How to Make Tawa-tawa (Euphorbia hirta) Tea as Cure for Dengue

Tawa-tawa tea is said to be an effective cure for dengue. To find the truth behind tawa-tawa's curative properties, students of the University of Sto Tomas (UST) – Faculty of Pharmacy conducted a study entitled “Investigation of the anti-thrombocytopenic property of euphorbia hirta linn (Tawa-Tawa) decoction in rat models." Results showed that laboratory mice treated with the decoction of "tawa-tawa" had an increase in platelet count, reduced bleeding time and decreased blood clotting time. Based on the results, researchers concluded that administering tawa-tawa decoction to animal models help improve their healing mechanism. Euphorbia hirta or popularly known in the Philippines as "Tawa-tawa" or “gatas-gatas,” is a hairy herb that just resides in the backyard, roadsides and pathways. This common weed - tawa-tawa - is claimed to have healing properties on dengue patients as being backed up by personal testimonies, it became one of the most popular “folkloric medicine” for dengue in the Philippines. As a folkloric treatment in the Philippines for dengue, tawa-tawa has earned many anecdotal testimonies from those who purportedly became well from the plant's concoction: its leaves boiled like a tea and taken orally. Tawa-tawa Tea In preparing tawa-tawa tea, 100 grams of the fresh whole plant (including roots) are washed and boiled in half a liter (500 ml) of water for 15 minutes. After cooling and paper-filtration, the decoction is taken by the patient at one glass every hour until the fever subsides. Sources: http://www.pchrd.dost.gov.ph/index.php/2012-05-23-07-46-36/2012-05-24-00-01-32/5296-tawa-tawa-contains-active-ingredients-that-may-help-dengue-hemorrhagic-fever-dhf-patients-study http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_hirta The Farm as Pharmacy by Dr. Rafael Guerrero III MARID Agribusiness Digest http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/378205/tawatawa-study-fasttracked#.UKRN94aurOs