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Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden : Column Index : 2003 : June03
Coming Soon...
Using Herbs in Place of Medications for Minor Illnesses
Have you ever wondered what herb you might take instead of an over-the-counter or prescription medication? Maybe you don't feel right about putting artificial drugs like Dristan into your body when you have a minor illness like a cold. This column will help you to know some herbal alternatives to common medications. Before I go any further, I'm going to put my usual disclaimer up front this month:
This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The use of herbal products should not be taken lightly. Consult a physician before using any herb, especially if you are pregnant or nursing or if you are taking any prescribed medications. And if you have a serious condition, always seek appropriate medical attention and do not attempt to treat yourself. Whatever you do, do not go against your doctor's orders: if s/he says you need an antibiotic for something like a staph infection, take it!
Be Smart and Careful
A very large part of treating yourself for minor illnesses involves being smart about when to go to the doctor--or dentist! An infected tooth can kill you, and prescription antibiotics are absolutely indicated in some cases. So be smart and don't expect herbs to do the job that other medications were made to do. I often tell people to "go to the doctor" when they ask me what they should do about a potentially serious condition. But if you have a more simple condition happening, such as a headache, a minor wound, acne, anxiety, a cold, minor diarrhea, or a stomach ache, there are some safe and simple herbs that you can take instead of products like Clearasil, aspirin, or cough drops. Do not combine herbs with prescription medications because interactions can happen. But that's information for another column!
Last summer I worked with a student who is studying to be a pharmacist. Together we put together a list of Herbal Equivalencies, which is where the information in this column comes from (in addition to the book Herbal Remedies for Dummies by Christopher Hobbs, www.christopherhobbs.com). The list is not intended to include all medications and herbs, but rather commonly-used examples of both. I am not an expert on the names or uses of the medications listed, so I consider this list to be a work in progress. If you have any additions, changes, or corrections, please contact me with the information so I can update my research. Mahalo.
How to Understand the Following List
In the list that follows, I'll list the name of the symptom or disease first, then tell you the names of some prescription and over-the-counter medications used for each symptom, if appropriate. The next entry for each symptom will be the herbs that work in similar ways to the meds listed. In some cases, I am including diet and exercise because they are such an important part of good health. Please remember that the herbal counterparts are things that you should use only to help you get through a minor illness and that herbs are often less "dramatic" in their effects than many medications. And some herbs, such as St. John's wort, must be taken for a period of time before they really start to work. So you'll need to do a little homework before you determine what's best for you. I recommend the Herbal Remedies for Dummies book very highly, as well as The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra (www.planetherbs.com).
A few more notes before we start: NSAID is the abbreviation for any "non-steroidal anti-inflammatory" meds, such as Advil or Motrin. You can purchase the listed herbs in tablet or capsule form, or as tinctures, at any natural foods store.
List of Symptoms, Meds and Herbal Substitutes
Acne: Retin-A, Tetracycline; Clearasil. Herbs: calendula, tea tree (external), burdock (gobo, taken internally); diet.
Allergies: Loratidine; Benadryl. Herbs: garlic, gingko, echinacea. Appropriate changes to your diet can also help.
Anxiety: Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Benzodiazepine; no known over-the-counter meds. Herbs: kava kava (`awa); exercise, diet, relaxation.
Bronchial/upper respiratory: Antibiotics (penicillin, etc.); Dristan, Contac. Herbs: echinacea, spilanthes, goldenseal.
Cold and flu: Prescription decongestants; Sudafed, Dristan, Contac. Herbs: echinacea, goldenseal, spilanthes.
Cuts, burns, insect bites: Topical antibiotics such as Bacitracin; Bactine, Neosporin, Benadryl (insect bites). Herbs: noni (I make the fruit into a non-stinky, easy to apply salve), aloe, tea tree, plantain, also called lau kahi (plantago species, not the banana), comfrey. Simmer one or more of these herbs in water for 20 minutes, then cool it and apply the plant material as a poultice.
