About two persons that I directly know have succumbed to dengue fever caused by this bloodsucker monster-mosquito: my nephew, who was then around nine years old, and my sister's househelp, about a year ago.
It was very critical for my nephew. He stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks, a near-death experience for the family. His platelet count was terribly going down and he was already bleeding inside. He had blood transfusion, but the treatment seemed to be going nowhere.
My sis, in her "when there's nothing to hope but hope itself" moment, resorted to this wild grass/plant, locally known as "mangagaw", "tawa-tawa" or "gatas-gatas." In the science world, it is named Euphorbia hirta.
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| The wonder wild plant Mangagaw |
She had bunches of mangagaw cleaned, boiled and screened for my nephew to drink on a five-minute interval. She efficiently attended to this rite and forced her son to urinate every now and then. After two days of constant care, to her amazement, the platelet count went up and all other vital indications improved. At that point, my sis did not think of anything or anyone that she should thank or be grateful to, but to dear Almighty and the humble, Mangagaw. She also did not think about the hospital bills!
A similar scenario happened to my sister's househelp,Trina. Again, the mangagaw was there to the rescue, but the "constant care and mangagaw ritual" exemplified in the previous narration were not done patiently and efficiently. Hence, Trina's situation was thought to have worsened.
My sis, being mindful that Trina was their responsibility, did not take this sitting down. Thinking that the kind of strain that attacked Trina was unusually strong because the mangagaw concoction did not seem to help, my sis closely worked on taking care of Trina.
Apart from the mangagaw, my sis let Trina took chili peppers at five pieces on an hourly basis for two consecutive days, matched with the mangagaw juice that was given like some water therapy. A treatment she got from office talks, SMS, and online chats, these chili peppers are locally called "sili kulikut," wherein both ends are thinly cut before a patient takes them in, swallowing like ordinary capsules.
With God's grace, Trina felt well after two days. (What dengue could withstand the heat that those chili pepper capsules can possibly give?) Once more, she did not bother herself of the hospital costs!
Whether or not you take the wonder stories of "mangagaw" and "sili kulikut" seriously, the PPP editors do not recommend these to replace medical help. In times of any sickness, call a doctor for proper medical advice and attention. But for most people who do not even have a single cent to pay for initial dengue lab tests, where do they go to? What I know is that, the Mangagaw and the recent, Sili Kulikut, have provided these people a saving grace in the most trying times.
//rmis//111110
on the Civil Aspects of the International Child Abduction. 
