BILA-BILA (Goosegrass)

My maternal grandparents were both diagnosed with high blood pressures which my mother had also inherited from them. One of the many discomforts my mother always complains is that of her stomach pains which she thinks might be causing her blood pressure to rise.

We have been in the look out for any discomfort she is feeling. We had observed before that after she had eaten her meals, she would complain feeling dizzy. She felt like there is a lump in her throat making her felt like choking. Then her heartbeat goes faster than normal. It looks like her heart is pumping so hard and fast we could even see her chest go up and down making her body shake. We thought it was because of the food that she ate that reacted to her blood pressure.

I was searching into the Internet about medical symptoms similar to hers and found out that what she is actually experiencing was an acid reflux. This is a disease commonly known as Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease or GERD and is also related to heartburn. This is characterized by a cough, burning sensation in the stomach, chest, sore throat, and pain in the gastric region. Often patients with GERD will experience the presence of gastric content returning into the oral cavity (mouth) especially upon lying down at night.

We tried those prescription medicines but it did not work even well on her, instead the drugs gave her unpleasant side effects particularly severe headaches. So we resorted to herbal remedies and gladly we found one that best suits her. This plant is called Bila-Bila in our native tongue or goosegrass in English. This plant is used to cure acid reflux and ulcers. The following are the steps to prepare it:

Steps:

• Wash one whole bila-bila plant with its roots and put in a clay pot.
• Fill it with 2 glasses of water and boil in a low fire until an estimate of one glass of decoction is left.
• Remove from fire and let cool.
• Drink the decoction daily before bedtime until the symptoms subside.

It did very well for my mother. Maybe it will for you, too. But careful analysis and considerations of the ailments should be done before you use herbal plants.