Bothered by bacteria? Here's what you need to know

MANILA, Philippines - The mere mention of the word bacteria may send many a mom into a cleaning frenzy. Truth is, even the toughest disinfectants in the world cannot eradicate all these microorganisms that have been part of human life. While these organisms may bring diseases, there are those that cause no harm. Experts say that some types of bacteria even help digest the food we eat and build stronger immune systems. 

Bacteria are a part of the natural world, and are present anywhere and everywhere: on the ground, in the air, in water, even in places where other living things cannot survive, such as volcanic vents on the deep ocean floor. Microorganisms are present in the things we use, the food we eat, in animals  and in plants. And medicines derived from natural sources for that matter will contain a certain level of bacteria. It’s an inherent characteristic of organic matter. The important thing is to lower the bacteria count to levels that will not pose a threat to the end-user.

And because plant-based drugs or phytomedicines are gaining the trust of more and more consumers, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have instituted guidelines, including a maximum limit for microbial presence in phytomedicines. The limit is down to a minuscule presence of microorganisms that even a patient who has a compromised immune system will have practically zero chances of getting sick.

“The Philippines has very stringent criteria for the approval of phytomedicines, including those produced from the lagundi plant,” says Pascual Consumer Healthcare Corp.’s medical director Dr. Eliseo Banaynal. “In terms of microbiological and heavy metal content of natural medicines, we are even stricter than most countries. The only country that would probably exceed us in certain parameters is Japan.   As the manufacturer of Ascof lagundi cough and anti-asthma medicine, we at PascualLab follow the WHO and the FDA’s standards in terms of microbiological content.”

Dr. Banaynal also explains that some food items like powdered or liquid milk, pasteurized cream, yoghurt, and butter contain a certain level of non-harmful bacteria. These food products strictly comply with the FDA guidelines regarding micro-organism testing. “Milk products have non-harmful bacteria,” says Dr. Banaynal. “They’re nonetheless still approved for consumption. Other than the level, we should also take note of the type of bacteria, because there are good and bad bacteria. The standard for pharmaceutical products is definitely higher than food products. The FDA allowed PascualLab’s lagundi to contain safe levels of the non-harmful bacteria.”

The Department of Health also tests herbal medicines for harmful pesticides and residue from environmental pollution. Ascof has passed these tests with flying colors, because the beneficial lagundi leaves that are used in the formulation of Ascof are sourced from the all-organic, award-winning, pesticide-free 40-hectare Leoni Agri Corp. (LAC) plantation in Nueva Ecija.   It is a vast herbal repository where the best and high quality medicinal plant varieties are nurtured and where human contact is minimized. “A medicinal plant has to be in its purest, natural form. We don’t synthesize when we produce Ascof.   It is definitely potent; we have achieved that level because of thorough research. We have fine-tuned the production in order to come up with the highest level of phytoactives,” Dr. Banaynal expounds.

More and more consumers trust natural remedies for cough and asthma like lagundi.

All these have proven what Filipino mothers have known for the last 15 years: The trusted and leading natural cough remedy Ascof is a safe and effective medicine made from 100-percent organic and all-natural lagundi leaves. It has no harmful side-effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, or stomach upsets unlike synthetically-produced cough medicines.

It is PascualLab’s commitment to provide consumers with natural remedies of the best quality that has made Ascof the most successful phytomedicine brand and the most trusted natural remedy for cough and asthma by more Filipino mothers and their doctors.

Ascof was the first herbal medicine licensed by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). It was introduced by PascualLab in 1996 in collaboration with the National Integrated Research Program of Medicinal Plants (NIRPROMP), the government institution that undertakes research on herbal plants for medicinal purposes.