Tandog for Dog Bites - Philippines Folk Medicine Remedy

Tandog. In the Philippines, the word "tandog" in places like Central Luzon usually refers to a folk medicinal item used for dog bites. Personally, I do not know where the tandog name comes from, but as Filipinos always like to play with words, it may actually be short for "tanngal dog," which in full English would mean "remove dog." It's just my theory which may or may not be true.

To use a tandog, it must be placed directly over the bite wound, and as traditional folk belief would have it, it would stick to the skin and draw out any infection or poison that's present, thus saving the victim from often fatal diseases like rabies. It won't stick if there is no poison. Although this item can be rare, it can be bought from traditional medicine stalls in local markets or near churches.

But what really is a tandog? What is a tandog made of? A tandog is usually small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It may be flat and smooth on one side and rough on the other. At first glance, it would appear to be a flat gray piece of stone, but if you look closely, you'll see that it's really a piece of animal bone or part of the horn of a some animal like a carabao or local water buffalo. It's gray because it's likely been fired or heated over glowing embers to give it an ash-like consistency while still holding it's shape - charred in other words - but not charred black, only charred white.

In this semi-burned state, a tandog essentially turns into something like activated charcoal (also called activated carbon), which, we all know has the capacity to be absorptive due to it's being riddled with microscopic holes which collect toxins. This scientific explanation to a tandog's capacity to heal dog bites and reduce the risk due to poisons or pathogens may not be supernatural, but it does make sense.

The tandog pictured here was bought from a local market in the province of Batangas in Southern Luzon from an elderly woman, who, when asked what it was called, said she couldn't recall the name of the item. She only knew what it was for. A tandog is often part of a folk healer's or albulario's arsenal. The Tandog is often confused with the bato balani, which is a loadstone or magnetic stone.

 

Dog Bite: How To Stop Your Dog From Biting You And Those Around You

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Medicine Woman Reading Candles Sees the Dwarves in Wax

Old woman medium healer performs a candle reading ritual.

Can candles be used in place of crystal balls to have sight beyond sight? This old folk medicine woman in the Philippines easily answers that question as she practices reading candles, also known as candle wax or candle drip reading. It is a form of psychic scrying or divination wherein candle wax is either dripped or dropped into water where it forms a shape that's interpreted by the reader (see image below).

This Filipino medicine woman was consulted regarding the cause of a young man's skin condition. She has been reading candles as a living and is approached by locals for a variety of reasons - many relating to supernatural creatures like dwarves and other elemental beings which have been disturbed by people. This medium often gets visitors asking for candle readings.

Watch the video of the reading candles ritual

In this candle reading, the wax formed the shape of two dwarfs (one large; one small). The pointed appearance of parts of the wax were seen as the pointed hats of the dwarves. To the untrained eye, a lot of imagination may be needed to see this, but this woman medium recognizes the figure of the dwarves immediately. She carefully wrapped the wax figure in a piece of newspaper and gave instructions to have the afflicted place it under his pillow before sleeping and also to burn incense. This psychic rituals are meant to appease the elemental being, or elementals (the dwarves or whatever), concerned so that they may forgive the human victim and reverse the punishment, which in this case took the form of a facial rash.

  

Folk Medicine in a Philippine Municipality 

Way of the Ancient Healer: Sacred Teachings from the Philippine Ancestral Traditions

Going back to the question: Can candles be used for scrying and divination? For psychics and mediums, the answer is yes, but it's up to you to believe or not.

Dwarf-like wax figure from reading candles.

What Is "Usog" in the Philippines? "Kontra Usog" Amulet Contents Revealed

Kontra usog amulet from Pulilan, Bulacan, Philippines

In some parts of the Philippines, there’s this practice of putting saliva on the abdomen of a baby by someone who’s given the child impromptu notice, whether in greeting or contact. Visitors who’ve given attention to a baby may be asked by the parent or guardian to do this and state, "pwera usog." The act is supposed to counter the effects of usog which is similar to the concept of the ”evil eye” in Western culture. It’s said that anyone (although there are those who are more inclined to it), can unknowingly place a hex on a baby (or adult) causing it to feel ill.

A baby who’s under the influence of “usog” termed colloquially as nausog or nabati may start to vomit or show signs of fever. To remove the effects of usog, the person responsible must be called to smear saliva on the baby’s belly with a finger. If the person is not available, the alternative is to look for someone who can naturally counter the effects of usog. Such people are rare, but somehow, they instinctively know if a baby is under the influence of usog. If they rub the head of a baby affected by usog, it’s said the effects can be reversed. A person with this inherent healing ability once touched the head of a baby who’s been vomiting, supposedly as a result of usog, and immediately after, the baby repeatedly burped, relieving the discomfort. If there’s no one around who has this ability, the only option is to wait for the symptoms to subside on their own. If the symptoms are severe, the parents simply take the child to a doctor, letting go of any traditional beliefs to the wind.

