15/12/2025
Plants that heal, plants that nourish 🌿
The Department of History, UP Diliman shares two essays by Dr. Ma. Mercedes G. Planta in 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 (2025), released under the Museo ng Kaalamang Katutubó imprint.
𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥—𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘰 𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘢𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘣ó, 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴.
In “Interface: Plants that Heal, Plants that Nourish,” Dr. Planta examines the long-standing overlap between food and medicine in the Philippines—how everyday plants in the Filipino diet have also functioned as remedies, preventives, and sources of well-being across centuries. Drawing from historical records, missionary pharmacopoeias, and contemporary scientific research, the essay shows how Filipino plant knowledge consistently blurs the boundary between nourishment and healing. From 𝘣𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘨 or garlic (𝘈𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘶𝘮), 𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘢 or bitter gourd (𝘔𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢), and 𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘴 or guava (𝘗𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘷𝘢), to 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘨𝘢𝘺 or moringa (𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢) and 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘰 or Filipino bird’s eye chili (𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴), plants emerge not merely as ingredients or cures, but as part of the Filipinos’ way of life shaped by the Philippines’ rich biodiversity, environment, and experience.
The essay “Remarkable Three” turns to three of the Philippines’ most enduring plants—𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘬𝘢 or jackfruit (𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴), 𝘯𝘪𝘺𝘰𝘨 or coconut (𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘴 𝘯𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢), and 𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 or banana (𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘢 × 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢)—to show how these familiar staples have long sustained Filipino households as part of everyday food and medicine. Consumed regularly yet rich in therapeutic value, these plants reveal how nourishment, healing, and survival have always been closely intertwined.
The banana, in particular, later entered wider circuits of knowledge. Introduced to the Western world—particularly Europe—through the campaigns of Alexander the Great, it later captivated Carl Linnaeus, who formalized the binomial nomenclature system and, in the mid-18th century, became the first to successfully cultivate a fruit-bearing banana in a climate-controlled greenhouse in the Netherlands. Enamored of the plant, he named it 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘢 × 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘢𝘤𝘢, believing it to be the forbidden fruit of Eden.
Read together, the two essays invite readers to see plants, food, and material culture as interconnected forms of knowledge—rooted in biodiversity, history, and everyday practice, and made visible through ethnographic objects from the 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘰 𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘢𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘒𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘣ó.
📘 𝘍𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢 is now available and ready for orders.
For copies and inquiries, please email [email protected]
https://history.upd.edu.ph/?rsrch_publications=food-ethnographic-paraphernalia