Depression, mild to moderate: Prozac, Zoloft; no known over-the-counter meds. Herbs: St. John's wort; exercise, diet, therapy.
Diarrhea: Imodium, Lomotil; Pepto Bismol. Herbs: bilberry, raspberry, peppermint.
Headache: NSAIDs; Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Nuprin. Herbs: white willow bark; to help prevent migraines, take feverfew daily. Breathing and relaxation techniques such as yoga can also help.
Inflammation (joint, wound, etc.): Celebrex (joint), steroids, Bacitracin (wound), Motrin and other NSAIDs; Glucosamine; Neosporin (wound). Herbs for joints include ginger, cayenne, nettles or mamaki. Herbs for wounds are noni, aloe, tea tree, plantain, also called lau kahi (plantago species, not the banana), comfrey. Simmer one or more of these herbs in water for 20 minutes, then cool it and apply the plant material as a poultice.
Insomnia/nervousness: Halcion, Ambien, Ativan, Valium; Tylenol PM and others. Herbs: chamomile, valerian, hops, lemon balm, kava; exercise, diet.
Memory loss: no known prescription or over-the-counter meds for this. Herbs: gingko biloba, gotu kola.
Menstrual problems/menopause: NSAIDs, diuretics, analgesics, birth control pills and other synthetic hormones like HRT; Motrin, Midol. Herbs: motherwort, black cohosh, chaste tree (Vitex), wild yam, evening primrose; vitamin E, exercise, diet.
Prostrate, enlarged (benign): Terazosin, Proscar; no known over-the-counter meds for this. Herbs: saw palmetto, evening primrose.
Stomach/digestive (indigestion, etc.): Tagamet, Metoclopramide; Pepto Bismol, Imodium. Herbs: peppermint, sage, chamomile, ginger; diet.
Stress: Diazepam (Valium); Herbal teas such as "Sleepytime." Herbs: kava, chamomile, valerian; diet, exercise.
Using Herbs in Place of Medications for Minor Illnesses
Have you ever wondered what herb you might take instead of an over-the-counter or prescription medication? Maybe you don't feel right about putting artificial drugs like Dristan into your body when you have a minor illness like a cold. This column will help you to know some herbal alternatives to common medications. Before I go any further, I'm going to put my usual disclaimer up front this month:
This article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The use of herbal products should not be taken lightly. Consult a physician before using any herb, especially if you are pregnant or nursing or if you are taking any prescribed medications. And if you have a serious condition, always seek appropriate medical attention and do not attempt to treat yourself. Whatever you do, do not go against your doctor's orders: if s/he says you need an antibiotic for something like a staph infection, take it!
Be Smart and Careful
A very large part of treating yourself for minor illnesses involves being smart about when to go to the doctor--or dentist! An infected tooth can kill you, and prescription antibiotics are absolutely indicated in some cases. So be smart and don't expect herbs to do the job that other medications were made to do. I often tell people to "go to the doctor" when they ask me what they should do about a potentially serious condition. But if you have a more simple condition happening, such as a headache, a minor wound, acne, anxiety, a cold, minor diarrhea, or a stomach ache, there are some safe and simple herbs that you can take instead of products like Clearasil, aspirin, or cough drops. Do not combine herbs with prescription medications because interactions can happen. But that's information for another column!
Last summer I worked with a student who is studying to be a pharmacist. Together we put together a list of Herbal Equivalencies, which is where the information in this column comes from (in addition to the book Herbal Remedies for Dummies by Christopher Hobbs, www.christopherhobbs.com). The list is not intended to include all medications and herbs, but rather commonly-used examples of both. I am not an expert on the names or uses of the medications listed, so I consider this list to be a work in progress. If you have any additions, changes, or corrections, please contact me with the information so I can update my research. Mahalo.
