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Gemiliano Aligui, MD, MPH, PhD is a research epidemiologist who had served as researcher in parasitology & infectious/tropical diseases (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine - Assistant Director) Read more

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  • 26Jan

    Snake weed locally known as tawa-tawa, gatasgatas or mangagaw (Visayan) has been popular in recent times because it was reported to help patients with dengue. This herb or weed is not only found in the Philippines but throughout Asia. It originated from Central America. This plant is a creeping and is considered a weed. However, ethomedical data in Indian and Asian traditional medicine indicate that the plant is used mostly for intestinal disorders such as diarrhea and antihelminthic and to a lesser extent topical for conjunctivitis and even for respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. This plant is slightly poisonous.

    E.hirta copy

    For dengue, the decoction of the leaves is used and is given orally; 1 glass, about 2-3x daily until the patient improves. The most notable component of this plant is its high concentration of a bioactive substance, quercetrin, a bioflavonoid. Apparently, the phytochemical increases intestinal reabsorption and reduces prostaglandin I2, E2 and D2. It was also reported that it reduces platelet aggregation and inflammation. It also contains polyphenols, triterpenes and phytosterols.

    In addition recent reports have indicated that E. hirta produces sedative or anxiolytic effects at very high doses.

    Posted by Doc Emil @ 6:18 am

11 Responses

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  • Denny Says:

    Generally I do not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so, Excellent post

  • Girlie Says:

    Hi Dr. Emil,
    Can Tawa Tawa be used to cure low platelet count? Thank you.

    From Doc Emil: It has not been reported to cure low platelet count. Apparently, what it does is to prevent platelets to aggregate by reducing infllamation. Any low platelet count must be diagnosed for what the cause(s) is/are and that’s what we should cure.

  • prospero apolonio Says:

    Dr. Emil, how can i disolve my kidney stone which is 9mmx14mm. is the sambong tablet can help? thank you.

    From Dr. Aligui: Sambong 500mg 3x a day for 3 months; Have you tried Renalin which is a combination of sambong, balbas pusa, banaba and turmeric? Clinical cases reported by a urologist have good results in 6 weeks.

  • tintin Says:

    what is the safe dose of tawa-tawa decoction?

    From Dr. Aligui: Tawa-tawa has not been studied for safety. There are anecdotal information that people have used it but we are not really sure about its side effects. I cannot say it is safe.

  • doni Says:

    hi doc…what is the substance in tawa tawa plant that can cure genital warts??

    ..thanks doc..,godblesss

    ————
    From Doc Emil: Walang pagaaral na nagagawa tungkol sa genital warts gamit ang tawa tawa.

  • shaima Says:

    can tawa-tawa prevent birth defects? i’m gonna use it for my thesis. hoping for your reply.
    ——
    From Doc Emil: Tawa tawa is known to be toxic, so on the contrary, it might cause birth defects when taken in by pregnant mothers.

  • khen Says:

    Hi Dr. Emil,

    Wow, I found this article so useful. I also wrote an article about Tawa-tawa whether it’s safe or not. Maybe you can find it useful too. You can comment on it and give advise to the readers so that they will be enlightened about the curability of tawa-tawa. You can also put the link of your website on your comment. Here’s the link of my article about tawa-tawa: http://www.affordablecebu.com/load/health/is_tawa_tawa_safe_or_recommended_for_dengue_cure/24-1-0-135

  • JEDILYN JAJI Says:

    Sir,
    Did you know the chemical components of tawa-tawa? That proves about its property of anti fertility.

    thanks.

  • nurun-nihar sakaran Says:

    what chemical substances that can be seen in the tawa-tawa plant?

  • xaxa Says:

    hi dr. emil..

    ang tawa-tawa poh bah ay pwedeng gamiting gmot prah sa asthma? panu poh gawin?

    tnx poh

  • Underfloor Heating Thermostats StormBathrooms Says:

    Easy option to get useful information and to share your ideas.

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