...the Euphorbia hirta Linn herbs which is commonly known as “Tawa-Tawa” by the local residents in the Philippines. It had been associated mainly in helping dengue fever victims recover quickly from the viral infection. Tawa-Tawa (Euphorbia hirta Linn) or Asthma Weed is a bushy,slender-stemmed plant that grows up to a height of two inches and has several tiny flowers bunched together with opposite rhombus leaves, which have a toothed margin. This plant had been used in traditional medicine to treat respiratory tract problems, laryngeal spasm, ulcerated cornea and conjunctivitis. It is believed by many that it can augment blood platelet count in the body which is normally low among all dengue fever patients, hence, many native boil its leaves and drink it as a tea. Read more Tawa-Tawa (Euphorbia hirta Linn) Herbal Plant Tawa-Tawa had been widely known to be used as a decoction for dengue fever victims due to its profound properties on increasing the body’s blood platelet count which is normally low once an individual is under this serious viral infection. A few research study shows that Tawa-Tawa shows that it is effective in increasing the body’s blood platelet count upon regular intake as post-test reveals significant increase in the platelet count compared to the pretest results conducted on the experimental group. What Makes Dengue-Aid the Best? * Unlike other herbal capsules which solely utilize a single plant part of a herb, i.e. leaves, Dengue-Aid is using all the parts...
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...INTRODUCTION In modern medicines, plants occupy a very important place as the raw material for some important drugs. Synthetic drugs are effective in controlling different diseases but these synthetic drugs are out of reach of millions of people. It is estimated that around 70,000 plant species have been used for medicinal purposes. The herbs provide the starting material for the synthesis of conventional drugs. (Kumal & Malhotra, 2010) Medicinal plants have curative actions due to the presence of complex chemical constituents. Today, lots of health problems are escalating. One of these is coagulation problems. A normal platelet count in a healthy individual is between 150,000 and 450,000 per μl (microlitre) of blood (150–450 x 109/L). Ninety-five percent of healthy people will have platelet counts in this range. Some will have statistically abnormal platelet counts while having no demonstrable abnormality. However, if it is either very low or very high, the likelihood of an abnormality being present is higher. Some diseases or disorders in the platelet count in the blood are the Thrombocytosis where the presence of platelets in blood is high and Thrombocytopenia where platelets count in blood is low. In this case, a new way to develop platelets is needed. The researchers wanted to test the effectivity of tawa-tawa plant (Euphorbia hirta) treated with Riboflavin in the development of blood platelets. Euphorbia hirta is often...
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...The Efficacy of Tawa-Tawa Plant (Euphorbia Hirta) Treated with Riboflavin in the Development of Blood Platelets Chapter I INTRODUCTION In modern medicines, plants occupy a very important place as the raw material for some important drugs. Synthetic drugs are effective in controlling different diseases but these synthetic drugs are out of reach of millions of people. It is estimated that around 70,000 plant species have been used for medicinal purposes. The herbs provide the starting material for the synthesis of conventional drugs. (Kumal & Malhotra, 2010) Medicinal plants have curative actions due to the presence of complex chemical constituents. Today, lots of health problems are escalating. One of these is coagulation problems. A normal platelet count in a healthy individual is between 150,000 and 450,000 per μl (microlitre) of blood (150–450 x 109/L). Ninety-five percent of healthy people will have platelet counts in this range. Some will have statistically abnormal platelet counts while having no demonstrable abnormality. However, if it is either very low or very high, the likelihood of an abnormality being present is higher. Some diseases or disorders in the platelet count in the blood are the Thrombocytosis where the presence of platelets in blood is high and Thrombocytopenia where platelets count in blood is low. In this case, a new way to develop platelets is needed. The researchers wanted to test the effectivity...