How to Understand the Following List
In the list that follows, I'll list the name of the symptom or disease first, then tell you the names of some prescription and over-the-counter medications used for each symptom, if appropriate. The next entry for each symptom will be the herbs that work in similar ways to the meds listed. In some cases, I am including diet and exercise because they are such an important part of good health. Please remember that the herbal counterparts are things that you should use only to help you get through a minor illness and that herbs are often less "dramatic" in their effects than many medications. And some herbs, such as St. John's wort, must be taken for a period of time before they really start to work. So you'll need to do a little homework before you determine what's best for you. I recommend the Herbal Remedies for Dummies book very highly, as well as The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra (www.planetherbs.com).
A few more notes before we start: NSAID is the abbreviation for any "non-steroidal anti-inflammatory" meds, such as Advil or Motrin. You can purchase the listed herbs in tablet or capsule form, or as tinctures, at any natural foods store.
List of Symptoms, Meds and Herbal Substitutes
Acne: Retin-A, Tetracycline; Clearasil. Herbs: calendula, tea tree (external), burdock (gobo, taken internally); diet.
Allergies: Loratidine; Benadryl. Herbs: garlic, gingko, echinacea. Appropriate changes to your diet can also help.
Anxiety: Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, Benzodiazepine; no known over-the-counter meds. Herbs: kava kava (`awa); exercise, diet, relaxation.
Bronchial/upper respiratory: Antibiotics (penicillin, etc.); Dristan, Contac. Herbs: echinacea, spilanthes, goldenseal.
Cold and flu: Prescription decongestants; Sudafed, Dristan, Contac. Herbs: echinacea, goldenseal, spilanthes.
Cuts, burns, insect bites: Topical antibiotics such as Bacitracin; Bactine, Neosporin, Benadryl (insect bites). Herbs: noni (I make the fruit into a non-stinky, easy to apply salve), aloe, tea tree, plantain, also called lau kahi (plantago species, not the banana), comfrey. Simmer one or more of these herbs in water for 20 minutes, then cool it and apply the plant material as a poultice.
Depression, mild to moderate: Prozac, Zoloft; no known over-the-counter meds. Herbs: St. John's wort; exercise, diet, therapy.
Diarrhea: Imodium, Lomotil; Pepto Bismol. Herbs: bilberry, raspberry, peppermint.
Headache: NSAIDs; Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, Nuprin. Herbs: white willow bark; to help prevent migraines, take feverfew daily. Breathing and relaxation techniques such as yoga can also help.
Inflammation (joint, wound, etc.): Celebrex (joint), steroids, Bacitracin (wound), Motrin and other NSAIDs; Glucosamine; Neosporin (wound). Herbs for joints include ginger, cayenne, nettles or mamaki. Herbs for wounds are noni, aloe, tea tree, plantain, also called lau kahi (plantago species, not the banana), comfrey. Simmer one or more of these herbs in water for 20 minutes, then cool it and apply the plant material as a poultice.
Insomnia/nervousness: Halcion, Ambien, Ativan, Valium; Tylenol PM and others. Herbs: chamomile, valerian, hops, lemon balm, kava; exercise, diet.
Memory loss: no known prescription or over-the-counter meds for this. Herbs: gingko biloba, gotu kola.
Menstrual problems/menopause: NSAIDs, diuretics, analgesics, birth control pills and other synthetic hormones like HRT; Motrin, Midol. Herbs: motherwort, black cohosh, chaste tree (Vitex), wild yam, evening primrose; vitamin E, exercise, diet.
Prostrate, enlarged (benign): Terazosin, Proscar; no known over-the-counter meds for this. Herbs: saw palmetto, evening primrose.
Stomach/digestive (indigestion, etc.): Tagamet, Metoclopramide; Pepto Bismol, Imodium. Herbs: peppermint, sage, chamomile, ginger; diet.
Stress: Diazepam (Valium); Herbal teas such as "Sleepytime." Herbs: kava, chamomile, valerian; diet, exercise.
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