If you go to one of those big old Catholic churches around the Philippines, you may find vendors in the vicinity selling charms, amulets, and talismans. Some of these are designed to counteract usog. The amulet pictured here is from Pulilan, Bulacan. It consists of red and black plastic beads strung in a garter. The red cloth pouch has a cross stitched on one side. It measures roughly 1 ¼ inch. The pin is what’s used to secure the usog amulet on clothing. A baby wearing this kontra usog amulet is supposed to give protection to the child.

Inside the “counter usog” amulet, there’s a rolled piece of paper secured by transparent tape. Opening this revealed what looked like powdered tree bark. The paper is obviously cut from a grade school textbook. Anybody who’s not familiar with the idea of usog will not understand the logic behind all these and that it’s all simply superstition, but to someone who believes and has faith, it all makes sense. In the end, it’s really all about a person’s faith in God and the counter usog amulet is just a crutch to support someone’s belief. 

The paper used to wrap the amulet's bark powder.

Read more about the Philippines - A Taste of the Philippines blog

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Ghost Profile Appears in a Pic of Mother and Child

Do you see the ghost's face on the left side?

On a Sunday morning, after church in February, 2012,  in a subdivision in Rizal, two women together with a baby, decided to take a few pictures inside the house. There were just three of them in the room as they took the last few pictures - the one holding the cell phone, the mother and her baby. So where did the profile of the shadowy face on the left of the picture come from?

The profile of a ghost's face in the picture was a surprise. But ghosts appearing inside and outside of this apartment is nothing new. A Doppelganger has been seen on more than one occasion inside. On the driveway, a white lady lurks and she sometimes peers into the window of a car that used to park there at night when everyone is already asleep. Outside on the road, a guitar man is sometimes seen near midnight walking with his classical guitar who fades into nothingness.

Other ghosts aside, to whom does the face belong to? Is it that of a ghost, an elemental, or something else entirely? Was this otherworldly entity just curious or does it have anything important to say.

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Please contact the blog owner for copyright inquiries.

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Orb and Ghostly Wisps in a Driveway in the Philippines

Photo of an orb and a wispy apparition in the Philippines.

Here is a photo of an orb (just right of center) and a wispy thing in a driveway in Rizal in the Philippines where sightings of purported ghosts and giant elementals have been reported. A lady in white was seen here when an apartment tenant came home late one night. While parking his car, he saw a women with long hair peeking into his window from the passenger side of the car. The woman disappeared. This supposed ghost of woman had been seen sometimes inside the apartment watching television with residents. Sometimes, she'd be mistaken as one of the residents, then she'd vanish.

On another night, the same resident came in again with his car. This time, it wasn't a ghost he saw, but a giant, hairy, filthy man about two floors tall. It seemed to be looking into a second floor window and it glared at him as he parked his car. Just like the ghost woman, this elemental disappeared.

In local folklore, the ghost woman is called a white lady and the giant man is called a kapre. The giant elemental would sometimes be seen by those gifted with the third sight lounging in ficus (balete) trees with a cigar that never runs out. It can acquire a fondness for local women and would visit them at night and attempt to do things to them that are not quite welcome to the victim. The dried tail of a stingray supposedly can keep them at bay.

The photo above contains an orb and a wispy apparition that have no known logical explanation, although it is possible they're just the result of particle in the air. The place is where a black cat often frequents. Magnification and contrast enhancement of the orb (left photo) reveals the details in the left picture. It appears to have an eye.

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Orbs in a Moonlit Night in the Philippines

These photos were taken on a moonlit night in Rizal in the Philippines. The orbs that appeared seem to be at various distances and seem to have differing hues when examined closely. Whether or not these are merely the result of reflection from particles in the air, it's hard to tell. But the area is supposedly rife with supernatural beings. A interior picture taken reveals a bright orb near a folded mattress. How is this orb connected to the ones outside?

There have been tales of white lady ghosts, smiling dark-cloaked strangers appearing in the vicinity, and cigar-smoking ogres (kapre) knocking on second floor windows. In one road, there were reports of a specter wearing the traditional barong tagalog seen floating above the pavement. Are these real?

The orbs may be difficult to see, so please double-click on the images to see them in a bigger format. The bright "orb" in the first two pictures is actually the moon.

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Contact him for inquiries.

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Orbs - Sometimes They're There, Sometimes Not

 

Orbs appear as glowing round things in photographs generally taken with a digital camera using a flash. Orbs appear in photos when you least expect them and they come in different sizes and variations. They are supposedly simply image artifacts as a result of the light from the flash reflecting off tiny particles in the air near the lens, like dust, water, droplets, and even insects. In spite of this, some orbs do not appear to be the result of reflections. Some believe they are manifestations of spirits that show themselves in this form. Rosanna Roces, an actress in the Philippines, has told of her experience with orbs, which she claims, are able to listen and understand her.

The photo above (top) was taken in a house's old front yard. You can see plenty of orbs in it. It's up to you to decide what they actually are. Strangely, in a photograph taken the next night (following), there were no orbs captured. In some cases, orbs can appear as if in motion or show up as trails. The orb trail shown here (left) appeared in a photograph taken in a hotel room in Naga City in the Philippines. Were the orbs just particles in the air, or spirits having a party?

