23/09/2018
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Goosegrass/Paragis- 10 Potential Health Benefits, Use and General Information
posted by Tired Mama published/last updated on November 20, 2017
Goosegrass (whole plant) known as Paragis in the Philippines
Goosegrass by
NY State IPM Program at Cornell University's Photostream
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Goosegrass (also called wire grass or yard grass) is an obnoxious w**d with scientific name Eleusine indica (Linn.) Gaertner. In the Philippines, it is commonly known as paragis, apidan, bikad-bikad, bakis-bakisan, bugtusan, barangan, gagabutan, dinapulak, kabit-kabit, palagtiki, parangis-sabungan, sambali, and sabung-sabungan (this is due to the many dialects). This plant, classified as a grass, is a trending topic after a person posted on social media that after drinking the goosegrass "tea", her ailment miraculously was cured. Everyone is looking for a miracle; she is lucky to have found hers.
Eleusine indica is a w**d found in many places and can withstand temperatures as low as -7°C. It is native to tropical Asia, Papuasia, and Africa while it is naturalized in Australia, the Mediterranean, the Americas particularly South America and various islands. It was first described and named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum (1753) but was reclassified into today's valid botanical systematics by Joseph Gaertner, a German Botanist, in 1788, hence its scientific name. Eleusine sp. was named after the ancient city and deme (town, division, community) Eleusis of Africa, famous for the mysteries of Ceres. Eleusis is said to have been the place where Demeter (Ceres for Romans), the Greek Goddess of Earth's Fruits, sown the first seeds of corn. Demeter was the first daughter of Cronus and Rhea, sister of Zeus, and mother of Persephone ( sired by Zeus).
There are many herbal medicines or supplements that are readily available and are being commercially distributed. There's mangosteen, turmeric, gingko biloba, ginger, lagundi, guava, grapes, and the list goes on. There's so many to choose from to use as a supplement for our diet or help in curing us of the common cold. People are decidedly health conscious and in that respect, are finding out more ways to live longer and healthier lives. With health and lifestyle being a usual trend, more unusual herbal remedies are coming out. It's either someone out there is trying to market a certain product to an unsuspecting public or cause a genuine awareness. This is the case of this unusual trend of using goosegrass as a herbal remedy. Because of its recent popularity, dubbing it as "God's gift to man", research and studies are currently being done to learn more about the supposed health benefits from this plant.
This w**d has taken the Philippines by storm and now is the trending herbal remedy/supplement among the masses for it is readily available(you can find it in your backyard). I was actually surprised to hear about the latest trend regarding herbal plants and have heard that people are actually taking it. I do hope these people who have taken this plant did some research to know if it is actually safe to consume. Please take note that the use of goosegrass as a herbal remedy (halamang-gamot) has not been approved by the Department of Health. So I do recommend people to take with caution. What doesn't harm a goat, doesn't mean it can't harm a human. Well, don't worry...I took the liberty to research and learn about goosegrass looking into all possible literature regarding this plant. Studies on goosegrass are currently in the early phase but, I have found that it is extensively being studied in Africa and by researchers in Asia according to researchgate.net. Unfortunately, the studies being conducted are still ongoing and tentative results are still inconclusive but, there is positive feedback regarding the health benefits that can be derived from this plant which makes future studies on this grass potentially significant health-wise.
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