Wazzup Pilipinas!
Traditional, not Alternative!
While the whole world groped for a cure and remedy to the mysterious COVID 19 virus, people in the rural areas turned to traditional and herbal remedies to prepare for the worst.
Among the favorite remedies were boiled young guava leaves, Ginger, Calamansi and Lemongrass.
At the height of the Pandemic, prices of Ginger and Calamansi increased while backyard Guavas were almost defoliated.
There were anecdotal accounts on the efficacy of the herbal and traditional cures but as in the past, these were dismissed by the so-called health experts as unverified and unvalidated reports.
Some even dismiss and ridicule traditional medicines and herbs as part of the Philippine "arbularyo" stories bordering on quackery.
Aside from the anecdotal accounts, however, there are numbers worth looking into and I am referring to the reported COVID 19 cases and deaths in the different regions of the country.
Those with the highest cases and deaths were in the urban areas while the lowest numbers were reported in the rural regions of the country.
It is in the rural regions where people who do not have access to medicines and hospitals rely mainly on traditional and herbal remedies.
One of the first COVID cases in North Cotabato involved a former provincial government employee.
He relied on boiled Guava leaves and recovered.
I am not a health expert and I do not pretend to be one.
I am just a practical government worker who considers all options and looks at all possibilities in addressing problems confronting our people.
These numbers cannot be ignored and the anecdotal accounts could not just be dismissed as exaggerations and the remedies part of quackery.
What I am suggesting is a serious and well-funded study and research to be undertaken by our scientists to determine the efficacy of specific traditional medicinal practices and herbal remedies.
Reputed medicinal plants abound in Philippine forests, even in the backyards of our homes.
Remember how some people laughed at "Tawa-tawa," a plant which grows almost anywhere which was proven to be effective against Dengue?
In spite of the fact that it has been proven to be effective, "Tawa-tawa" is largely ignored.
No further research and product development had been initiated by government.
The promotion of "Tawa-tawa," Oregano and other herbal remedies was left to people like Dok Alternatibo and fledgling herbal companies.
We ignore what is readily available in favor of the branded medicines produced by Big Pharma and promoted by some medical practicioners.
Mother Nature who is wiser than all of us provided us with these remedies and it is all up to us to discover these to protect our people from illnesses and pandemics.
It is time for government to pour millions or even billions to conduct these studies and researches.
In the end, when our scientists will succeed, we will not only be saving billions of pesos in government funds spent for imported medicines but we will also be saving thousands of Filipino lives.
Kailangan lang natin mulat ang mata natin at tingnan ang mga nakapalibot sa atin na bigay ng Inang Kalikasan.
Let us stop the bias against remedies which our ancestors and elders used to save lives.
#MotherNatureeHasReadyAnswers!
(Photos were downloaded from public websites.)
Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
