Skip to main content

Kontrayuma


NAIPAKILALA sa mga paslit na sinanay kamakailan ang isang malapad na latag ng ikmo (ch’ing chu, Piper betle) sa lilim ng punong mangga. Nabanggit na mga matanda lang ang gumagamit sa naturang dahon… itinatapal sa mga sumasakit na kasu-kasuan o sikmura, ampat sa kirot ng kabag at rayuma…

Nalimutan pa nga ang pangalan ng halaman na kontra-diabetes din pala ang katas ng dahon… konting pananaliksik pa’t mabubungkal din ang iba pang bisa laban sa sakit ng ligaw na baging na katuwang ng apog ang dahon sa mga kakanin ng Thailand.

Opo, nagtataglay ng anti-oxidants ang ikmo, panlaban pa sa tadyak ng alkohol sa utak, at mas mabagsik kaysa streptomycin ang bisa kontra mikrobyo… kaya mas mainam lantakan—may banayad na lasa ng paminta’t sili-- kaysa iceberg or romaine lettuce.

Pwedeng lapatan ng sinumang paslit ng iba pang pangalan, halimbawa, kontrayuma… baka nga kontra sa gayuma—parang alkohol din kasi ang sipa ng pagnanasa sa utak… ‘kakahilo, ‘kakalasing, ‘kakabaliw.

So I was shaking my head seeing a smitten ‘tweener eye with fond fascination a comely girl yet to step into her teen years… “too young to really be in love— mahal ko si Toyang ‘pagkat siya’y simple lamang, kahit (pa may problema) basta’t kami ay magkasama…”

I’ve got to give it to Sesame Street’s The Count—“how do I love thee, let me count the ways, mwa-ha-ha-haw!”

Uh, if you ask me, they’re too young to be struck with cardiac unrest…

And I remember growling at a kid in near-tears tackling a physically exacting field challenge, “Forget your body… set your mind to it!” (And went through she did after a few painful attempts.)

Then I remember that romance is mostly in the mind, mostly chemical… a section of the brain spurts dopamine, more intoxicating than a jolt of vodka or whiskey that gives a giddy feel of pleasure… and another brain section is roused for a stronger jolt and begs for more of the same… male get awash in vasopressin (which makes him protective of his mate and turf) and testosterone that triggers aggression… female is soaked in estrogen which makes her feminine and tender… both are awash in oxytocin hormone that induces a feeling of bliss and well-being.

It’s a third section of the brain that binds the lover to the beloved—the caudate nucleus… the area that commits to long-term memory the look, feel, and identity of the person provoking, oops, providing the pleasure.

The kids who roared with laughter with the silly jokes I plied them on the way home won’t know better… they were getting themselves doused in oxytocin, nudging a bevy of caudate nuclei to remember… me… as my grandchildren do in moments magical when I go through antics as childish and silly.

Gayuma… a grizzled guy never needed that arcane magic when he can stoke tender conflagration in the caudate nucleus…

“What you give you get, ten times over.”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

ALAMAT NG TAHONG

SAKBIBI ng agam-agam sa kalagayan ng butihing kabiyak-- at kabiyakan, opo-- na nakaratay sa karamdaman, ang pumalaot na mangingisda ay napagawi sa paanan ng dambuhalang Waczim-- isang bathala na nagkakaloob sa sinuman anumang ibulwak ng bibig mula sa bukal ng dibdib. Pangangailangan sa salapi na pambili ng gamot ng kapilas-pusong maysakit ang nakasaklot sa puso ng matandang mangingisda. 'Di kaginsa-ginsa'y bumundol ang kanyang bangka sa paanan ng Waczim. Kagy at umigkas ang katagang kimkim noon sa kanyang dibdib: "Salapi!" Bumuhos ng salapi-- mga butil at gilit ng ginto-- mula papawirin. At halos umapaw sa ginto ang bangka ng nagulantang na mangingisda, walang pagsidlan ang galak, at walang humpay ang pasasalamat sa mga bathala. Nanumbalik ang kalusugan ng kabiyak ng mangingisda. At lumago ang kabuhayan, naging mariwasa ang magkapilas-puso na dating maralita. Nilasing ng kanyang mga dating kalapit-bahay ang mangingisda-- na hindi ikina...
Post a Comment
Read more

Cal y canto con camote

FENG shui (literally, wind water flow) lore has it root crops embody a hidden store of treasures. Say, a local food conglomerate needs yearly 35,000 metric tons of cassava for livestock feed-- the available local supply falls short of 13,000 tons. Cassava granules sell for around P9 a kilo. Demand for the same root crop to be used in liquor manufacturing is hitting above the roof. Why, raising cassava is a no-brainer task— this is one tough crop that can grow in the most hostile patches of earth, providing sustenance for ages to dwellers in sub-Saharan parts of Africa. While the hardy cassava is nearly pure starch, the lowly sweet potato or kamote is considered by nutritionists as a super food, the most nutritious of all vegetables— kamote levels of Vitamin A are “off the charts, rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.” A fist-sized kamote can supply a day’s dose of glucose to fuel the brain, muscles, and organs, so they claim. Count the country lucky...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wealth garden

‘TWAS CRUEL as smashing a budding green thumb: some years back, an abuela warned me about letting any clump of katigbi (Job’s tears or Coix lachrymal jobi for you botanists) from growing in our homeyard. That grass with rapier-like leaves that smelled of freshly pounded pinipig supposedly invited bad luck and sorrows—why, that biblical character Job wailed and howled a lot, didn’t he? (But was later rewarded with oodles of goodies, wasn’t he?) Then, I came across some arcane text that practically goaded folks to grow katigbi in their gardens—why, there’s a starchy kernel wrapped shut in the seed’s shiny coat. A handful or more of kernels could be cooked as porridge. Too, one could whisper a wish upon seven seed pods, throw ‘em pods in running water—a river or stream—and the wish would be granted! I was warned, too, about planting kapok or talisay trees right in the homeyard—these trees form a cross-like branching pattern. Pasang-krus daw ang bahay na kalapit sa puno ng kapok, tal...
Post a Comment
Read more