Camote Tops and Dengue Fever

By ATTY. NELLY FAVIS-VILLAFUERTE
September 17, 2010, 8:42pm

Camote (kamote), sweet potato, yam. They’re one and the same. This is a plant that was introduced during the Spanish period to our country. Camote which is a native to tropical America is scientifically known as Ipomoea batatas.

Here in our country, camote is a popular plant basically for its edible root and its leaves. The young leaves are known as camote tops. The camote root is usually cooked by boiling. While the camote tops is usually added as vegetable to our native sinigang (either fish or meat with broth) or it can be eaten as salad. Both the camote tops and the edible tubers (roots) are highly fibrous and have rich anti-oxidant properties. In fact, camote has more dietary fibers than many other vegetables. Camote helps avoid constipation and unbelievably also reduces blood cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar levels. And more, camote is anti-aging, contains more vitamin C than apples, and is anti-cancer.

I have been eating everyday for breakfast camote tops (blanched in boiling water for a few seconds) with vinegar. I also eat boiled camote tubers everyday. When I started eating camote about two (2) years ago, I did not know that camote is highly nutritious. Yes, I just love eating camote.

Last Sunday, September 12th, my sister who is a medical doctor who practised in the United States for more than thirty-five (35) years told me that she received recently e-mail testimonies from her friends in US about the miraculous healing of camote leaves to cure dengue fever. The afflicted children of my sister’s friends in the US just ate camote tops the night before and the next day, their dropping platelet count rose to normal level - (an adult has a normal platelet count of about 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter).

Again, last Tuesday, September 14th, a friend of mine told me that her young child with symptoms of dengue fever was fed “blended” camote leaves. Next day, the child’s platelet count went up to normal level and was immediately healed.

Many of us know that dengue fever is contracted from the bite of an infected/striped Aedes aegypti mosquito that has previously bitten an infected person. Many do not know that just one mosquito bite can inflict dengue fever. Also, dengue fever cannot be spread directly from one person to another person. But rather from one person-to-mosquito-to another person.

It’s now time for the Department of Health (DoH) to validate stories/testimonies about the instant miraculous healing power of camote leaves to cure dengue fever. Instead of taking expensive drugs. Since dengue fever is caused by a virus, antibiotic cannot treat the disease. Let’s try instead camote leaves to stop the spread of dengue fever in our country.

Have a joyful day!


http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/277652/camote-tops-and-dengue-fever