Philippines are one of the places in the world in which themodern medicine seem to be working along the indigenous medicine. People on thePhilippines have all benefits of modern hospitals, educated doctors andsurgeons, but still many turn to alternative treatments or combine Eastern and Westernmedicine. Herbal remedies and faith healing are also present in thiscountry.
Scientists believe that there are thousands of herbs in thePhilippines, waiting to be discovered as cures for different diseases. Many plantsare used in traditional Philippine medicine, but only a handful of them areproven to be safe and efficient. Their Department of Health (DOH) authorized only10 most popular and most used plants as safe and studied.
Herbs for Chronic Diseases
Ampalaya, garlic and pansit-panistant are the remediesfrequently used in Philippines to treat chronic medical conditions.
Ampalaya, with its Latin name Momordica charantia, is acucumber looking fruit, recommended by both Chinese and Philippine traditionalmedicine. The juice of this plant has been approved by the DOH for thetreatment of diabetes mellitus, liver problems and also as the medication usedto treat HIV infection.
Pansit-Panistant leaves and stalks are used as the tea orpoultice. The tea is supposed to be good for the gout and arthritis, while thepoultice should speed up the healing of skin injuries.
Garlic (Allium sativum) is also used in Philippine herbalmedicine. They call it bawang and use it against bacterial infections and tolower the cholesterol in the blood.
Herbs against Parasites
Akapulko, also known among herbalists as Cassia alata orringworm bush is used to treat skin fungal infections in the Philippines.
Niyog-niyogan, Chinese honeysuckle or Quisqualis indica iseaten in the Philippines when you need to get rid of the intestinal worms.Philippine herbalists recommend eating dried seeds of this vine plant, about 2 hoursafter the meal.
Herbs Used in Western Medicine
Philippine herbalists also use many plants familiar to Western medicine. For instance, they also use carrots and ginger. Gratedcarrots are considered to be full of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, andthey are used to cleanse the body and regulate menstrual cycle. According tothe Philippine herbalists, ginger is beneficial for people suffering from heightenedblood cholesterol, but can also be used to ease the nausea.
Caution Measures
Always consult your doctor and certified herbalist aboutherbs you want to use, because these remedies might provoke side effectsor cause allergies and different reactions in or on the body.
Children, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are notadvised to use these or any other herbal remedies.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...