DILIMAN, Quezon City—To encourage healthy lifestyle and sustainable farming, the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) held the third of its year-long series of free seminars which focused on production and processing of herbs and spices.

Simultaneous lectures on the culinary and medicinal aspects of herbs and spices were held, with ATI Learning Site for Diversified Organic Farming and Aquaculture cooperator Connie Carillo and Remnant Institute Inc. President Mechelle Palma serving as resource speakers, respectively.

In her lecture, Carillo talked about how to plant, harvest, and process herbs and spices. She also shared how these could be used as flavoring and seasoning for food.

She reminded the attendees to make sure that they have a target market before venturing into herbs production and processing. She also encouraged them to explore opportunities so that they can be productive in their chosen enterprise.

Meanwhile, Palma stressed the importance of having a healthy lifestyle to prevent illness. She added, “Everything that you put in your mouth will end up in your blood.”

She encouraged the attendees to include herbs and spices in their daily diet and as an alternative to over-the-counter medicines. She also discussed the different medicinal plants in the country like akapulko, bitter gourd, garlic, guava, lagundi, sambong, tsaang gubat, ulasimang bato, yerba buena, and niyug-niyogan.

Palma also showed how to utilize herbs and spices as infusions, decoctions, warm and cold compress, poultice, ointment, and cream. She also gave tips in harvesting herbs, stressing the importance of leaving 25% of the plant intact for it to grow again.

About 450 individuals from all over the country attended the free seminar which was held on March 9, 2018 at the ATI Mess Hall and Serrano Hall in the Institute’s compound.