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Please contact him for inquiries.

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Mysterious Creature Photographed in a Man-made Cave in Ecovillage in CamSur, Bicol

I have no idea what's been captured on camera here. If you look at the full picture (top), you will see what appears to be a “creature” hanging from the ceiling of a cave. The cave is actually a man made structure for tourists at the Ecovillage park in the Camsur Watersports Complex in Bicol. The cropped section that follows reveal more details. Did you notice that there are also two orbs captured by the camera above the creature? They may just be marks on the concrete wall, but I could be wrong.

I only noticed the creature after the image was magnified on a laptop. In the detail (left), you can clearly see its two eyes that glow. It seems to have a body but there are no signs of appendages like feet and arms. If you examine the magnified image closely, you will see that it has three whitish dots on its forehead that form an upside down triangle. Its appearance kind of reminds us of a Pokemon from the animated series.

The look of the creature can easily remind you of a bat or a cat, but the eyes are far too wide. Coincidentally, my friend was talking about hearing a cat meowing loudly upon entering the cave. We were with him and while we all looked for a cat, we did not hear it. Later, I confirmed with the others in the group that only he heard a cat. So is the strange creature a kind of Cheshire cat? If so, the white rabbit must be nearby! It's possible the "creature" is just a picture formed by cracks in the cave wall, but there's always the doubt.

Click here view a mysterious crystal-like object captured on camera in the same man made cave. There's also a snapshot of the pyramid on the roof of the white mansion in the Ecovillage.

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Please contact him for inquiries.

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Orb with Smiley Face Captured by Camera Near Child

Having seen how orbs mysteriously appear in some pictures taken by digital cameras using a flash, it seems strange that some orbs, when magnified, appear to have images in them. One orb that was captured by the camera seems to have a smiley face inside (left; detail). It appeared near a child on a terrace near an old house in Bicol province that was said to harbor ghosts. Pardon my use of smileys to protect the subject's identity. I just couldn't help it. Anyway, you'll be able to discern the smiling orb at the spot where the arrow points to.

The smiley face orb actually resembles the animated character Jack Skellington (left; click it to buy the etched mirror product) from Tim Burton's movie, A Nightmare Before Christmas. This is perhaps the funniest orb I have ever seen. We don't really know what they are, but it's interesting to see what images these orbs may have when magnified. If orbs are conscious, this one must be aware that it's near a kid, which is why it put up its best smiley face! Perhaps it's just it's way of letting us know that it's cool with us.

Photos, unless specified, are owned by alvinwriter. Please contact him for inquiries.

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Red Orb with Scowling Face Caught by Camera after Kid-like Apparition Sighted

My friends and I were in Bicol pretending to be ghost hunters in a hundred-year-old house when we caught what may be one of the most amazing and scariest pictures I have ever taken. I myself was surprised by what I captured on camera (left; magnified). Once the image orb is viewed in close up, a scowling face is revealed. It was quite unexpected but the image coincided neatly with what my friend saw for an instant after the lights blacked out.We had just exited the haunted house when the power outage occurred.

We had just come out of an abandoned house. That house is really part of a group of houses in a family compound. We were in a parking area and weren't expecting anything to happen when the lights went out. My friend had the flashlight and he turned immediately to shine the light behind him when he exclaimed and said he saw a kid behind him for an instant! He didn't really give details, except for the that it was a kid. He really did seem to have seen something which shocked him. There were other kids with us but they were all in front of him. I was behind him so I knew there was no one standing where he saw the apparition. At left is the orb face with emboss effect applied to it. You can clearly see here that there is a question mark-like symbol on its forehead.

Right after my friend saw the ghostly-kid, I took two pictures of the general area with two with him as the foreground. I immediately checked out the first shot and was amazed to find a red orb where the kid was seen. I magnified it and saw what appeared to be a scowling child's face inside the red orb! I showed it to my friend and he said that it's the kid he saw. The other image (immediately below; cropped section follows) also contained an orb, but it looked like an eye (left; magnified and contrast-enhanced) instead of a ball with a face. Could it be the same manifestation as the face orb?

The photo at the top is the original and not enhanced (as well as the one on the left). You can see the faint red orb on the left side. The second photo has had the contrast enhanced. The image below shows the close up of the orb from the non-enhanced picture. Even when faint, you can clearly see eyes and a nose inside the orb, and the face does appear to be scowling! The way the orb catches the light makes it appear to be almost tangible, as if semi-material. Is this orb a manifestation of a child's spirit? Is it the image of an elemental spirit related to the brownie? And why is it red, anyway? Does the color mean it's a fire elemental?

Click on the images to view them in a larger format.

Check out the picture of another eye-like orb in this post: Ghost Hunting in an Old House in Bicol Reveals Orbs and a Mysterious Light

House sprite leaves footprints on walls. Possibly a brownie.

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