FIlipino, Flora, Folklore and pharmacies Flashcards
Mabuhay
- over 7000 islands
- approx. 115 million people spanning 300 000 km2
- previously under spanish and american colonization
- officially recognized as an independent country in 1946
What is traditional medicine?
it is the sum total of the knowledge, skill and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness
What is ethnobotany
- relies indigenously informed plant identification, foraging, and cultivation in use as food, medicine and shelter
- approx. 25% of drugs in conventional medication have been associated in some way with plant products
Babaylans
- were second only in command to the datus (regional cheiftains) during pre-colonial times
- role came through spiritual possession, had a spirit familiar
- functioned as warriors, healers, record keepers, priestesses and sages
- generally female, but transgender, male or non-binary babaylans existed
- were ostracized post-spanish colonization
Albularyos
- adapted from the spanish term herbolario
- contemporary to babaylans
- general practitioner, counsellor
- cupping, herbal concoctions, bone alignment, etc
- mostly present in rural areas
Why has interest in Filipino traditional medicine persisted?
- local knowledge
- availiability of resources
- anecdotal evidence
- distrust of modern healthcare
Flora de Filipinas
a landmark botanical atlas illustrating Filipino medicinal plants in detail along with their uses
Tungkod Pari
- ti plant, Cordyline fruticosa
- roots were harvested for diarrhea treatment
- in folklore, the Ifugao tribe planted there near rice plantations to drive evil spirits away and for ritualistic use
Duhat
- Java Plum, Syzygium jambolanum
- leaves can be smoked as a tobacco alternative, wounds can cleaned with bark reduction
- due to its low glycemic index, consumption of this fruit/seed helps covert carbohydrates to energy and regulates blood sugar levels
Java Plum folklore
- trees are hiding places of Engkanto (elves) and pugots
- Java plums were part of offerings to Mandurugos (filipino shapeshifting vampires) so they would not harm a family
Tuli
- male rite of passage
- traditionally performed by a manunuli, boys around 8-12 years old undergo a dorsal slit circumsision
- boys are told to chew bayabas leaves during the procedure, with the chewed mixture applied afterwards to stop the bleeding
Querectin
acts as a spasmolytic and as an antioxidant
Rutin
exhibits high free radical scavenging activity
Bayabas as an antimicrobial
- guava leaves have shown polyphenols that have been shown to inhibit various microorganisms
- Guava leaf extract has been shown to disrupt quorum sensing-dependent biofilms growth
The NIRPROMP prompt
the national integrated research program on medicinal plants was established in 1974 as a collaboration between the university of phillipines manila and the department of science and technology government branch
