Laugh dengue out with tawa-tawa

 HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- I had this feeling I was hit with dengue three days ago. A biting, hot pricking, nagging fever, numbness with no appetite to eat but to drink and drink water. I went to St Theodore’s Hospital to confirm if this suspicion is true.

True enough from that prick of a needle that drew blood from my veins I was positive of dengue! I can imagine 10 days of that cold numbness, recurrent fever I had 11 years ago when I was in a faraway land from beloved Philippines alone, holed up inside a cold apartment that drew a feeling of walls getting alive at night. Dengue could really get you paranoid and to think that you’re away from family and home.

Thing is, now I’m here in my hometown to have another round of 10 days of dengue fever and immobility so I thought. No moving around wherever and no exercise.

The doctor said they shall arrange a bed along the hallway because the hospital rooms were already full and that shall go with a dreadful dextrose bottle with boring liquid from it trickling inside my veins.

I can imagine such existence to wake up in the middle of the night in a hospital corridor when fever is hot and paranoia gets high where the hallway seemingly goes longer and longer as the wind whistles soft and creepy at night when people are walking to and fro and stopping by to ask what happened. I don’t like it. The most that I need is privacy and a healthful rest.

I have to drink three liters of water every day and I can do that. But to sleep on the hallway with a dextrose stuck in my veins, I stare at every sickening second would make me sick more and more. I better go home and drink three liters of water everyday  popping in every four hour   round the clock  paracetamol  interspersed with ascorbic acid. 

Much as I had  taken in ibuprufen similar to paracetamol  11 years ago with glasses and glasses of water plus oranges that served as my breakfast, lunch and dinner. So with my decision not to get admitted.

The good lady doc told me to get myself admitted anytime when I can’t take the numbing pain any longer and visit the hospital to get my blood checked platelets everyday.

I went home, bought more paracetamol and ascorbic acid and checked  myself every hour and wondering if I can endure the dreadful  fever and numbness of such degree. Going through this seemingly useless and immobile state of inaction of lying down could drive one to get more sick.

I  decided to  walk down Daoangan street that afternoon to go talk to a friend about  her resto business and  merry go round roller coaster permit  and see for myself if I can eat something that I didn’t  cook.

In that feverish state, I really can’t eat that well and good. That had been so 11 years ago and this recent three days, eating came slow and not even halfway done despite a well cooked meal. The lemonade and glasses of water though, I drank with relief.  Thanks mucho Ms Claravall.

I talked about dengue and Ms Claravall said, “Why don’t you take tawa tawa, it’s very effective”, she said. “Do you have it now?” I asked. She went out from the resto and less than a minute she returned. With her were slender, leafy stems s with some small, colored, flowery, fruitlike berries sticking out from the stem protruding in between the leaves.

Tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta) is a hairy herb grown in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways. This indigenous plant is considered one of the most popular folkloric treatment for dengue in the Philippines.

I went home excited to try the concoction.  Shall I boil it all down to the roots, or only the leaves and exclude those berry like parts. Cautious, I took off the leaves and boiled it, gave myself an hour to see the effect as that pricking fever was being felt.

Some friends came to the house and I asked how to apply tawa-tawa. A good friend, Virgie said “boil it all -- leaves, stem, berries,” saying that was how she applied it on one of her children who was hit then with dengue and was healed within two days. 

So that’s what I did. I boiled the whole plant and eagerly took in the liquid and waited for some hours. I came to know what a wonder plant really tawa-tawa is.  

It didn’t go for two days. That dreadful, nagging fever and numbness was gone in a day. Must be that the effect of paracetamol and ascorbic acid also helped plus lots and lots of water that I drank.

Thanks tawa-tawa for the laughter you brought to me as I wrote this piece. Thanks again tawa-tawa. With good meaningful and helpful friends, I don’t have to go through a dreadful 10 days of sickening immobility.

For those who are suffering from dengue right now, talk to a member of your family, a friend, a relative, or anyone close to you to boil that precious tawa-tawa and drink it.

Get that numb, pricking. nagging dengue fever out from your system.

Dengue had been in the rounds in the previous rainy months. Till now, hospitals are full of patients hit with dengue. Last week Health authorities reported 17 deaths due to dengue in the Cordillera. For those afflicted with it, one good, herbal way to deal with dengue is tawa-tawa.