Indigenous herbs to cure diseases?

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is evaluating the medicinal use of more indigenous herbal plants that could be used in the treatment of some diseases, officials said yesterday.

Dr. Jaime Montoya, executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PHRD), said research and development involving several plants is currently being undertaken.

Among the plants are peperomia pellucida (ulisimang bato) and blumea balsamifera (sambong) for urolithiasis, Corchorus olitorius (saluyot) and cassia fistula (kanya pistula) for constipation, mimosa pudica (makahiya) for malaria, anona muricata (guyabano) and psidium guajava (bayabas) for tuberculosis.

Some of the available herbal medicines in the market today are Momordica charantia (ampalaya) tablet for Type II diabetes mellitus, vitex negundo (lagundi) tablet for cough and asthma, cassia alata (akapulko) lotion for fungal infection, and menthe cordifolia (yerba buena) for pain.

Research showed that ampalaya has blood sugar-lowering benefits.

Montoya, however, said recent study showed that ampalaya leaves contain more polypeptide-P, a plant insulin that has blood-sugar-lowering benefits.

He said herbal medicine comprised 3.5 percent of the total pharmaceutical market.