Tawa-tawa, herbal meds for dengue? DOH says ‘no effective direct treatments’ yet

MANILA, Philippines – There’s no foolproof direct treatment against dengue yet, the Department of Health (DOH) clarified.

There have been misconceptions that certain herbal plants — such as tawa-tawa and siling labuyo (wild chili) — can cure dengue, a viral infection transmitted to humans via infected mosquitoes.

“Medical science tells us that there are no effective direct treatments versus the dengue virus at this point in time. Death from dengue can be prevented by early...