculentum

For a change, try fern vegetable. It's good for the family;  It is rich in minerals and high in food value.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Pako' abounds in the wild - fields, forests and on river banks. It is often found growing on the backyard and idle lots.  Because many people have learned to eat pako', it is now widely sold in public markets just like any vegetable. 

Gather the young leaves or fronds which are eaten either raw or cooked.  They may be used as salad with various dressings, as leafy vegetable, or as ingredient of stews.

At home we prefer Ilocos Vinegar for dressing, with chopped onions, and a dash of salt.  Try fresh tomato instead of vinegar. 

When cooking bulanglang or diningding, include pako' singly ir in combination with other vegetables like spinach and eggplant.  Don't forget sweet potato (kamote) in  cubes as thickening (buridibud). 

    

 

Pako’ salad with tomato and onion dressing; pako ready for cooking stew.

Mineral Content and Food Value of fresh Athyrium esculentum (percent)

 Marañon J (Philippine Journal of Science), and Hermano AJ (Bureau of Science Popular Bulletin), Useful Plants of the Philiipines Volume 1, William H Brown

Moisture 89-90;

Ash 1.14 - 1.32

Phosphorus 0.26

Calcium 0.03

Iron 0.006

Protein 3.11

Fats 0.28

Cabohydrates 3.86

Crude Fiber 1.23

How do you recognize the plant in the field? Here is a guide.  Refer to the illustration to familiarize yourself.  Pako' is in ther list of wild food plants, and "hunger" or emergency food plant in times of scarcity. It is a survivor's alternative food.  

Athyrium esculentum has twce- or thrice-pinnate frond which are 50 to 80 cm long and about half as wide.  The pinnules are pointed, coarsely serrate, and about 2 to 5 cm long. The plant is abundantly distributed in the Philippines growing on gravelly bars and banks of streams.  It is also found growing widely from India to Polynesia. 

Pako' (Athyrium esculentum) growing habit

Another fern is edible. This is Ceratopteris thalictroides, a stout fern with leaves that are divideed into numerous narrow sgments..  It is aquatic and it actually grows on mud. It is also found all over the Philippines and in all tropical countries.  

  Ceratopteris thalictroides, an aquatic fern.  

Other edible fern species mainly in temperate regions: (Wikipedia)

The fiddleheads (unopened fronds) of certain ferns are eaten as a cooked leaf vegetable. The most popular of these are:

• Western sword fern, Polystichum munitum, "king of northwest ferns."
• Bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, found worldwide
• Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris, found in northern regions worldwide, and the central/eastern part of North America
• Lady fern, Athyrium filix-femina, throughout most of the temperate northern hemisphere.
• Cinnamon fern or buckhorn fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, found in the eastern parts of North America, although not so palatable as ostrich fern.
• Royal fern, Osmunda regalis, found worldwide
• Midin, or Stenochlaena palustris, found in Sarawak, where it is prized as a local delicacy
• Zenmai or flowering fern, Osmunda japonica, found in East Asia
  

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio

738 DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday