Thursday 24 July 2014

TAWA - TAWA


Common name: pill-bearing spurge, asthma plant, bell orchid, gatas-gatas, hairy spurge, garden spurge, pillpod sandman

Scientific name: Euphorbia hirta
Description of the plant and its parts.
o   Tawa-tawa, according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), is a hairy herb that grows in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways all throughout the country.
o   Tawa-tawa is an epiphytic orchid which is variable in size.
o   Pseudobulbs are stout, ovoid or fusiform, terete, and 12 to 20 centimeters long.
o   Leaves are oblanceolate, oblong, and 20 to 40 centimeters long. Racemes with the peduncle are 0.6 to 1.5 meters long, spreading, and nodding or pendulous. Flowers are numerous, each about 5 to 8 centimeters across.
o   Sepals and petals are obovate-oblong, yellowish-green, and covered with large, reddish-brown blotches. Lip is three-lobed, and yellow with purple nerves.
o   Column is incurved. Anther is orbicular and hairy, the pollinia subglobose.
o   Tawa-tawa is a shared common name (1) Grammatophyllum scriptum, tawa-tawa, and (3) Ricinus communis, tañgan-tañgan, tawa-tawa
·      PICTURE of the plant & important parts
            Tawa- tawa Plant


    Tawa- Tawa Pseudobulb
             Tawa- tawa Sepals and Petals
                    Tawa - Tawa Leaves
      ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS
o   Tawa – tawa is reported to contain coumarins, flavonoids, tannins, sugars, mucilage, reduced compunds, sterols and triterpenes including pytosterols, cardiac glycosides, diterpenes (phorbol esters) aromatic acids (shikmic and related acids) alkaloids and anthocyanins
o   The compunds isolated from tawa- tawa include cycloarternol, 24-methylene-cycloartebol beta-sitosterol, euphorbol, hexacozonate, alpha-ayrin, beta- amyrin, 1-hexacosanol, ingeno-triacetate, tinyaloxin, p-coumaric acid, campestrol, stigmasterol and quercitin.
o   Animal studies reported the ability of tawa-tawa to increase platelet count and to arrest bleeding or modulate hemostatis.
    TRADITIONAL USE
o   In Asia and Australia , tawa-tawa is widely used in traditional medicine to treat a variety of medical conditions including asthma,, coughs, diarrhea and dysentery.
o   In east, central, and west Africa, a decoction of the herb is used to treat asthma, oral thrush, boils sores and skin and wound infections. In addition to its use as an antispasmodic, antipruritic, carminative, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, purgative and vermifuge.
o   In Mauritius, a decoction of the plant is used to treat respiratory tract infections, vomiting, fever, bronchitis, and pulmonary disorders.
o   In Nigeria, exudates of the stem is used to treat eye and ear infections, while a decoction of the plant is used to treat enteric infections including diarrhea and dysentery, constipation and other stomach problems, asthma, bronchitis, eczema, athletes foot and scorpion bite pains.
o   In Indonesia, paste of pseudobulb put on sores or applied to the stomach to expel worms and malignant tumors. Decoction of whole plant used to expel worms.
o   Paste of bulb used for treating sores and intestinal afflictions
o   Macerated orchid used for treating aphthae.
o   Used as part of diet for dysentery
 PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY
 TAWA-TAWA IS good for Dengue. If it does not totally cure the epidemic disease, at least it helps prevent or delay the effects of Dengue, that is, it lowers the platelet count of the patient’s blood.
Its uses is not only for treating dengue fever.  It can also be used to relieve a variety of illnesses.
1) Antibacterial / Antimicrobial. It is antibacterial and noncytotoxic (not toxic to cells). Plant ethanol extracts are found to inhibit bacterial growth. Also effective against amoeba and fungal infection.  Prepare 25 grams plant per two cups water. Boil for three minutes. Take three to five cups a day.
2) Antiasthmatic. The herb is good for asthmatic persons. It breaks up mucus and relaxes spasm. It is combined with bronchial sedatives in inhaler preparation. Steep one teaspoon of leaves per cup of water for ten minutes. Take three to four glasses a day. May also be form into cigarette – burn and inhale smoke.
3) Antidiuretic. Drinking coffee and alcoholic beverages promotes excretion of body fluids, diuretic effect.  Rapid loss of body fluids is also experienced by person suffering from diarrhea or loose bowel movement. Too much dehydration can be fatal.
Gatas-gatas is different. It has antidiuretic effect. It contain active extracts of phytochemical tannins and flavonoids that promote water adsorption and electrolyte re-absorption. Indication is similar to antibacterial.
4) Anthelmintic effect. Tawa-tawa is an effective worms and its eggs killer, dewormer. Application is same as antibacterial.
5) Antihypertensive. It counteract high blood pressure by inhibiting the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme and increasing urine output and electrolytes. Steep one to three teaspoons of leaves in one cup water for five minutes. Drink two glasses as tonic.
6) Sedative. Help in threating anxiety. Mode of application is the same as antibacterial.
7) Antidysentery. Dysentery – an infection of the intestines marked by severe diarrhea. Taking in small quantities calm the digestive system but large doses has purgative effect. Steep one teaspoon leaves in one cup water for ten minutes. Take four glasses a day.
8) Antispasmodic. It contains shikinic acid and choline that are responsible for stopping early and late stage allergy. Application is similar to antibacterial.
9) Treatment of skin diseases. Good for treatment of sores, boils, warts, fungi and open wounds. Threating open wounds will turn skin to bluish black. Apply fresh latex to sores, boils, warts, fungi and open wounds. Sprinkle dried or fresh powdered leaves as wound dressings.
10) Galactagogue. A breast milk stimulant. Massage fresh latex to breast to increase milk flow. Root decoction maybe taken – preparation is same as antibacterial.
TOXICITY
Safe use of tawa-tawa during pregnancy and lactation has not been established. It has been reported to cause both contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscles. In view of lack of pharmacological and toxicity data, the use of tawa-tawa during pregnancy and lactation is therefore not recommended.
Orally, tawa-tawa was reported to cause nausea and vomiting. The sap contains latex that is toxic when ingested and which is highly irritant externally, causing photosensitive skin reactions and severe inflammation, especially on contact with eyes or open cuts. The toxicity can remain high even in dried plant material. Prolonged and regular contact with the sap is inadvisable because of its carcinogenic nature. The aqueous extract of tawa-tawa was reported to have potentially deleterious effects on the testes and accessory organs of rats.
The use of tawa- tawa is contraindicated in patients with infectious or inflammatory gastrointestinal conditions. It has been reported that it can irritate the git.
Studies conducted to date have reported conflicting results with regard to the mutagenic, carcinogenic and tumor-promoting activities of tawa-tawa.
  (DOSE) Tawa-tawa is usually taken in dosages of 0.1 to 0.3g of the dried powdered herb tree times daily or 0.12 to 2 ml of the liquid extract three times daily and repeated over 2 to 3 weeks. Beyond of this dose is considered toxic.
REFERENCES
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