A fruit to save you money

Sunday, February 26, 2012

ARE you ready to know practical tips to help you minimize your expenses?

Passion fruit, locally known as masaplora, is a perennial vine widely known in the Cordillera. It is abundant in Atok, Benguet, where the vine literally “climbs” trees. What is with this plant?

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The study, conducted by Estela Nobres of the College of Veterinary Medicine in Benguet State University titled “The Effect of Passion Fruit (Passiflora incarnata) Leaves Extract against Flea in Vitro” revealed the pure passion fruit leaves extract could kill fleas in just a span of three hours and 45 minutes.

Fleas, locally known as tilang (Kankana – ey) and timel (Ilocano), are wingless insects that are considered external parasites to mammals. They feed on the blood of domestic pets and cats. They bite humans too. They usually live on the body surface of their host.

The study also revealed fleas are also the usual cause of hair loss and rashes of dogs and cats, making them vulnerable to infection.

On the study, two kilograms of fresh passion fruit leaves were chopped and pounded. The juice or extract of the pounded leaves were strained and laced in clean containers ready to be used for the treatments. It was revealed two kilograms of the leaves could produce 100 – 110 ml of extract.

The study compared the effects of the five treatments with different volume of leaves extract and water to identify the most effective treatment. The treatments were 100 percent extract, 75 percent extract added with 25 percent water, 50 percent extract added with 50 percent water, 25 percent extract added with 75 percent water and 100 percent water as a sole control.

These treatments were sued to wet the cages where fleas were placed.

Results of the study showed pure passion fruit leaves extract kill fleas the fastest at three hours and 45 minutes compared to other treatments.

On the other hand, the result from the other treatments revealed the greater the concentration of passion fruit leaves extract, the faster the time to eliminate fleas.

The researcher then recommends the use of a pure passion fruit leaves extract to kill fleas immediately.

However, the study did not elaborate on the application of the extract to animals and humans.

Today, commercial repellents to fight fleas come with high cost and post health and environmental risks. But with this natural and financial friendly remedy, we can now eliminate the parasites in just a few hours.