My Malaysian rain forest

As a medical herbalist specializing in herbs of tropical Asia, I witness daily the health benefits (aside from the obvious food benefits) that the plant kingdom of this region provides us humans. My hobby is to take regular walks into the Malaysian rain forest with its enormous biodiversity of plants species of which only a minute percentage have yet been explored for their therapeutic, medicinal, culinary, aromatic and aesthetic potential. Malaysia has the fourth most biodiversity rich country in the world behind only the much larger countries of China, India and Indonesia.  Here we have an almost unlimited opportunity for new useful plant discoveries if this invaluable resource is preserved and researched wisely. Unfortunately, regulations and implementation of virgin forest protection is still lacking and threaten the survival of many unique species of plants and animals. 

Our daily lives are filled with contact with products originating from the rain forest. Whether it is the tropical fruits we just ate or the vegetables we had for lunch, as well as the spices used in cooking them, we may be unaware that these are all originated from tropical rain forest plants.  Other common products we use that have originated from the world’s rain forests include rubber and palm oil and how would our day be without the daily enjoyment we get from coffee, cocoa and sugar?

The Spice Islands, Ribero 1529

Many modern prescription pharmaceutical drugs have also been developed from the rain forest plants and scientists today consider the rain forests to be one of the last remaining frontiers for new drug discovery. In modern herbal medicine we take for granted the enormous therapeutic benefits from the spices and pungent roots that originate from the tropics. The curry herb Turmeric is one of the most potent antioxidants in the plant kingdom and together with its pungent cousin, Ginger, they belong to the Zingiberaceae family of plants of which Southeast Asia has more varieties than anywhere else on the planet. The spices such as Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Pepper, Cardamom etc were responsible for the creation of the spice routes in the ancient world and fierce global competition for monopoly that led to wars and vast riches for those who controlled the source of the spices (the Bill Gates of the old world!). Both the Amazon and Southeast Asian rain forest have also contributed new herbs into the modern herbalists arsenal such as the male hormonal "ginseng-like" tonics; Maca, Tongkat Ali and Butea superba.

To better appreciate this fragile rain forest environment and the complex diversity of plant life it supports it helps to picture the distinct layers on which all rain forest life depend and the high rainfall and humidity that allows for life to flourish. The balance of the sensitive ecosystem begins at the forest roof at a height of around 240 feet (that's as high as a 20 story building) where the forest canopy basks in almost constant sunlight and provides a cooling shade from the tropical sun while acting as an umbrella, protecting the lower levels from heavy tropical rainfall. The lower canopy is the richest layer in terms of animal and plant life and most of the mammals that live here are nocturnal.

The understory extends from the forest floor up to about 80 feet. Leaves are often long and pointed, the ends of which form 'drip tips' allowing excess water to run off quickly. Little sunlight filters into the understory which makes it dark and humid. With intense competition for nutrients, understory plants have evolved to take advantage of every available space, from herbs, shrubs and trees to creepers and climbers. Where the only climatic changes between the seasons are from “hot” to “wet," plants take advantage of this environment for rapid growth.  It is here where the majority of our medicinal herbs grow, in that area that is teeming with life of all kinds, insects, mammals, birds and so on. The variety of plant life all contribute to the characteristic leaf litter bed, which together with tree roots holds the thin layer of organic matter in place, so as not to be washed away in the tropical downpours. This nutrient-filled soil is only around around 4 inches deep with red clay or sandy soil beneath it. It is in this rich compost leaf litter bed that the decomposition and renewal process occurs that allows for the rapid flow cycle of nutrients through the whole system. 

The living things in each of these levels (canopy, understory and leaf litter bed) are interdependent for their existence. If you take out a single player, such as the majestic rain forest tree's with their massive buttressed roots then a cascade effect destroys the entire balance with the washing away of the organic leaf litter bed as evidenced in the brown rivers visible in all unprotected over-logged rain forests. Without organic nutrients the exposed clay soil cannot support the understory plants and the loss of species is permanent. In time, the secondary forest that arises will have considerably less biodiversity than the pristine forest that been essentially unchanged for millions of years. Species of fauna and flora become extinct forever when each hectare of rain forest is destroyed for its land and timber.

Sustainable use of the rain forest means that to safeguard and maintain the rain forest ecosystem, the needs of the present must be met without compromising the needs of future generations. Considering the wealth of products that humanity has derived from the rain forests of the world, it becomes increasingly evident that the tropical rain forests of Malaysia are an irreplaceable treasure house of immense importance to all humanity. While the rain forest provides us with the necessary requirements for our life, the balance must be met whereby profits are not at the expense of the environment. Let us step up our education of the importance of pristine rain forest preservation and the intrinsic value it contains.

“In the end,
we will conserve only what we love,
we will love only what we understand,

we will understand only what we are taught.”

What our body needs (part 2)

The road to improving health is made up of many small steps in the right direction. Unfortunately knowing right from wrong is a very difficult matter considering the amount of information and "must have" products we are bombarded with constantly. Broadly speaking our diets got us into the health mess we are in and thus we need to start with our diets first.

Changing your diet starts with changing your shopping habits and what you put in your shopping trolley. Begin right away to add more vegetables than you normally would, especially the greens and colourful varieties. To get the living enzymes in raw veges think of ways to make enjoyable salads for the family. Some of the most alkaline enzyme rich veges are sprouts. You can see how enzyme rich they are by the speed at which they go brown if left out for long! Add the healthy zing to your salads with virgin olive oil, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.

