Read The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies Online
Authors: Martha Schindler Connors
The Everything Guide to Herbal Remedies (21 page)
Conventional medicine typically treats addictions with a combination of counseling and medications. Alcoholics are given drugs to help them reduce their dependence on alcohol, and people with addictions to drugs like heroin are given methadone, a synthetic opioid that helps ease them off their drug habit.
Researchers are investigating an experimental drug called
ibogaine,
which is a naturally occurring alkaloid chemical in the African iboga shrub
(Tabernanthe iboga)
that seems to turn off the brain messages associated with addictive behaviors and thus may be useful in treating drug, alcohol, and other addictions.
While serious cases of dependence require medical attention, many people have found some herbal remedies helpful in breaking the cycle of addiction, including:
| • Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) | Studies show that extracts inhibit alcohol absorption, reduce alcohol intake, delay the onset of “drinking behavior,” and help prevent relapse drinking. |
| • Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) | Kudzu contains a chemical called diadzin that acts as an antidipsotropic (it causes a physical reaction when alcohol is consumed). Research shows it can reduce alcohol intake as well as the symptoms of withdrawal. |
| • Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) | Passionflower reduces marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol withdrawal symptoms and helps relieve the sexual side effects of alcohol and nicotine abuse. It eliminates the addictive effects of drugs like morphine, and has been shown to be a useful adjunct therapy with the drug clonidine for opiate withdrawal. |
| • Saint John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) | In addition to its antidepressant qualities, Saint John’s wort also sup-presses alcohol consumption (and performs as well as the prescription drug Prozac in treating alcoholics). |
Improving Digestion
Around 400 B.c., Hippocrates—the Father of Medicine—reportedly gave us some words to live by: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” The traditional schools of medicine in China, Europe, and India also stress digestion—and the use of nutritious and medicinal herbs—as a cornerstone of health. Herbal gastrointestinal aids and remedies work gently to support digestion and restore healthy functioning. Most produce no side effects and can be used safely in combination with other herbs as well as conventional medical treatments.
Your digestive system converts everything you eat and drink into the fuel you need to function—and survive.
The digestive tract, also known as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, transports and processes your meals, delivering essentials to your bloodstream and eliminating the rest. Its components include, in sequential order: mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine (colon). The system also includes the liver, which produces digestive juices, processes nutrients, and eliminates toxins.
Your GI tract includes about thirty feet of hollow tubes—including your stomach, which holds less than a quarter-cup when empty and more than eight cups after a big buffet, and your small intestine, which contains millions of tiny villi that collectively make your intestinal surface area about 200 times bigger than that of your skin.
First, you chew your food and swallow it, propelling it into your esophagus. It’s passed along through a series of involuntary smooth muscle movements into the stomach, where it’s churned together with digestive juices and sent into the small intestine. Once there, it’s combined with other juices, some from the intestine and others from the liver and pancreas.
In the small intestine, essential nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream, and what’s left—now considered waste—moves into the large intestine, where much of the remaining fluid is removed. It’s then sent to the rectum, where it’s eliminated.
Acid indigestion, or
dyspepsia,
is a type of chronic or recurrent discomfort in the upper abdomen that’s often accompanied by gas, bloating, and heartburn (a painful, burning sensation in your throat or chest).
Heartburn is the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux (GER), also known as
acid reflux,
a condition in which stomach acid backs up into your esophagus. Recurrent acid reflux is called
gastroesophageal reflux disease,
or GERD.
Heartburn and acid reflux, two of the most common digestive issues in the United States, can be triggered by many pharmaceuticals, including cardiac medications and drugs used to treat osteoporosis, insomnia, and anxiety. Both prescription and nonprescription pain medications have also been implicated, as have some oral contraceptives.
Heartburn and acid indigestion often run in families, but they can also be caused by lifestyle factors (smoking, obesity, drinking alcohol or caffeinated drinks, and eating foods that are very acidic or fatty). And while heartburn is most often only an annoyance, it can lead to more serious problems, including ulcers and precancerous cell changes.
Chronic heartburn can also be a symptom of serious conditions, including erosion of the esophagus and cancer.
Dyspepsia, heartburn, acid reflux, and GERD are typically treated with these drugs:
• Antacids.
Over-the-counter (OTC) remedies like sodium bicarbonate (Alka-Seltzer) neutralize acid and provide rapid heartburn relief; antacids can cause side effects like headaches, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea.
• Acid Blockers.
Acid blockers like famotidine (Pepcid) and ranitidine (Zantac) reduce the amount of acid your stomach makes. They also can cause headaches, nausea, constipation, and other problems.
• Bismuth Subsalicylate.
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate) balances the fluids in your GI tract. It can cause reactions in people who are allergic to aspirin and other salicylates and can make an ulcer or other bleeding problem worse. It can also interact with other drugs (including those prescribed to treat heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes, as well as nonprescription pain relievers and cold medicines).
• Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs).
People with GERD are often prescribed drugs called
proton pump inhibitors,
or PPIs, which stop your body’s production of gastric acid. They include omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid), and esomeprazole (Nexium). Prilosec OTC is a nonprescription option. Nearly 40 percent of the people who take them daily still experience symptoms—and must use additional drugs. PPIs can also cause abdominal pain and headaches, and they’ve been linked with increased risk of infection and pneumonia.
Many herbs have a long history of use in treating dyspepsia and reflux, including:
| • Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus, C. scolymus) | Artichoke leaf extracts have been shown to significantly reduce dyspepsia symptoms, including heartburn and nausea. |
| • Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) | Chamomile is a traditional remedy for all kinds of GI problems, and research shows it can relieve spasms and reduce inflammation in gastro-intestinal tissues. |
| • Turmeric (Curcuma longa) | This is a classic Ayurvedic remedy for digestive disorders—and studies show it can reduce the release of acid in the stomach. |
An ulcer is an open sore caused by infection, poor circulation, or disease (people with diabetes often develop ulcers on their lower extremities). Within the digestive system, ulcers can occur in the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine; other ulcers can appear in the colon. Ulcers in the GI tract are generally known as peptic ulcers (peptin is an enzyme produced in the stomach).
While the classic image of someone with an ulcer is a red-faced, stressed-out, middle-aged man eating a spicy meal and washing it down with a stiff drink, scientists now know that ulcers aren’t caused by stress, foods, or alcohol. Ulcers can strike anyone—about one in ten people will develop one at some point—and are almost always caused by
Helicobacter pylori
bacteria, which thrive in a highly acidic environment (as many as 80 percent of peptic ulcers are caused by
H. pylori
infection).
The GI system’s natural defenses include microbes, known as gut flora, which can get a boost from probiotics (things that contain beneficial bacteria) or prebiotics (things that foster their growth). Many plants—including almonds
(Prunus dulcis),
garlic
(Allium sativum),
oats
(Avena sativa),
and wheat
(Triticum aestivum)
—contain prebiotics, which also might help prevent infections (including foodborne illness), ulcers, and cancer.
Symptoms of a peptic ulcer include abdominal pain (a gnawing or burning pain that comes on two or three hours after a meal or in the middle of the night) and bloating. Having a history of heartburn and GERD makes you more susceptible, as does taking certain pharmaceuticals, including NSAIDs and glucorticoids, which are steroids used to treat inflammation.
If you’ve got a peptic ulcer, see your doctor right away. Left untreated, ulcers can cause potentially life-threatening internal bleeding. Conventional medicine generally treats peptic ulcers with antibiotics to kill the
H. pylori
infection (if it’s present) and suppress stomach acid production. The drugs used to accomplish that are acid blockers and PPIs (see above).
Herbal remedies, which can be used in conjunction with conventional treatment, include these:
| • Aloe (Aloe vera) | Studies show that oral doses of aloe gel kill ulcer-causing bacteria, reduce inflammation, and promote healing of GI tissues. |
| • Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) | This herb is famous for its soothing effects on the digestive tract. But it also has a tough side: Studies show it’s lethal against ulcer-causing H. Pylori bacteria. |
| • Gotu kola (Centella asiatica) | This Ayurvedic herb is valued for its wound-healing abilities. Extracts have been shown effective in treating peptic ulcers and helping to protect the stomach and GI tissues against them. |
| • Marshmallow (Althaea officinalis) | Marshmallow leaves are a traditional European and Asian remedy for all sorts of GI inflammation, including peptic ulcers. Marshmallow contains polysaccharides, which form a gelatinous layer that helps promote healing. |
| • Neem ( Azadirachta indica) | This is a classic digestive and immunity-enhancing herb in Ayurvedic medicine, and modern research shows it can inhibit acid production and promote ulcer healing in the stomach. |
Because of their complex chemical structure, many herbs used traditionally to treat digestive and gastrointestinal problems actually address several problems at once. For example, licorice
(Glycyrrhiza glabra)
is a soothing demulcent, pain-killing analgesic, and antibacterial that can relieve the pain of ulcers, speed their healing, and prevent their return.
Everyone has gas—most of us generate between one and four pints a day (and pass some of it at least fourteen times). Gas is a natural by-product of the digestion process, and only causes problems when it’s produced in excess.
The gas in your intestinal tract comes from two places: the air you swallow and the bacteria in your large intestine, which create gas as they break down the food that’s passing through.
Some people have trouble digesting certain foods, and their bodies send partially digested food into the large intestine, where the bacteria produce extra gas as they “eat” it. For example, lactose, a sugar found in dairy products, can cause serious gas in people who don’t produce enough of the lactose-digesting enzyme lactase. Other people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and mannitol, which are used in sugar-free gum and other “diet” foods. Overuse of antibiotics or laxatives can also cause problematic gas.