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...Chapter I INTRODUCTION In modern medicines, plants occupy a very important place as the raw material for some important drugs. Synthetic drugs are effective in controlling different diseases but these synthetic drugs are out of reach of millions of people. It is estimated that around 70,000 plant species have been used for medicinal purposes. The herbs provide the starting material for the synthesis of conventional drugs. (Kumal & Malhotra, 2010) Medicinal plants have curative actions due to the presence of complex chemical constituents. Today, lots of health problems are escalating. One of these is coagulation problems. A normal platelet count in a healthy individual is between 150,000 and 450,000 per μl (microlitre) of blood (150–450 x 109/L). Ninety-five percent of healthy people will have platelet counts in this range. Some will have statistically abnormal platelet counts while having no demonstrable abnormality. However, if it is either very low or very high, the likelihood of an abnormality being present is higher. Some diseases or disorders in the platelet count in the blood are the Thrombocytosis where the presence of platelets in blood is high and Thrombocytopenia where platelets count in blood is low. In this case, a new way to develop platelets is needed. The researchers wanted to test the effectivity of tawa-tawa plant (Euphorbia hirta) treated with Riboflavin in the development of blood platelets. Euphorbia hirta...
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...the Euphorbia hirta, is commonly referred to as Tawa-tawa or Gatas-gatas in some provinces. It is also known as Asthma weed or Snake weed in the United States. The plants of 3 different species share Phoretic variations, these plants are: (1) Mutha (Cyperus rotundus), (2) Gatas-gatas (Euphorbia hirta) and (3) Botoncillo (Gomphena globosa). Tawa-tawa is usually very abundant in tropical regions such as the Philippines. A simple weed scattered in sunny lawns, waste places and open grasslands. It is pantropic in distribution. The plant is an annual, hairy herb, usually branched from the base, spreading up to 40 cm long. The stem is slender and often reddish and purplish in color, covered with yellowish bristly hairs especially in younger parts. The leaves are oppositely arranged, elliptical-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2.5 cm long, toothed at the edge, and blotched with purple in the middle. In the axils appear numerous involucres, purplish or greenish, dense, axillary, short stalk clusters or crowded cymes, about 1 mm long. The capsules are broadly ovoid, hairy, three-angled, about 1.5 cm. The small green flowers constitute the inflourescence characteristics of the euphorbias. The stem and the leaves produce white or milky juice when cut (Lind and Tallantire, 1971;Anonymous 2005). In some parts of Africa, extract of the plant are used in the treatment of asthma and respiratory tract inflammations (Kokwaro, 1993). The plant contains relatively abundant white latex. The white...
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...alternative medicine to relieve medical discomforts. Alternative medicine started from our ancestors, and it was passed from generation to generation. Alternative medicine was definitely low cost because plants that have medicinal value can be accessed everywhere. But how certain are we that these alternative medicines were really safe if we do not know their effectivity limits or right doses? All herbal plants have its own limitation, a limitation which can measure the effectiveness and the toxicity of a certain herbal plant. Herbal plants like synthetic drugs depend on the dosing, gender, age and the condition of the patient to enact its action to the body. Most of the alternative and traditional herbal medicines used in many cultures were crude drugs. This means that even though they undergo extraction, there was high certainty that both therapeutic constituent and toxic constituents were present. Just like what Philippus Aureolus also known as Paracelsus once said “All things are poisons, for there is nothing without poisonous qualities. It is only the dose which makes a thing poison.”[1] Based on what Philippus Aureolus Paracelsus said, the researchers have the fervour to discern the toxicity profile of the aqueous extract of Euphorbia hirta Linn. (Tawa-tawa). This plant was...
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... Presentation : A herbal plant , Tawa-tawa had a report that it can cure dengue fever. According to the article from Dr. Willie T. Ong entitled “Treatment for Dengue” which was published on The Philippine STAR, 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...
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...177 Global Journal of Medicinal Plant Research, 1(2): 177-183, 2013 ISSN 2074-0883 Assessment of the safety of tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta L.) decoction as alternative folkloric medicine 1 Sharon Rose M. Tabugo, 1Rolliebert B. Rampola, 2Edgar Vasallo Jr., 1Ma. Reina Suzette B. Madamba Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City; 2 Capitol University, Cagayan de Oro City ABSTRACT Euphorbia hirta L., plant is a pantropic weed, widely distributed in the Philippines. Folkloric use of tawatawa (E. hirta L.), as alternative treatment and prevention for various ailments has been promoted and patronized due to the increasing trend in the quest for inexpensive alternative medicines compared to commercial drugs. Nowadays, the traditional decoction preparation has been widely used however, the safety of its oral use against normal microflora, is still ambiguous despite traditional practice hence, this study. The disc diffusion method was used to determine the antibacterial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria (standard strains and clinical isolates). Antibacterial activity was tested on E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis and P. aeruginosa. Results show that there was no formation of any zone of inhibition as observed after 24 hrs. Thus, this justifies the traditional use of the plant as decoction treatment for various ailments. Various concentrations of crude extracts diluted in distilled...
