Purple Plum Fairy: Ascof Lagundi Syrup

Showing posts with label Ascof Lagundi Syrup. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Ascof’s Natural Super Mom Search for Mother of the Year Awarding Ceremony

I was recently invited to cover the awarding ceremony for Ascof’s Natural Super Mom’s Search for Mother of the Year held at the posh restaurant Felix in Greenbelt 5. It was the apex to a long tribute (it was a 7-month celebration of motherhood) to mothers that began on Mother’s Day at SM North Edsa and made its way towards other selected SM malls nationwide. Among its panel of judges was none other than Ascof Brand Ambassador and Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez. The grand winner Mrs. Esperanza Yu from SM Southmall was the most exemplary among the amazing group of women. She was awarded with Php50, 000 plus a number of valuable gifts. A prize of Php 7,000 was also awarded to her daughter who nominated her.

Ascof's Mother of the Year Mrs. Esperanza Yu and daughter with Ms. Mia Pascual-Cenzon, Pascual Lab Director for Corporate Communications and Ascof Ambassador and endorser Congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez.

It was one of the most touching events or awarding coverage I’ve ever been to. Media guests like us couldn’t help but be moved by these amazing mothers. They all deserve this tribute. The grand winner, Mrs. Yu even shared her award to those mothers who were not able to join and be nominated in this contest.

Mommy Gigi sheds tears as she reads excerpts from her writeup about her mommy dearest.

My fellow blogger, Mommy Gigi Beleno who nominated her mother Mrs. Belen Celemin were also one of the finalists among a hundred participants. Finalists were awarded with Php 20,000 while Php 3,000 were given to those who nominated them. They were asked to read excerpts from their entries before each nominee was introduced and that has left almost everyone from the crowd with tears in our eyes.

Blogger Mom Gigi Beleno with Mommy Belen Celemin.

Mary Ann made her Mom really happy that Mrs. Coronado shed tears of joy.

I got the chance to interview one of the finalists, Mrs. Hermini B. Coronado who was nominated by her daughter Mary Ann Coronado-Abines. They also had a really touching story to share with Mary Ann's mom suffering from stroke, mother and daughter surely had tough times. In fact, when I asked them what they'll be doing with the money they'll be getting from the said contest, they said they'll use it to support Mrs. Coronado's therapy.

Mary Ann Coronado-Abines and Mommy Hermini Coronado smile before my camera.

Lucy is a natural super mom herself, juggling her roles as a public servant, television personality, and of course, mother to Juliana. During the said event, Lucy understands that it entails a lot of hard work in order to raise kids. Mothers are selfless ones who light the homes, give unconditional love, care and support, nurturer and do everything to make sure her children are all right.

For Ascof, its Natural Super Mom search was a tribute to mothers everywhere. It is a salute to their selfless loving, an honor for those who, outside of their homes are also career women, mompreneurs, philanthropists, socio-civic leaders and health advocates.

Ascof Natural Super Mom-Mother of the Year Search was organized by Crush Communications Philippines in cooperation with the following sponsors: ASCOF LAGUNDI-the Natural Cough Medicine, Pascual Consumer Healthcare Corporation, SM Supermalls, PLDT, American Standard, Gain School Advance, St. Luke’s Medical Center, The Philippine Star, PAC (Professional Artist Cosmetics), Ystilo Salon and Nail-a-Holics. Special thanks to Media Sponsors: Melo 94.7 and Crossover 105.1 and Fox International Channels.

I’d like to end this blog post with with Ms. Lucy Torres-Gomez shared during the event which she has learned from her beloved Grandma, “It is motherhood that makes a woman all the more beautiful.”

With that, Kudos to Ascof and to all Mommies out there!

xoxo,

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

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.