Herbs and Fever - Part 2

Yesterday I talked about some of the herbs that are helpful in fevers where the person needs relaxing. Today I'd like to tell you some more about the stimulating herbs. These aren't herbs that are stimulating in the sense that coffee would be. Think of it more as the type of stimulation you get from a good back rub. These herbs will take the heat from inside the body and bring them outward. Think of these for the patient that has that cool clammy feeling to their skin. They tend to be pale, giving you a sense that things just aren't flowing properly, and probably feel pretty weak.
The first herb in this category is cayenne. I think everyone can agree that cayenne is stimulating to the system! All you need is a small bit and it will help get the blood going.  I have seen mixes of hot chocolate with Cayenne in it, but you could do that yourself with your own cocoa. Incidentally, Dr. Christopher, a famous herbalist, loved cayenne and took a teaspoon of it three times a day starting at age 30. When he was 45 he was told he had the veinous structure of a teenage boy and perfect blood pressure. He used it for heart conditions, ulcers, asthma, digestive issues and who knows what else, all with success. It is also great to stop bleeding. Taken in a bit of water it will stop bleeding in about 30 seconds. Its a wonderful herb - but back to fever.

Probably everyone knows of ginger's warming qualities and its usefulness for nausea. This would be great for the cold clammy patient who feels like they can't keep anything down. This is best in small sips.
Cinnamon, another well known herb, is called for when the person is experiencing fever combined with diarrhea. It is also helpful to stop someone who is sweating profusely while cold and clammyat the same time. Be diligent in a situation such as this, as it can be a sign of dehydration. To make a tea of cinnamon, you can use regular sticks that you get from the spice section in the grocery store and simmer them covered for about 15 minutes.  Another side note, cinnamon sticks simmered in milk (or any number of milk substitutes if you live in this house) with a bit of honey in it is a lovely warming drink in the winter.

Yarrow is something you may see growing around your house, but did you know it was good for fever?  I've never tried it, but I hear that it is pretty unpleasant tasting so you need to mix it with something else.  Yarrow taken as a hot tea is diaphoretic (simply put helps you sweat buy increasing circulation) but when it is cold is diuretic. For our purposes we want it hot.
Other herbs that are warming are black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves. These are spices that you are sure to have on hand and can easily be mixed into a chi tea. I'm sure recipes abound on the internet.  Packaged blends will work as well if there are real herbs in the mix.
You may often be faced with a person who exhibits symptoms that would suggest both relaxing and stimulating herbs. Fell free to mix the two together based on the individuals symptoms, or try something from the mint family. Peppermint, spearmint, and lemon balm  are all in the mint family and will have both properties. They will all help with circulation, nausea, and digestive complaints. When in doubt, these are good safe herbs to try, and are readily available throughout the year.

all pictures via google images

Now lest you think that I used my uncanny intelligence to come up with all this information on my own, I must tell you that my information is based on a lecture from Jim McDonald, who is a herbalist in Michigan.  Jim suggest that before cold and flu season hits, you should prepare yourself with 3 basic blends for when the time comes. His suggestions are

Middle of the road blend

yarrow

elder

mint

Stimulating blend

cardamom

clove

ginger

cinnamon

Relaxing blend

elder

lemon balm

rose hips

Have these ready and when the time comes, make up a thermos full and put it by your patient, letting them sip it throughout the day. Before you know it they will be right as rain!

Herbs and Fever - Part 1

"His mother put him to bed, and made some chamomile tea;

and she gave a dose of it to Peter!

One dose to be taken at bedtime."

-Beatrix Potter



Fierce Bad Rabbit woke up with a fever today, so I thought it was a good opportunity to discuss herbs for fevers.You should not try to artificially reduce a fever with any type of over-the-counter drug, as the fever is an important defense mechanism. Those high temperatures are what is needed to kill those germs and speed your way back to health. What we really want to do is support the body during a cold or flu with appropriate herbs - but what are appropriate herbs? Glad you asked!

all pictures via google images

The first thing we need to do in order to pick the right herb is to decide broadly what class of herb we need. Do we need a relaxing herb or a stimlating herb? Today we will just talk about relaxing herbs. Relaxing herbs are called for when the patient shows restlessness, irratibility, or they are agitated. If the feverish person is laying like a lump of dough on the couch, curled up in a fetal position - this would be your candidate for relaxing herbs. Also, a person with red cheeks who has a lot of heat coming off them would need this type as well. Herbs in this catagory include elder flower, catnip, vervain, boneset and pleurisy root. At this point we can look at the symptoms of our patient and match those to the qualities of the individual herb.

boneset

If the person is curled up in a ball and is nauseous -  pick catnip.
For a patient that feels like they just got ran over by a mack truck and has achy bones, your best pick is boneset.
If you are dealing with a person who can't be sick because they don't have time -  choose vervain.
Pleurisy root is your choice for a person has has a respiratory condition with their fever.
Finally, elder flower is good for almost anyone and is gentle enough for even an infant. It will help with fever as well as keep mucus clear and flowing.


elder flower


 You can order most of these herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs.  I would suggest ordering some to have on hand for when fevers arise. If you only want to start with one, pick elder. Once you have the herbs and someone in your house comes down with a fever, all you have to do is add a teaspoon or two to a mug of hot water, cover it and let it sit for about 10 minutes and then give some to your patient through out the day. Small sips every 10 or 15 minutes are fine.

Tomorrow we will talk about the stimulating herbs!