CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study
Philippines is known for using herbal medicines for the treatment of
diseases. Herbal medicine -- also called botanical medicine or phytomedicine --
refers to using a plant's seeds, berries, roots, leaves, bark, or flowers for medicinal
purposes. Plants had been used for medicinal purposes long before recorded
history. Ancient Chinese and Egyptian papyrus writings describe medicinal uses
for plants as early as 3,000 BC. Indigenous cultures (such as African and Native
American) used herbs in their healing rituals, while others developed traditional
medical systems (such as Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine) in which
herbal therapies were used. Many researchers found that people in different parts
of the world tend to use the same or similar plants for the same purposes
(University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), 2011).
Nowadays, a number of herb preparations have been proven to be
effective and serve as an alternative maintenance medication for many diseases.
These includes bamboo root decoction (Cuevas, 2010), ginger tea (Aming, 2006),
chayote extract (Alamia, 2005), and garlic clove which were endorsed by the
Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) in 1997
(Eleazar, 2004).Meanwhile in this same year, the TAMA (Traditional and


CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Lemon grass (Andropogon citratus) is a perennial plant that grows in
warm and tropical climates like Southeast Asia and the Carribean. It has long,
thin, fibrous gray-green leaves that can grow up to 3 feet tall. Lemon grass looks
like any ordinary grass, but when crushed, its long leaves gives off a lemony
aroma and flavor, with a slight hint of ginger (Montala 2006).
Lemon grass goes by many names. In English, it is known as ginger grass
and sweet-rush. In the Caribbean, it goes by the name of fever grass. In Spanish,
it's called Paja de Meca and Zacate lemon. In the Philippines, Ilocanos know
lemon grass as baraniw, while Visayans refer to it as balioko. In Tagalog,
it's salaid, salay, or locally known as tanglad among the Cebuanos (Asian
Hospital and Medical Center, 2009).
Lemon grass has many uses. Aside from being a kitchen condiments, it is
used for aromatherapy and a medicine. According to the Philippine Alternative
Medicine data which was updated last April 2011, lemon grass is used for
diarrhea, suob, toothaches, and a diuretic. Its oil, mixed with equal amounts of
coconut oil, is used as a liniment for back pains, rheumatic complains, neuralgia,
sprains and other painful afflictions. While in various traditional systems, leaf
infusions used as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and sedative. Recent uses of


CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes specifically the method and sources of data in the
study. It includes the research design, subjects and locale of the study, research
technique and instrument used, the data gathering procedure and the statistical
treatment which gave way to a more comprehensive study.


A. Research Design
The placebo-controlled crossover-experimental research design was used
in the study. This type of research is most appropriate in controlled settings. It
also attempts to explore cause and effect relationships where causes can be
manipulated to produce different kinds of effects such as determining the mean
arterial pressure and mean heart rate of a certain individual. Thus, the present
study presented facts based on data gathered through our 15 respondents who
have undergone the 6 week experimental phases such as baseline, lemon grass
decoction (50 % and 100 % concentration), Washout and Placebo phase. The
study was also conducted to determine the mean arterial pressure and mean heart
rate among the respondents considering their lifestyle and manifesting symptoms.



CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION OF DATA


There was a total of 15 respondents (100 %) who participated in the study.
There was no dropout. Hence, all 15 respondents were able to complete a period
of 6 weeks in the conduct of the study.

Table 4.1. Distribution of Vital Signs Among Respondents

RESPONDENTS
Number


Age


Gender
VITAL SIGNS
Temperature Respiratory
Rate
Pulse
Rate
Blood
Pressure
1 54 M 36.9 22 88 170/100
2 50 F 36.4 24 89 190/110
3 46 M 37 25 89 160/110
4 55 F 36.2 21 90 150/100
5 54 F 36 23 88 170/100
6 48 F 36.5 19 84 140/100
7 52 F 35.9 20 70 200/110
8 45 F 36 17 68 140/100
9 57 F 36.7 20 87 160/100
10 56 F 36.8 19 75 140/100
11 45 M 37 21 70 160/100
12 55 F 36.5 19 78 160/120
13 50 F 37 18 88 160/100
14 44 M 36.8 22 110 160/120
15 37 F 37.3 20 68 140/100

From the above table 4.1 shows distribution of personal profile of 15
respondents according to age, gender and vital signs. Most of the respondents age

CHAPTER V

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary
Lemon grass decoction is safe to use because the respondents have not
manifested any severe clinical symptoms during the 6-week period of the study.
Twice-a-day intake of lemon grass decoction is effective in decreasing the mean
arterial pressure through diuresis. An increase in the frequency of urination was
manifested by the respondents during the time when the lemon grass decoction
was initiated. The decrease in volume decreases workload of the heart, thereby,
decreasing the blood pressure.
Lemon grass decoction has the diuretic effect among the hypertensive
individuals. It helps the body get rid of unnecessary water and salt through urine.
Getting rid of excess salt and liquid helps lower blood pressure and can make it
easier for the heart to pump because of the decrease in the degree of tension on
the muscle when the heart contracts. This explains the decrease in mean heart rate
during the Lemon Grass Phase in comparison with the mean heart rate on the
Baseline Phase. Although the mean heart rate was lower during the Lemon Grass
Phase, the mean heart rate did not significantly decrease on the Lemon Grass,
Washout, and Placebo Phases of the study. However, the mean heart rates during
the 6 phases of the study were within the Normal Heart Rate.