A major culprit in modern diets is store bought soft drinks and packaged juices. This single habit is a major deviation from what our bodies have evolved to handle. The solution is to make your own fresh juices. Creativity in selecting fruits and vegetables that your family enjoys is the key. Even for kids, once they start accepting fresh juices they will not be able to get enough of their favorites. One way to get them interested is to take them to the Fresh Juice Bar in your local mall and let them choose!

Of equal consequence in influencing the decline in health in modern society is the excessive use of processed vegetable oils. So pervasive has been the marketing of this relatively new invention of food scientists that few are aware of what they are putting in their family's body every day. Our ancient ancestors obtained their essential fatty acids in the right balance from the wild plants, animals and fish they consumed. For the past several thousand years that men and women have settled into communities and regularly cooked then the need for improving the flavor of food meant that animal fats and milk fats were the main source of fats used in cooking. This further inspired them to develop basic methods to extract virgin oils from certain fruits and seeds, such as olives or sesame and coconuts in Asia.

Up until this stage the balance of essential fatty acids was quite satisfactorily maintained and the oils were of a basic unprocessed nature. The Twentieth Century saw the advent of the edible oil industry and since that time we have been sold one lie after another to get us to depend on modern processed oils and abandon those oils used by our ancestors for thousands of years. Those modern societies that bought into this completely are now the cultures with the most chronic ill health, while those that resisted have statistically less incidence. While the truth about the dangers of trans fats, margarine and shortening made from hydrogenated vegetable oils is slowly leaking out to the public, few know that this is only the tip of the iceberg. In another few years the truth will also emerge on the need to greatly reduce the consumption of our regular polyunsaturated Omega 6 vegetable oils.

Many of us fall into the trap of wanting to right the dietary wrongs of a lifetime by speeding up the process. So we fall prey to the latest health gimmick or magic pill that we think can do the job for us. The simple truth is that if we do not add healthy changes to our diet then whatever supplements we take will be ineffective and may well set us back in our health goals. It's a much better investment to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables and virgin unprocessed oils than on some pricey dietary supplement. There are no short cuts when it comes to our bodies own requirements and the simple truth is that we can find many easy to implement solutions by looking not so far back to those traditional diets of our great grandparents time and the ingredients they used before big business dictated what we should use. In particular pay attention to the fresh foods, herbs, spices, oils and salads they used as these are the dietary components most lacking in our current time.

Finding the balance between modern existence and what our body needs (Part 1)

Our human body functions according to its ancient genetic programming and most humans in our modern world are faced with untold stresses that our bodies have not yet evolved to cope with and most likely never will.  The recent onslaught of industrialization has come about at a speed that has far outrun the process of natural selection and adaptation to the environment. These stresses on our bodies alter our fundamental chemical balance and this has been remedied with a society hooked on pharmaceutical dependency, which only serves to create additional toxicity and accelerate the downward health spiral.

Achieving balance is the key in our fast changing world. There is no returning to the hunter and gatherer lifestyles of our ancestors and nor is a diet of purely organic and raw foods practical for most of us. However, there are simple steps we can take based on an understanding of where we have come from, genetically speaking, and in keeping with our modern existence, diet and lifestyles. Philosophically we could call this "returning to the present" as we balance going back in time while embracing the present circumstances we find ourselves. Here we look first at those bodily requirements that are most thrown out of balance by our modern lives:

1. Enzymes. The secretive little chemicals present in our foods that break down what we eat into its composite parts, while most importantly reducing the demands on our bodies own digestive enzymes. Unfortunately our love for cooking foods destroys most of these and our cooked & processed food diet creates an enzyme exhaustion and accelerates the aging process. Think of our remote ancestors eating much of their foods raw for hundreds of thousands of years and compare to our modern diet.

2. The acid / alkaline balance of the blood. While our body works hard to maintain our acid / alkali balance in the face of our predominantly acidic modern diets it does so at a cost to our bodies mineral reserves and if let unchecked will result in disease and bone loss as we age. Excess processed foods, dairy, sugar and meat create excess acidity and mineral rich fruits and vegetables promote alkalinity.

3. Exercise or lack of it. Our primitive ancestors rarely stopped moving except to sleep or to prepare to die. We move so little our bodies think we too are preparing to die and by midlife starts releasing chemicals to help us on our way.

4. Lots and lots of plants.  A wide assortment of herbs, fruits and vegetable plants were the staple diet of most primitive cultures and provided the many phytonutrients essential to survival in the form of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fatty acids and countless other essential plant compounds. Today refined carbohydrates from sugars and grains have become the new dietary staple that are seriously  lacking in these essential nutrients. Processed food fortified with basic synthetic vitamins can never replace our bodies requirements for these complex plant compounds.

Other important bodily requirements that have been thrown out of balance entirely are sleep, breathing, sunlight and fasting. There are many more and the beauty is that for each of these only slight adjustment needs to be made to bring about more balance. Most traditional cultures have already evolved culinary habits and lifestyles that have been more in harmony with our genetic physical needs i.e. the diets of Mediterranean cultures as an example. Everywhere you travel around the world you can see this ancient wisdom at work. The problem is that big business and the supermarket culture has confused us to the point that we don't know what to eat anymore. Add to this the pharmaceutical and food processing industries and we have become a very sick confused culture as a whole.