Local, foreign studies show 'tawa-tawa' can fight dengue virus

MANILA, Philippines - A Filipino scientist said yesterday local and foreign laboratory studies show that the tawa-tawa plant (Euphorbia hirta L.) is effective against the dengue virus.

“This indicated that the plant has antiviral properties,” Guerrero said in a statement sent to The STAR.

Rafael Guerrero III, an academician of the National Academy of Science and Technology, said laboratory tests on rats conducted by pharmacy students of the University of Santo Tomas showed that tawa-tawa is effective in increasing blood platelets without affecting the production of red blood cells and white blood cells.

Dengue fever decreases the amount of white blood cells, exposing the patient to illness.

Another study by scientists at the Industrial Technology Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), found that tawa-tawa extract was effective against the dengue virus in vitro.

In a toxicity test done on mice, researchers at the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang found that no mice died and there were no evident harmful effects on their organs when they were injected with the plant extract up to a dosage of six grams per kilo of body weight.

Guerrero is a former executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development.

In his own study, Guerrero boiled 20 grams of the fresh plant in a liter of water for at least two minutes. He found that the brownish liquid did not have a bitter taste.

“Although clinical trials have yet to be done to confirm the above findings in humans, there is reason to believe that drinking tawa-tawa tea as a dengue remedy is safe and effective. While waiting for the anti-dengue vaccine that is now being field tested, perhaps lives can be saved if we use tawa-tawa with medical supervision,” Guerrero said.

He said tawa-tawa tea prepared by boiling the whole fresh or dried plant and taken at one glass per hour for 24 hours in the early stage (the first three days) of dengue is claimed by many traditional medicine users and herbalists in the country to be effective.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona said last week the plant seems to help rehydrate dengue patients.

“It is taken like a tea. It’s good for rehydration. However, it’s very preliminary,” Ona said of an initial study by the DOST.

There is no cure for dengue and patients die primarily because of dehydration. Only five percent of cases require blood transfusion.

DOH records show that as of Aug. 20, there have been 56,005 dengue cases reported nationwide, including 321 deaths, this year.

The symptoms of dengue are fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles.

Meanwhile, a total of nine dengue-related deaths have been recorded in the southern Metro Manila cities  of Taguig and Muntinlupa for the first seven months of this year.

The four deaths in Taguig was recorded after the number of suspected dengue cases in the city ballooned to almost 50 percent – or 528 cases – compared to the same period last year with only 244 cases.

Taguig ranks ninth among Metro Manila cities with the most number of dengue cases.

The five fatalities in Muntinlupa City, meanwhile, are mostly children, said chief public information officer Omar Acosta.

Like in Taguig, Muntinlupa also recorded a significant rise in suspected dengue cases, with 337 cases from January to August this year. – With Aie Balagtas See