"But we have not yet determined the extent or the safety threshold," Dr. Rogelio Peñera said Monday.
Peñera added that the initial results of the tawa-tawa showed that there are natural enzymes within the plant that stabilize the membranes of the blood vessels, preventing internal bleeding, a common effect of dengue.
"It could help, but we need to conduct further tests," Peñera said.
The doctor added that pending the results of the tests, they could not endorse or assure the use of tawa-tawa as remedy for Dengue.
"It takes years to conduct studies on the feasibility of possible drugs," he said.
Elders and indigenous people have used the tawa-tawa as remedy for dengue fever. However, it was only in the previous years when the health department took notice of the curing characteristics of the tawa-tawa plant.
