Purple Plum Fairy: Ascof Lagundi Syrup: The Natural Way to Treat Cough!

I remember as a kid, each time the so-called “Ber” season comes around, I’d always get a cough. And since I used to be a choir member in our parish, it made all the Christmas carol singing quite difficult. Growing up, my Grandma did not like giving me medicines that are chemical-based because she understands that it had side effects that may not be good for children like me. I firmly believe in using herbal medicines than chemical-based ones because it is nature’s gift to mankind. For cough, using all-natural Lagundi leaves does not have any side effect unlike chemical medicines that can leave one with drowsiness.

Lagundi or 5-leaved Chaste Tree is an erect branched shrub that grows up to 5 meters high and is found throughout the Philippine archipelago. Its leaves are green, palmate, and composed of five pointed leaves. The middle leaflets are larger than the others. It has small violet flowers (6mm) and bears tiny black succulent fruits.

The good news is, unlike in the past, the good ‘ol Lagundi leaves is now available in syrup medicine form. Gone are the days when you had to boil its leaves and sift it out to create the cough remedy. Pascual Laboratories have organically nurtured lagundi leaves in an environment-friendly farm.

I had been invited recently to tour the Lagundi farm of ASCOF’s Leonie Agri Corporation (LAC) in Nueva Ecija. I had always wanted to visit and see how Ascof’s Lagundi syrup is made, but it is always unfortunate (yes, this is the second time!) that my schedule does not permit me to do so. It was too bad that I was told about the trip on a short notice. On that particular day, I had to cover the Philippine Fashion Week, but had I known about the trip earlier, I could’ve joined the said trip. Anyway, to make the long story short, just because I’m a firm believer of herbal medicines particularly of lagundi leaves, I had to ask them if my own Mom can cover the tour since she’s also a blogger and also because it was her mother (my grandma) who was such a great influence that made me a believer of herbal medicines. You could visit her blog at www.rics-outoftheblue.blogspot.com.

The day after the said tour, I was so excited to hear my Mom’s stories on how the said trip went. She says a mouthful on how beautiful and green the 42-hectare LAC farm was. It was the first and largest organic farm in the country. Its lush, verdant landscape was filled with organically grown malunggay (moringa oleifera), ampalaya (bittergourd or bittermelon), sambong and lagundi plants, which Pascual Laboratories harvests for their products. Mom says it was quite a long trip but upon seeing the farm, everything seems to be worth it. The said farm is also a community where most locals work as lagundi farmers, they gain better livelihood. As a doting grandma, Mom says I was right in giving my nine-year-old Kyle Ascof’s lagundi syrup when he has cough. Mom was particularly impressed with the farm because it uses organic cycle by using natural process for lagundi plants to grow. It means, no pesticides or chemicals used, which makes Ascof’s Lagundi 100% safe for kids of all ages. The lagundi leaves are utilized; they are recycled and used as compost or natural feritlizers to nourish new crops. Nitrogen-rich fish droppings in the pond water also help to grow the Lagundi plants. Pesticide free Lagundi leaves are harvested, dried, and pre-processed through methods and systems that adhere to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO) regulations. Licensed pharmacists also ensure that strict quality control measures are followed—from washing and spin drying to sterilization and packaging. My Mom as well as fellow bloggers who visited on-site even had to wear laboratory gowns and shoe covers to make sure that they are following the lab’s standard-operating procedures. The manufacturing of Ascof is then completed in Pascual Laboratories’ ISO-certified facility in Bulacan.

Lush Lagundi plants at the Leonie Agri Farm.

The National Integrated Research Program of Medicinal Plants (NIMPROMP) has validated scientifically the ancient popular knowledge and practices of out traditional healers. They have established in both animal and human studies the wide margin of safety and efficiency of Lagundi as cough remedy and anti-asthma medicine. The 5ml (roughly one teaspoonful) of Ascof syrup contains the extract from 600 mg of Vitex negundo L (dried Lagundi leaves).

How I wish my Grandma were still alive. Had she been around, she would surely love that Ascof Lagundi made all moms’ life easier. Ascof lagundi is made from All-natural lagundi leaves and is available in the market in four variants: fruity ones like Ponkan, and Strawberry-flavored and Menthol (also sugar-free) in both 60 and 120ml syrup bottles. It also comes in 300mg and 600mg Forte tablets. The best part of all, aside from being effective, Ascof Lagundi had no side effects and is less expensive than chemical synthetic based counterparts.

My Mom went home with so many stories that she’s eager to tell that even this blog post isn’t enough. She has learned so much from that farm trip that she has learned to understand the importance of herbal medicinal plants. I have to thank the people behind Ascof for coming up with this lagundi farm tour, after all, not every blogging event gives a realization such as this. Nowadays, as the remaining breezing Ber months approaches, I no longer had to worry about coughs and colds, because I know I’ve got Ascof Lagundi Syrup to rely on.

And remember this: When Moms uses Ascof Lagundi, not only do they protect their family from illness in the healthiest possible way, but they also help advocate preservation of the environment, as well as the Lagundi farming communities.