BUGS promotes wellness using medicinal herbs

The community’s need for information on alternative medicine that will contribute to wellness prompted the Bicol University Graduate School (BUGS) Extension Office to conduct a seminar promoting “Medicinal Use of Folkloric Bicol Herbs” at Bicol University College of Agriculture and Forestry (BUCAF).

According to Dr. Eriberta Nepomuceno, BUGS extension coordinator, the activity aims to educate the herbalists and the community about the efficacy of the herbs they are using and to generate livelihood to empower the women of Guinobatan.

“An herbal a day makes a healthy day, without even noticing, the herbs you are using are making you healthy,” Nepomuceno said.

She cited examples such as Lakadbulan, a Bicol folkloric herb that was proven to have many curative effects; another is Guava, which its fruit has the highest content of Vitamin C and its leaf is used for treating severe diarrhea and Malunggay, which is rich in Vitamin A and has a high fiber content that helps the body to fight Colon cancer.

The proponents of the activity were the BUGS Extension Office, Science Seminar students, BUCAF and the local government of Guinobatan.

There were some 240 participants who attended the seminar, mostly were senior citizens, health officials and students.

“Our youngest participant is a first-year high school student,” Nepomuceno said. “Despite the need for registration fee which costs P50-P100, we are happy to have that big number of participants although some of them were not able to pay but we still allowed them to participate.”

The speakers were from different agencies, the representative from Department of Health tackled the ten accredited herbs in the region, and there were Taxonomists and Biologists, the president of Albay Chamber of Commerce and Industry who delivered a lecture on how to make a business plan.

Topics discussed were about the efficacy of massage treatments when a certain herb is added; toxic components or alkaloids present in herbs; taxonomical classification of herbs; and the ten accredited herbs in Bicol.

Nepomuceno spoke of a wellness and Herbal Center that she and her sister, who is a pharmacist, are currently working for the realization and launching of the project.

“On this Wellness and Herbal Center, plants and herbs will be planted by ‘mobile farmers’,” because the university will be the one to provide a lot where farmers from the community can plant their herbs.”

On the other hand, she said that the participants requested for another seminar workshop on herbal medicine.

In response to the request, the extension coordinator added that they will be conducting another seminar and this time, it will be more on actual preparation of herbal medicines like ointments, lotions, and help the participants develop a brand.