When I learned that Sambong was suitably recommended as diuretic by the Philippine National Kidney and Transplant Institute, and The Philippine Department of Health (DOH), I immediately suggested to my wife that we include Sambong in our short list of plants to be propagated in the farm. 

It was in mid 2004, in Riyadh when I was inundated with urination problems such as (1) the need to urinate frequently, (2) getting up to urinate through the night, and (3) weak urinal stream.  I underwent pelvis ultrasound and found my prostate has a mild increase in size affecting mainly central lobe and elevating bladder base.  Returning to work after spending our yearly vacation in 2005, my wife and I were always in the mood to make fun of each other about my dilemma.  Her darling line was “we can go home rich but probably you’ll be in the box or we can go home simply able and you’re still fit to see a good urologist.”

By early 2006, I expressed to my employer (one amongst the best 10 companies in Saudi Arabia) my desire to quit.  By August 2006, I was given a farewell party, an appreciation plaque, various gifts and above all 13 years of wholesome working memories that will last till I die.

I was not comfortable the first time I take pure Sambong tea; it doesn’t taste good but I felt its effectiveness right away.  It just takes some times before I improved the taste of my Sambong tea, boiled or over ice.

The Medical Health Guide (www.medicalhealthguide.com) has cited some medical uses of Sambong as follows:

Sambong herbal tea is used as a diuretic for fluid retention and hypertension conditions.  Sambong herbal tea incites the body to urinate thereby removing excess body fluids and sodium.  Clinical studies have shown that high levels of sodium in the blood are a major cause of hypertension.

The Philippine National Kidney and Transplant Institute recommend taking sambong herbal medicine for patients with renal problems. Favourable results were noted that sambong may help to delay or avert dialysis or even kidney transplant.

The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) has been promoting Sambong herbal tea and tablets as a diuretic and for the dissolution of kidney stones.  Sambong has been recently registered in the Bureau of Foods and Drugs as medicine.

Sambong contains methanolic extract that has been found to have therapeutic activity against hepatocellular carcinoma cells. A study of sambong (balsamifera) extract inhibits the activity in rat and human hepatocellular carcinoma cells without cytotoxicity. This study suggests a possible therapeutic effect of sambong extracts (balsamifera) in the treatment of hepatoma cancer patients.

Sambong as Antibacterial and Antifungal: A Phytochemical study indicates that sambong leaves contains the chemicals icthyothereol acetate, cyptomeridiol, lutein and ß-carotene that have been found to have positive activity against microbes such as A niger, T mentagrophytes and C albicans.

If you need sambong, please do not hesitate to contact us.