Read The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies Online
Authors: Martha Schindler Connors
The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies (27 page)
Hitting the road (or the water or skies) can mean big adventure—and big health issues, too. For some people, just the act of flying or riding in a moving car or boat can bring on nausea. For others, new foods (and new bacteria and other pathogens) can spell disaster. Or it could be the altitude that does them in.
Some people develop traveler’s diarrhea when they venture away from home. The condition generally lasts just a few days—if yours goes on for more than a week (or if you become dehydrated), talk to a doctor. Many cases are caused by microbial infection (also known as food poisoning), which often includes vomiting along with diarrhea.
When you’re traveling, look for dishes prepared with these culinary herbs: oregano
(Origanum vulgare),
rosemary
(Rosmarinus officinalis),
thyme
(Thymus vulgaris),
clove
(Syzygium aromaticum),
and cinnamon
(Cinnamomum verum, C. aromaticum).
Research has shown that they all possess antimicrobial action that can kill many foodborne pathogens.
Vomiting can also be caused by motion sickness (a.k.a. seasickness), which happens when your inner sense of balance gets thrown out of whack. Most cases will resolve themselves, but if you’re experiencing other symptoms (such as vomiting blood or severe pain), see a doctor.
Conventional antidiarrheal medications include loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Kaopectate, Pepto-Bismol), both sold over the counter. Loperamide can cause constipation and cramping. Bismuth subsalicylate can interact with other drugs (including OTC pain relievers and cold medicines) and can exacerbate ulcers. Motion sickness is treated prophylactically with antihistamines—OTC drugs like meclizine (Bonine) or dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) or prescriptions like scopolamine (Transderm Scop)—which can cause sedation and headaches. Nausea and vomiting are treated with OTC antiemetic (antinausea) drugs like bismuth subsalicylate. Here are some herbal alternatives:
| • American ginseng ( Panax quinquefolius ) | American ginseng is known for its antinausea abilities. Research has shown that it can prevent nausea and vomiting before they start (without the side effects of conventional motion sickness meds). |
| • Ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) | This is a classic herbal remedy for nausea (including motion sickness), diarrhea, and other gastric complaints. In the lab, it’s been shown to relieve cramping and kill foodborne Salmonella bacteria. Ginger is also available almost anywhere—it’s used as both a medicine and a spice throughout the world. |
| • Juniper ( Juniperus communis ) | This traditional Native American digestive remedy contains several chemicals with antidiarrheal and antimicrobial properties. |
| • Psyllium (Plantago ovata, P. psyllium) | Psyllium, which is best known as a constipation remedy, is also an effective antidiarrheal. In the lab, it’s been proven as effective as the drug loperamide, without the side effects. |
If you travel to an altitude that’s significantly higher than what you’re used to, you might develop altitude sickness, a condition that can involve headaches, shortness of breath, weakness, fatigue, and stomach upset. At higher altitudes, lower air pressure and less oxygen can create hypoxia, or a shortage of oxygen reaching your tissues, triggering problems in your brain, blood vessels, and lungs.
Different people experience altitude sickness at different elevations, many starting at around 6,000 feet above sea level. In most cases, altitude sickness gets better on its own, as you get acclimated to the elevation (or climb back down again). But extreme cases can result in serious problems, even coma and death.
Conventional doctors sometimes prescribe the drug acetazolamide (Acetazolamide) to prevent and treat altitude sickness, but its side effects include nausea and vomiting. Herbs offer a simpler solution:
| • Asian ginseng ( Panax ginseng ) | Used for centuries in Chinese medicine as an adaptogen—an herb that can help the body deal with stress—Asian ginseng can lessen the effects of altitude (specifically, the shortage of oxygen and extreme temperatures). |
| • Ginkgo ( Ginkgo biloba ) | Ginkgo boosts circulation throughout the body, especially to the brain, and can increase tolerance for low-oxygen environments. Research shows it can significantly reduce altitude sickness symptoms, including headache, fatigue, and respiratory difficulties. |
| • Reishi ( Ganoderma lucidum ) | This medicinal mushroom is another Asian adaptogen and altitude aid. Research suggests that reishi extracts improve the body’s consumption and use of oxygen and prevent the damage caused by hypoxia. |
You can injure your skin anywhere: wielding a knife in the kitchen, shuffling papers in the office, or playing with your kids in the park. You also can develop blisters—fluid-filled pouches of skin created by friction—when hiking on vacation or just wearing a new pair of shoes around your neighborhood. Whenever you break the structural integrity of your body’s outermost layer, you’re damaging skin (and possibly nerves and muscle fibers) and opening the door to infection.
