Back to Herbal Medicine: Tawa-tawa (Wild Herb) as Cure for Dengue

Year 2010: El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) or the very hot summer and drought were experienced in the Philippines. As the scarce rainfall came late of June last year, the perennial problem on dengue, also known as break-bone fever, deadly disease caused by the bites low-flying, daytime mosquitos (Aedes aegypti) claimed lives of mostly Filipino children and several adults.

The child of my cousin's friend nearly dies, if not for the cheapest, simplest and wildly-known as tawa-tawa. He boiled the entire plant (from roots to tip) then let his child drink its diluted concoction. Presto! It normalized the blood platelets count and they were spared of undergoing his child on blood transfusion. They were able to leave the hospital premise in advance of the doctor's advice that the child will stay longer.

With the alarming rate of death due to the dengue virus in this tropical country, the Department of Health issued an advisory: "Never trust the medical cure found on tawa-tawa plant. It was never been proven as a legit medicine for this disease." This was uttered by one official of the department.

Medical claims on tawa-tawa should be very timely, because of the recent victims of dengue that doubled this year, 2011.

Public hospitals are now being crowded of dengue patients, mostly children. Administrators of many hospitals and the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) are now bannering a campaign for blood donation.

Herbalists have other options, one of which is tawa-tawa wild herb.

This is what I did with my brother-in-law who already nose-bleed last July (2011). He was administered with blood transfusion but my mother requested that she be allowed to let him drink the boiled juice of Tawa-tawa.

Medical experts should take the hint.

Tropical countries are prone to dengue virus due to the presence of mosquitoes. Early detection of this mosquito-borne disease dates back late 17th century up to this day.

Aside from the Philippines, countries like China, Singapore and Brazil are now extending its research in order to combat the severe effects of dengue fever. Scientists of the said countries are formulating a vaccine that will slowly eradicate the harmful effects of the deadly mosquito bite coming from Aedes aegypti.

Things to Remember in order to detect Dengue Fever

1. Febrile Stage - is when a victim (especially a child) have a fever temperature of 40 degrees Centigrade. Skin rashes and itchy feeling are apparent. Parents should rush him/her to the hospital. Most family households in the rural areas are hesitant to go to the hospital because of high admittance fee. Parents should never worry because public hospitals can immediately administer the initial treatment (intravenous fluids and all) in order to normalize the patient's condition.
2. Critical Stage - is when a patient experiences chest pain, blood shock and bleeding. Dengue virus is now attacking the inner system of the victim causing hemorrhagic effects, like bleeding and low count of blood platelets.
3. Recovery Stage - is when the patient recovers from the rigors of the first two stages. After the blood transfusion, doctors and nurses will monitor the stabilization of the patient, until he/she is ready to be released after a week or more.

You can be familiar with these local names of this wild herb. Gatas-gatas, tawa-tawa, snake weed, australian asthma weed or even botobotones. It is also called Beilschmiedia tawa.

It grows naturally in tropical countries, like Philippines. Before, I used to cut it along with the grasses. But when I realized its importance, I am now one of the believers that we should go back to herbal medicine for alternative cure. This is a healthy and sound advice. We can avoid the toxic effects of synthetic drugs that we used to buy in the drug store by benefiting on the benefits of natural home remedies.

Even, my mother now believes that it can lessen her asthmatic cough in the early morn by just drinking it like a hot tea. She said that it even eradicate her arthritic or joint pains.

So, there.

It is not a cure, per se, other skeptics will say.Others may say, it does not fight dengue virus. Sounds like a medical expert, right? It only promotes the development of blood platelets and softens the effect of the dengue virus.

I asked the permission of Dr. Willie Ong to re-post his advice and treatment for dengue with the alternative use of tawa-tawa herbal plant. As of this writing, the word 'might' is used by Dr. Ong in order to encourage parents and relatives of the dengue patients.

Treatment for Dengue
By Dr. Willie T. Ong from The Philippine STAR

As you are probably aware of, there is no specific drug to kill the dengue virus. However, doctors can employ various supportive measures to strengthen the body so that it can recover from the disease. Here's how we do it:

1. Patients are encouraged to drink lots of water to keep the body's water at an optimum level. If needed, doctors give dextrose fluid to prevent dehydration.

2. Monitoring of blood count. Doctors check the hematocrit and platelet count regularly to see if there is a need to transfuse blood components.

3. Consider giving medicines to prevent ulcer, since bleeding is a possibility.

4. Encourage the patient to eat regularly, specifically soft, easily digestible foods. Patients are advised to avoid eating dark colored foods, because we need to monitor the stool's color. (Black stools means blood for doctors.)

5. Tawa-Tawa plant might help.

In the Philippines, many patients are using Tawa Tawa plants to treat dengue. The Department of Health is still studying the effectiveness of this plant, and has raised concern over the possibility of toxicity with over dosage. However, doctors would usually allow patients to drink it if you ask their permission first.

Here's how to prepare Tawa Tawa:

(1) Take 5 whole Tawa Tawa plants;
(2) Cut off the roots, then wash and clean;
(3) Boil Tawa Tawa in a pot of clean water;
(4) Pour the liquid and then let cool;
(5) Sip 1 glass 3 to 4 times a day.

But remember, always consult your doctor first before undergoing any treatment. Our infectious disease specialists are still your best bet to get cured from dengue. Take care!