 |
|||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Hi'iaka's Healing Herb Garden : Column Index : 2004 : Oct04
Coming Soon...
Got a Pain? An Anti-Inflammatory Might Help
Whether you have a sprained ankle, sore muscles from hiking into Waipio Valley, or arthritis, we all sometimes experience varying degrees of pain. What do you usually take when this happens? We all know aspirin, Tylenol, Advil and other common over-the-counter pain relievers. In severe cases our doctors might prescribe stronger medicines, which are certainly indicated for serious injuries, after surgery, and for other conditions. Sometimes even steroids are helpful, but the largest class of pain-relieving medications is called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS, pronounced EN-sed). These include the over-the-counter meds Motrin, Advil, and others, and many prescription medications. Anti-inflammatory drugs and herbs are simply substances that help to relieve inflamed body parts such as pain in the joints, wounds, infections of the skin and internal organs, some kinds of headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other conditions.
Herbs Are a Safe, Gentle Alternative
In his book The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra explains, "every herb contains hundreds of biochemical constituents that may have an effect on the body... Through the centuries of herbal practice, more than 100 terms have arisen to describe these properties." Anti-inflammatory is one property that is naturally contained in many plants. Other properties that you've probably heard of include analgesic, antacid, antiseptic, diuretic, antibiotic, expectorant and even aphrodisiac!
A couple of my favorite herbs for relieving inflammation are familiar to us in Hawai`i and can easily be found as organically grown produce. They are common ginger and turmeric, or `olena (Curcuma longa). These two plants can be taken and used in several different forms, or preparations. Preparations are simply the end product of what you make from the herbs, such as tea, poultice or compress, tincture, salve, syrup, etc.
Soak Your Way to Relief
To reduce internal inflammations and restore warmth to cold or achy joints, make a hot compress from fresh ginger root. Tierra's directions are as simple as making a cup of fresh herbal tea:
Make a Tea or Take a Pill
Ginger and Turmeric are also excellent anti-inflammatories when you take them orally. I slice several pieces of fresh ginger every morning and add them to my Lipton/Lemon Zinger tea blend. It tastes good and helps soothe my arthritis, which causes stiff joints when I first awake.
An easy way to take your medicine is with pre-made capsules. Turmeric is available in capsules: I like taking herbs this way because you get a pre-measured dosage and the pill bottle includes directions on how many pills to take, and how often to take them. If you can't find Turmeric at your local Big Box store or pharmacy, check at natural foods markets. As with prescription meds, it's important to take an appropriate dosage at regular intervals for maximum effectiveness. Herbs are less "dramatic" in their effects than pharmaceuticals, so be patient and expect to feel better over a period of time instead of immediately.
Some inflammations, such as arthritis and menstrual cramps, can be caused by a buildup of fluids in the joints or tissues, so herbs such as nettles or the Hawaiian version of nettles, Mamaki (Pipturis albidis), can be helpful as diuretics to flush the extra fluids from your body that are causing the pain. You can make tea from these herbs or purchase them in capsule form. Just don't drink too much tea, especially before bedtime, as it increases urination.
Treating External Inflammations
When you cut yourself or get a bug bite, that's an inflammation too and it can be greatly helped by herbs like aloe vera, comfrey, plantain (Plantago species, not the cooking banana; called lau kahi in Hawai`i), tea tree and certain preparations containing Noni, our miraculous healing fruit (Morinda citrifolia).
I always prefer to use fresh plants for medicines rather than buying dried herbs. But if that's all you've got, they will still have some effectiveness. As Eliot Cowan, author of the book Plant Spirit Medicine says, the plants that grow in the same environment where you live are 1000 times more effective than those that grew many miles away. If you start a small garden, it will reward you with so much healing and enjoyment.
Got a Pain? An Anti-Inflammatory Might Help
Whether you have a sprained ankle, sore muscles from hiking into Waipio Valley, or arthritis, we all sometimes experience varying degrees of pain. What do you usually take when this happens? We all know aspirin, Tylenol, Advil and other common over-the-counter pain relievers. In severe cases our doctors might prescribe stronger medicines, which are certainly indicated for serious injuries, after surgery, and for other conditions. Sometimes even steroids are helpful, but the largest class of pain-relieving medications is called non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS, pronounced EN-sed). These include the over-the-counter meds Motrin, Advil, and others, and many prescription medications. Anti-inflammatory drugs and herbs are simply substances that help to relieve inflamed body parts such as pain in the joints, wounds, infections of the skin and internal organs, some kinds of headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other conditions.
Herbs Are a Safe, Gentle Alternative
In his book The Way of Herbs, Michael Tierra explains, "every herb contains hundreds of biochemical constituents that may have an effect on the body... Through the centuries of herbal practice, more than 100 terms have arisen to describe these properties." Anti-inflammatory is one property that is naturally contained in many plants. Other properties that you've probably heard of include analgesic, antacid, antiseptic, diuretic, antibiotic, expectorant and even aphrodisiac!