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...apter 1 The Problem and Its Setting Introduction Thrombocytopenia or abnormally low platelet counts in the body are typically caused by genetic disorder or fatal diseases. This condition may result from thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications caused by heparin as well as from various diseases states such as chronic liver disease and dengue hemorrhagic fever. In most rural areas a health care institution is often inaccessible and most patients cannot afford high cost medication. Henceforth, herbal medicines are often used as an alternative treatment. Inadequacy of providing supportive treatment to correct the decrease of platelet is fatal to patients. Thus, several decoctions of herbal plants are purportedly used to improve platelet count. Recently, the mortality rate in heparin – induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) has been reported as high as 20% (Greinacher & Lubanow, 2003). Retrospective data shows that up to 8% of heparinized patients will develop the antibody associated with HIT and that approximately 1–5% of patients on heparin will progress to develop HIT with thrombocytopenia suffering from venous and/or arterial thrombosis in at least one-third of cases (Warkentin et al., 1998). Heparin – induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating immune mediated adverse drug reaction caused by the emergence of antibodies that activate platelets in the presence of heparin. Despite thrombocytopenia, bleeding is rare; rather, HIT is strongly associated with thromboembolic...
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...DOH now taking 'tawa-tawa' seriously in fight vs dengue CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga, Philippines – A weed known as tawa-tawa has become a serious matter for the Department of Health (DOH), which is now considering the proposal of herbalist and former health secretary Jaime Galvez Tan to fund a research on the plant as possible panacea to the fatal bleeding among dengue victims. Health Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan said here yesterday that the Philippine Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PTAHC), an agency under the DOH, is now coordinating with Tan on the latter’s proposal for a P20-million research fund to finally establish whether tawa-tawa arrests bleeding, which is the main reason why dengue victims die. The weed is said to prevent hemorrhaging by normalizing platelet count in the blood. According to latest DOH reports, dengue cases in the country this year have already breached the 90,000 mark. Punzalan bared this in a press conference during the launch here of the two-day Generic Medicine Expo for Luzon, a joint project of the DOH and the National Center for Pharmaceutical Access and Management, in partnership with SM Prime Holdings Inc. The expo aims “to boost and sustain advocacy on quality affordable medicine through generics’ use and its role and importance in improving wellness and compliance of patients to treatment regimens.” Earlier, Dr. Eric Tayag, chief epidemiologist of the DOH, dismissed tawa-tawa as cure for dengue as not enough research on it...
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...org/journal/jss http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jss.2015.33025 Cytotoxicity and Antimicrobial Property of the Leaf Extract of Euphorbia hirta (Tawa-Tawa) Lorna T. Enerva1,2, Theresita V. Atienza1,3, Zenaida R. Glifonea1, Ofelia B. Villamor1, Normita A. Villa2,3 1 College of Science, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines Taguig City University, Taguig, Philippines 3 Graduate School, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines Email: bettyenerva@yahoo.com 2 Received 23 December 2014; accepted 15 March 2015; published 18 March 2015 Copyright © 2015 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract Tawa-tawa is usually abundant throughout the Philippines in waste places and open grasslands. The plant is an annual hairy herb, usually much-branched from the base. These branches are simple or forked, ascending or spreading up to 40 centimeters long and often reddish or purplish. The leaves are opposite, distichous, oblong-elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 1 to 2.5 centimeters long, toothed at the margin, and usually botched with purple in the middle. The plant deserves special attention because of its medicinal properties. Local tradition credits that this plant can help patients stricken with dengue fever. While it does not fight with the virus, it promotes the development of blood platelets...
