Philippine Medicinal Plants

HERBOLARIO DRUGSTORE

The Philippines is rich in medicinal plants. The early Spanish missionaries who came to the islands learned of the curative values of these drugs through experience, and passed on the knowledge to others. These missionaries owed their knowledge of these native remedies largely to the mediquillos. Notwithstanding the prejudices of the missionaries against a lot of superstitious practices of these mediquillos, the former were frequently compelled to request the services of the latter when the life of a patient became endangered.
Young graduates of medical schools today who are not sent out into the remote regions of the Philippines to work in the barrios are usually provided with patent drugs by the government or their institutions. They soon run out, however, and they have to resort to local drugs available in the area as whispered to them by the mediquillos or the local herbolarios. An example of this is the gumamela flower below.
Therapeutic Property:

ANODYNE - Drug able to assuage pain; mentally soothing
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Gumamela)
Decoction of the leaves relieves pain; crushed buds of the flowers are used as poultice.