Minor abrasions can be taken care of with a little soap and water and perhaps a bandage. Wounds that are bleeding (or hurt) a lot might require stronger measures. And if the bleeding doesn’t stop after a few minutes or if the would is very big and/or deep, you should see a doctor.
Conventional medicine typically treats minor skin injuries with topical antiseptics like hydrogen peroxide, topical anesthetics like benzocaine, topical antibiotics such as bacitracin/neomycin/polymyxin B, and oral pain relievers like acetaminophen or NSAIDs. Here are some herbal alternatives:
| • Barberry ( Berberis vulgaris ) | Barberry contains the chemical berberine, which has strong antimicrobial and painkilling action. Berberine is also found in goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). |
| • Eucalyptus ( Eucalyptus globulus ) | Eucalyptus oil contains antimicrobial, analgesic, anesthetic, and antiseptic constituents, so it can relieve pain and prevent infection. |
| • Gotu kola ( Centella asiatica ) | A natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, gotu kola is used throughout India and much of Asia to treat wounds and skin infections. Modern research shows it stimulates new cell growth and the production of collagen, the major protein in skin and connective tissue, which speeds healing and minimizes scarring. |
| • Horsetail ( Equisetum arvense ) | Horsetail is an analgesic, astringent, antiseptic, and styptic (it stops bleeding) and has been used for centuries by Native Americans to treat superficial skin injuries. In the lab, it’s shown antimicrobial action against Streptococcus and other types of bacteria and fungi that can infect wounds. |
| • Marshmallow ( Althaea officinalis ) | Marshmallow contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory constituents. It soothes irritated and damaged skin and forms a protective layer to seal out germs and help the skin repair itself. |
| • Yarrow ( Achillea millefolium ) | Topical applications of yarrow can stop bleeding, reduce inflammation, and prevent infection—like an herbal Band-Aid. |
Although you’ll find it in practically any first-aid kit in America, hydrogen peroxide is not such a great antimicrobial—and it can actually delay healing of wounds and other skin abrasions. Even very low doses have been linked to neurological, respiratory, and gastrointestinal problems (and high doses have been linked to cancer).
Sprains and strains can strike almost anyone: athletes, weekend warriors, and travelers. A sprain is an injury to the ligaments, which attach muscle to bone; a strain is an injury to a tendon, which attaches a muscle to another muscle, or to the muscle itself.
If you sprain something (the most common site for a sprain is the ankle), you might hear a popping sound, but you’ll definitely experience almost immediate swelling and pain. If you’ve strained a muscle or tendon (what many people call a “pulled muscle”), you’ll feel immediate pain, and, over the next few hours, increasing stiffness and possible swelling. Both types of injury occur when the tissue is pulled past its normal range of motion and is either stretched or torn in the process.
Both sprains and strains can be handled at home, unless they are very painful or prevent you from walking or moving the injured area at all. Conventional medicine generally uses OTC pain relievers and anti-inflammatories.
Very painful injuries might be treated with a prescription-strength topical NSAID such as diclofenac (Flector Patch), which can cause skin reactions like itching and burning. Here are some herbal alternatives:
| • Arnica ( Arnica montana ) | Arnica is a classic remedy for soft-tissue (muscle) injuries. It’s used topically (as an ointment or cream) and orally (as a homeopathic remedy) and possesses both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Research shows it can reduce pain and inflammation in patients following surgical reconstruction of knee ligaments. |
| • Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) | This herb is used topically to treat injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Recent research shows that a topical comfrey treatment reduced pain and swelling and restored mobility to sprained ankles better than the prescription NSAID diclofenac. |
| • Pineapple ( Ananas comosus ) | Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelain, which works as an antiinflammatory. Research shows it can reduce swelling, bruising, pain, and healing time following injury or trauma. |
Plenty of things you encounter both at home and away can cause irritation and itching: bites and stings from insects as well as an inadvertent brush against a toxic plant. Other times, itchy skin is the result of an allergic reaction (see
Chapter 9
). Most often, it’s just a case of bad luck: being near the wrong bug (or bush) at the wrong time.
Several popular culinary herbs and spices contain chemicals with serious bug-repellant powers. Recent studies have shown that extracts of cinnamon
(Cinnamomum verum, C. aromaticum),
clove
(Syzygium aromaticum),
fennel
(Foeniculum vulgare),
and ginger
(Zingiber officinale)
can keep mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects away.
Poison ivy, oak, and sumac contain oils that can cause an itchy, red rash, often involving blisters (you can even have a reaction if you touch something—an article of clothing, even your dog’s fur—that’s touched the plant, or if you inhale smoke from a fire that contains it).