THERE is a plant believed to be a cure or a great help to prevent the fatal effects of dengue. What a weird and funny name for a mere weed that can possibly offer to the world a cure against this dreaded disease. It’s called Tawa-Tawa or Gatas Gatas. No laughing matter, this.
It was not till my good friend Biana had a near-fatal dengue episode that I started looking down cemented sidewalks and concrete walls in search for Tawa-Tawa. Frantic friends sent all sorts of alternative cures for her to drink: Papaya leaves made into tea and camote tops juice...while others brought her Tawa-Tawa. At the hospital where she was diagnosed with dengue (she said she probably got bitten while gardening), we helplessly waited on her as she ailed. From 33 platelet count plus a killer of a migraine headache and a dangerously high BP of 210, we all got scared she would not make it. We asked her to drink the herbal teas in hopes her platelets will zoom and hit the top charts.
After several blood transfusions, papaya juice, camote tops and Tawa-Tawa tea...Biana pulled through. Platelet count increased to 180 within a few days and she was finally released. Now I will not announce that I know what cured her (one or two or all of the above) but what I’m trying to share here is that after she got cured, I began to read more about Tawa-Tawa. It is called Gatas-Gatas in Leyte, known as “Snake Weed” in English, and goes by their scientific names Adiantum cunninghamii and Euphorbia hirta. Not only because the name is funny and it made me curious, but also because it was just a nothing-kind-of-weed that grew in our front yard.
There I was standing before a layer of Tawa-Tawa on our grass thinking that I could have given a lot of these weeds to friends whose texts frantically asked for blood donations for their relatives because of dengue when Tawa-Tawa could have been enough. Who wants to have blood transfusions anyway when you can just drink yourself to wellness?
How to prepare Tawa-Tawa tea
It’s up to you if you want to believe that Tawa-Tawa tea can indeed cure dengue, or at the very least that it can increase platelets and consequently beat the disease. I’m neither shaman nor medical man to say that, but my many friends swear by it, plus I’ve read so many testimonials dated even as recently as August 29, 2010. Below is the formula for “TTT” (Tawa-Tawa tea). It is the recipe of a person from National Housing Authority in Quezon City who has been generously giving away the plants to those in need. In the numerous testimonials, she is referred to as Ms. Portia, and the testimonials have been thanking Ms. Portia for the plants and for the cure.
1. Take 5 to 6 full whole Tawa-Tawa plants.
2. Cut off the roots.
3. Wash and clean.
4. Fill your boiling pot with clean water.
5. Boil the Tawa-Tawa for one minute in a slow roiling boil.
6. Pour the Tawa-Tawa water and let cool.
It is up to you to ask the doctor for advise about drinking Tawa-Tawa. Pray about it, and believe that God’s cure is eminent and imminent.
Pancit-Pancitan and all about gout
THIS is another medicinal plant, believed to relieve sufferers of gout. I remember a time when I steadily cracked pistachio nuts and chewed them greedily (not sharing even a nut) till I finished off the whole bag. Karma followed: by afternoon, my knees and legs were swollen and the pain was punishing. That was my first ever bout with gout. I didn’t know what hit me, nor did I know what gout was all about till then. My condition dragged me to bed for a day.
Since I was confined to my bedroom, I had the chance to drink as much Pancit-Pancitan tea as I could and visit the toilet as often. By day’s end, I had drunk a gallon for cleansing and began feeling the relief on my knees. Soon enough, no more pain and I could walk again! Thanks to my driver Mang Sam, who told me all about it—I am a firm believer that Pancit-Pancitan can indeed relieve a gout sufferer, or one who suffers from rheumatism. It’s simple to prepare: wash and rinse the fresh Pancit-Pancitan (by the way, this weed looks far from noodle-like...so don’t ask me why the name...me not know). Boil 8 cups of water. When boiling, drop about 8 to 10 cups of Pancit-Pancitan. Boil 2 to 3 minutes, then shut off heat. Cool, then drink. Where to find the plants? They are so easy to pull out from the ground, roots and all. Look around cool spots in your backyard, near cement walls or among carabao grass, or near other plants.
You can also make this into a salad to take the place of lettuce (see photo). Just add fresh ripe tomato slices, chopped shallots and other salad greens of your choice. For the dressing: calamansi or dayap juice plus a little muscovado sugar syrup, patis, peppercorn and olive oil. Or you can skip the olive oil and just add a few drops of sesame oil for a different note.
Last word:
God’s Creation is perfect and whole. It holds all cures to all diseases of this world. The cure comes from believing in His power and from healing within. Thereafter, once faith enters the equation, Tawa-Tawa herbs and other natural medicines get to work in a major, major way!
