Chapter 2

• REPUBLIC ACT 8423 - TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ACT OF 1997
• TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE ACT OF 1997 - An act creating the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care(PITAHC) to accelerate the development of traditional and alternative health care in the Philippines.
• 10 HERBAL MEDICINES APPROVED BY THE DOH:

  1. Sambong
  2. Akapulko
  3. Niyog - niyogan
  4. Tsaang Gubat
  5. Ampalaya
  6. Lagundi
  7. Ulasimang Bato
  8. Bawang
  9. Bayabas
  10. Yerba Buena
• Reminders on the Use of Herbal Medicine:

  • Avoid insecticides to prevent plant poisoning.
  • Boil herbal medicine uncovered in a clay pot at low heat.
  • Use specific plant parts as recommended.
  • Follow precise preparation dosages.
  • Use one herb per symptom.
  • Halve the dosage for dried plant parts compared to fresh ones.
• Reminders on the Use of Herbal Medicine:

  • Discard decoctions after a day; store lukewarm in a flask to maintain freshness.
  • Harvest mature leaves, fruits, flowers, or nuts for higher medicinal content.
  • Cease herbal medication if allergic reactions arise.
  • Consult a doctor if symptoms persist after 2 or 3 doses of herbal medicine.
• Blumea balsamifera - Sambong (Scientific Name)
• Sambong:

  • Plant height: 1 1/2 to 3 meters with rough, hairy leaves.
  • Propagation: Separate young plants from the mother plant when they have three or more leaves.
• Sambong Uses:

  • Anti Edema
  • Diuretic
  • Anti - urolithiasis
• Sambong (Preparation):

  • Boil chopped leaves in water for 15 mins until one glass remains.
  • Cool, strain, and divide into 3 parts.
  • Drink one part three times daily.
• Kidney Infection - Sambong is not a medicine for  
• Cassia alata - Akapulko (Scientific Name)
• Akapulko:

  • Plant Name: Ringworm Bush or Bayas-bayasan.
  • Height: 1 to 2 meters.
  • Leaves: Embraced with 8 to 20 oblong-elliptical leaflets.
  • Flowers: Sepals are oblong in shape.
• Akapulko Uses (Anti - Fungal):

  • Tinea Flava
  • Ringworm
  • Athlete’s Foot
  • Scabies
• Akapulko Preparation:

  • Fresh, matured leaves are pounded.
  • Apply as a soap to the affected part 1 to 2 times a day.
• Quisqualis indica L. - Niyog - Niyogan (Scientific Name)
• Niyog - niyogan:

  • Plant Name: Chinese Honeysuckle.
  • Description: Vine with tiny fruits, found wild in backyards.
  • Seed Requirement: Mature, dried, newly opened fruits for seeds.
  • Propagation Method: Stem cuttings around 20cm tall.
• Niyog - niyogan uses:

  • Anti - helminitic
• Niyog - niyogan Preparation:

  • Eat niyug-niyogan seeds raw two hours before the last meal.
  • Adult dosage: 10 seeds; 4-7 years: up to 4 seeds; 8-9 years: 6 seeds; 10-12 years: 7 seeds.
  • Not suitable for children under four years old.
• Carmona retusa - Tsaang Gubat (Scientific Name)
• Tsaang Gubat:

  • Plant Name: Forest Tea or Wild Tea.
  • Description: Shrub with small, shiny, attractive leaves.
  • Habitat: Grows wild in uncultivated areas and forests.
• Tsaang Gubat Uses:

  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach Ache
• Tsaang Gubat Preparation:

  • Diarrhea - Boil chopped leaves in 2 glasses of water until reduced to 1 glass. Cool and strain before consumption.
  • Stomach Ache - boil chopped leaves in 1 glass of water for 15 minutes, then cool and filter before drinking.
• Momordica charantia - Ampalaya (Scientific Name)
• Ampalaya:

  • Plant Name: Bitter Gourd or Bitter Melon.
  • Description: Climbing vine with tendrils, reaching up to 20 cms.
  • Leaves: Heart-shaped, 5 to 10 cms in diameter.
  • Fruits: Ribbed and wrinkled surface, fleshy green with pointed ends, bitter taste.
• Anpalaya Uses:

  • Low Blood Sugar
  • Diabetes Mellitus
• Ampalaya Preparation:

  • Gather and thoroughly wash young leaves.
  • Chop leaves.
  • Boil 6 tablespoons in two glassfuls of water for 15 minutes on low heat without covering the pot.
  • Cool and strain.
  • Take one third cup three times a day after meals.
• Vitex negundo - Ampalaya (Scientific Name)
• Lagundi:

  • Plant Name: 5 Leaved-Chaste Tree
  • Description: Shrub found growing wild in vacant lots and waste land.
  • Propagation: Plant matured branches.
  • Flowers: Blue and bell-shaped.
  • Fruits: Small, turn black when ripe.
  • Harvest leaves when in bloom for best results.
• Lagundi Preparation:

  • Use leaf decoction for skin diseases (dermatitis, scabies, ulcer, eczema) and wounds.
  • Wash and clean the skin/wound with the decoction.
  • Apply crushed leaves on the forehead for headache relief.
  • Pound leaves and apply on affected areas for rheumatism, sprains, contusions, and insect bites.
• Peperomia pellucida - Ulasimang Bato (Scientific Name)
• Ulasimang Bato:

  • Plant Name: Silver bush or Shiny bush, also known as Pansit-pansitan.
  • Description: Weed with heart-shaped leaves.
  • Habitat: Grows in shady parts of the garden and yard.
• Ulasimang Bato Uses:

  Lower Uric Acid
• Ulasimang Bato Preparation:

  • Wash the leaves thoroughly.
  • Boil one and a half cups of leaves in two glassfuls of water over low heat without covering the pot.
  • Cool and strain the decoction.
  • Divide into three parts and drink each part three times a day.
• Ulasimang Bato Preparation (Salad):

  • Wash the leaves thoroughly.
  • Prepare one and a half cups of loosely packed leaves.
  • Divide into three parts and consume as a salad three times a day.
• Allium sativum - Bawang (Scientific Name)
• Bawang:

  • Plant Name: Garlic.
  • Description: Low herb growing up to sixty centimeters high.
  • Leaves: Flat and linear.
  • Bulbs consist of several tubers.
• Bawang Uses:

  • For hypertension
  • Toothache
  • Lowers cholesterol levels in the blood
• Bawang Preparation:

  • Prepare garlic by frying, roasting, soaking in vinegar for 30 minutes, or blanching in boiled water for 5 minutes.
  • Consume two pieces three times a day after meals.
• Bawang Preparation (Toothache):

  • pound a small piece and apply to affected part.
• full stomach - Take on ______ to prevent stomach and intestinal ulcers (Bawang Caution)