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...infection increases the risk of developing DHF.1 1 “Dengue and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever,” World Health Organization, March 2009, 15 Oct. 2011 <http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en>. 2 There is no specific medicine or antibiotic to treat DHF. For typical dengue, the immediate concern is the relief of symptoms. Adequate fluid intake for proper body hydration and rest is important. All else will depend on the person’s immune system. However, since the Philippines is abundant with herbal medicines, the Tawa Tawa is being touted as an alternative cure to DHF. The Tawa Tawa is described as having numerous flowers which measures about 5 to 8 centimeters each with sepals and petals that are obovate-oblong, yellowish-green and covered with large, reddish-brown blotches. The plant has been attested by DHF survivors and herbalists as treatment of DHF.2 The researcher aims to study the possibility of curing DHF by the Tawa Tawa plant. The weed may contain a substance that enables the body to produce more platelets which are essential for blood...
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...Chapter 1 The Problem and Its Setting Introduction Thrombocytopenia or abnormally low platelet counts in the body are typically caused by genetic disorder or fatal diseases. This condition may result from thromboembolic or hemorrhagic complications caused by heparin as well as from various diseases states such as chronic liver disease and dengue hemorrhagic fever. In most rural areas a health care institution is often inaccessible and most patients cannot afford high cost medication. Henceforth, herbal medicines are often used as an alternative treatment. Inadequacy of providing supportive treatment to correct the decrease of platelet is fatal to patients. Thus, several decoctions of herbal plants are purportedly used to improve platelet count. Recently, the mortality rate in heparin – induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) has been reported as high as 20% (Greinacher & Lubanow, 2003). Retrospective data shows that up to 8% of heparinized patients will develop the antibody associated with HIT and that approximately 1–5% of patients on heparin will progress to develop HIT with thrombocytopenia suffering from venous and/or arterial thrombosis in at least one-third of cases (Warkentin et al., 1998). Heparin – induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially devastating immune mediated adverse drug reaction caused by the emergence of antibodies that activate platelets in the presence of heparin. Despite thrombocytopenia, bleeding is rare; rather, HIT is strongly associated with...
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...DoH sees hope in 'tawa-tawa' as dengue cure By JENNY F. MANONGDO August 26, 2011, 7:14pm MANILA, Philippines — Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Enrique T. Ona announced Friday that preliminary laboratory testing of the plant “tawa-tawa” (scientific name: euphorbia hirta) suggests that it may have “some effect” in treating dengue patients. While Ona said these tests remain inconclusive, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) will continue its research on the active ingredient in the plant that appears to be effective in beating the virus. “It looks like they (DoST scientists) have already isolated the active ingredient in the plant and it appears that it really has some effect,” Ona told the press during a forum organized by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Quezon City. Believers in herbal medication have long claimed that tawa-tawa is effective in curing dengue patients but there had been no formal scientific research to confirm it. Dengue survivors who claim they were cured by the plant professed that their blood platelets count increased after drinking water from the boiled plant. Ona said it is better to have a research-backed method of using the plant rather than just using it as one would use any tea – boiling the leaves and drinking the juice. “It is scientific to find the component, the active ingredients... hopefully, they will be able to isolate it and come up with a concentrated form,” he said. Ona said he has not heard...
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...Euphorbia Hirta or "tawa-tawa" Tawa Tawa or Gatas Gatas (Euphorbia Hirt) The Mindoro Post, within its article entitled "Dengue Fever Cure using Tawa tawa" (released The month of January 2010, utilized July 2010), creates, "many individuals understand and also have attested in order to the truth that these people and many more happen to be healed associated with dengue using a simple grass. This particular grass is known as Gatas Gatas within the land associated with Leyte. However in Butuan and Cagayan de Oro these people call this “Tawa Tawa” · At the same time, a wesite upon Filipino therapeutic grass offers the organic category associated with Tawa Tawa grass as well as explains which, "its blossoms tend to be several, each about 5 to 8 cm across. Sepals as well as petals tend to be obovate-oblong, yellowish-green, as well as protected along with big, reddish-brown smears” The effectiveness of Tawa Tawa Plant · One of the studies proving Tawa Tawa's efficacy is an investigatory project entitled "The Effectivity of Euphorbia hirta L. (Tawa-tawa), Prepared in Teabag Form, on Increasing Platelet Levels in Mus musculus (White Mice)." The said science project won the Student Research Presentation sponsored by the College of Agriculture atXavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan in thePhilippines. · The said project, as the title suggests, probes on increasing blood platelet levels using Tawa Tawa plant. For the sake...
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