A couple of my favorite herbs for relieving inflammation are familiar to us in Hawai`i and can easily be found as organically grown produce. They are common ginger and turmeric, or `olena (Curcuma longa). These two plants can be taken and used in several different forms, or preparations. Preparations are simply the end product of what you make from the herbs, such as tea, poultice or compress, tincture, salve, syrup, etc.
Soak Your Way to Relief
To reduce internal inflammations and restore warmth to cold or achy joints, make a hot compress from fresh ginger root. Tierra's directions are as simple as making a cup of fresh herbal tea:
* Grate two ounces of fresh ginger root and squeeze out the juice into a pint of hot water until the water turns yellow.
* Dip two clean towels or cloths into the tea.
* Hold one hot towel over your achy area. Use it as hot as you can stand it (without increasing your pain by burning your skin!) and have a second hot, soaked towel ready to use when the first one cools down. You can cover it with dry flannel cloth, a heating pad or hot water bottle.
* If your inflammation is due to an injury, for example a sprained ankle, it's good to alternate the hot compress with an application of cold. I put ice cubes in a plastic bag and hold it in place until I can't stand it any longer. This will help to reduce the inflammation further and cause the area to contract and not swell up so badly.
* Dip two clean towels or cloths into the tea.
* Hold one hot towel over your achy area. Use it as hot as you can stand it (without increasing your pain by burning your skin!) and have a second hot, soaked towel ready to use when the first one cools down. You can cover it with dry flannel cloth, a heating pad or hot water bottle.
* If your inflammation is due to an injury, for example a sprained ankle, it's good to alternate the hot compress with an application of cold. I put ice cubes in a plastic bag and hold it in place until I can't stand it any longer. This will help to reduce the inflammation further and cause the area to contract and not swell up so badly.
Make a Tea or Take a Pill
Ginger and Turmeric are also excellent anti-inflammatories when you take them orally. I slice several pieces of fresh ginger every morning and add them to my Lipton/Lemon Zinger tea blend. It tastes good and helps soothe my arthritis, which causes stiff joints when I first awake.
An easy way to take your medicine is with pre-made capsules. Turmeric is available in capsules: I like taking herbs this way because you get a pre-measured dosage and the pill bottle includes directions on how many pills to take, and how often to take them. If you can't find Turmeric at your local Big Box store or pharmacy, check at natural foods markets. As with prescription meds, it's important to take an appropriate dosage at regular intervals for maximum effectiveness. Herbs are less "dramatic" in their effects than pharmaceuticals, so be patient and expect to feel better over a period of time instead of immediately.
Some inflammations, such as arthritis and menstrual cramps, can be caused by a buildup of fluids in the joints or tissues, so herbs such as nettles or the Hawaiian version of nettles, Mamaki (Pipturis albidis), can be helpful as diuretics to flush the extra fluids from your body that are causing the pain. You can make tea from these herbs or purchase them in capsule form. Just don't drink too much tea, especially before bedtime, as it increases urination.
Treating External Inflammations
When you cut yourself or get a bug bite, that's an inflammation too and it can be greatly helped by herbs like aloe vera, comfrey, plantain (Plantago species, not the cooking banana; called lau kahi in Hawai`i), tea tree and certain preparations containing Noni, our miraculous healing fruit (Morinda citrifolia).
* To soothe the itch and stinging of a bug bite, purchase a bottle of tea tree essential oil (Melaleuca alternifolia). Mix a little of it with some lotion and smear it on your bite. Instant relief!
* I use a poultice of fresh plantain and comfrey for many external abrasions, cuts, etc. Simmer 1 cup chopped herb in 3 cups water 20 minutes, then apply it as a cool compress or pour the cooled liquid over larger wounds.
* The noni leaf method is amazing. A visitor to my garden had a swollen bee sting on his hand. You couldn't see his bones or veins it was so puffy. We picked one noni leaf and held it over a flame briefly, then simply held the leaf in place for a few moments. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but the swelling was markedly reduced in only five minutes.
* I use a poultice of fresh plantain and comfrey for many external abrasions, cuts, etc. Simmer 1 cup chopped herb in 3 cups water 20 minutes, then apply it as a cool compress or pour the cooled liquid over larger wounds.
* The noni leaf method is amazing. A visitor to my garden had a swollen bee sting on his hand. You couldn't see his bones or veins it was so puffy. We picked one noni leaf and held it over a flame briefly, then simply held the leaf in place for a few moments. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but the swelling was markedly reduced in only five minutes.
I always prefer to use fresh plants for medicines rather than buying dried herbs. But if that's all you've got, they will still have some effectiveness. As Eliot Cowan, author of the book Plant Spirit Medicine says, the plants that grow in the same environment where you live are 1000 times more effective than those that grew many miles away. If you start a small garden, it will reward you with so much healing and enjoyment.
| Home
| Tour the Garden
| Learning Center
| Buy Our Book
| Blog
| Stay at the Garden
| Giftshop
| Join Us
| Contact
| Friends and Favorites
|
