Table of contents:
- What is Angkak?
- Can Angkak be used as a platelet enhancer for dengue fever patients?
- Combination of angkak and guava for dengue fever medicine
Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). This is not surprising because Indonesia is a tropical country, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus. Because this disease has existed since ancient times, Indonesian ancestors also looked for traditional medicine to cure it. One of the traditional medicines that is believed to be able to cure dengue fever is Angkak. However, is it true that Angkak can cure DHF from the medical side?
What is Angkak?
Angkak is a type of brown rice from China which is fermented with yeast Monascus purpureus. This traditional medicine is red in color and has been trusted for years by doctors in Indonesia in the treatment of DHF.
Not only used to cure diseases, Angkak can also be used as a flavor enhancer and natural food coloring that gives a red color.
Angkak can be given as a medicine for DHF patients in various ways, ranging from capsules, Angkak tea, to foods that have been mixed with Angkak. However, how effective is Angkak for dealing with dengue fever? To find out the answer, see the explanation below.
Can Angkak be used as a platelet enhancer for dengue fever patients?
You may be accustomed to carrying guava fruit when visiting DHF patients. However, apart from guava fruit, another thing that is also believed to help cure dengue is Angkak.
Yes, Angkak has been trusted by Indonesians from generation to generation as a traditional medicine to cure dengue fever. However, is it true that Angkak can cure DHF?
To answer this question, there have been many studies conducted to prove whether Angkak can cure DHF patients and how it works. One of them is a study from IPB which was conducted in 2012. How was the result?
The results of this study indicate that giving Angkak capsules can increase platelets in white mice that experience thrombocytopenia (low platelet levels in the blood).
As we probably already know, DHF patients usually have low platelet levels, which makes their disease worse. By administering the natural medicine for Angkak which can increase platelet levels, dengue fever patients are likely to recover faster.
This was also confirmed by research from Airlangga University in 2013. The study was conducted on two groups of DHF patients, with each group totaling 15 people.
One group was given Angkak capsules and the other was not given Angkak. The result is that Angkak can reduce levels of thrombopoietin (TPO) in DHF patients.
TPO is one of the factors that is responsible for the formation of platelets in the human body. TPO levels are usually inversely related to platelet levels. The higher the TPO level, this means that the platelet level in the body is decreasing.
Well, in dengue fever patients, TPO is in high levels. Decreasing levels of TPO in DHF patients is a good sign for the patient's recovery.
In this study also stated that Angkak has the potential to increase the platelet count in DHF patients. This may occur because Angkak can increase platelet formation in the spinal cord. Plus, Angkak has an anti-inflammatory effect of metabolites, monakolin K, ankaflavin, and monascin, so it is good to be used as a medicine for dengue fever patients.
Combination of angkak and guava for dengue fever medicine
From these two studies, it can be concluded that Angkak can help cure DHF patients by helping to increase platelet levels in the body. The combination of giving traditional Angkak and guava medicines for dengue fever patients can also help the healing process of this disease.
Research published by IOSR Journal of Pharmacy 2015 has proven that white rats given Angkak and guava juice have the highest increase in platelets. The combination of Angkak and guava leaf extract can also increase the number of red blood cells and blood hematocrit value.
However, before using Angkak to treat dengue fever, always consult your doctor first. Don't forget to protect yourself and your family with health insurance so that all health problems, including dengue fever, can be handled by the medical team without delay due to financial constraints.
