Herbs for Hayfever as featured in Glow magazine

Cholesterol May Not Break Your Heart

as featured in Holistic Health Magazine

Cholesterol is much feared and has had a very bad press in recent years. It is in fact an essential and helpful chemical, most of which is produced by the liver. It is part of the structure of every cell in the body and is especially important for the brain. As with many aspects of life too much of a good thing can be a problem.

One fifth of cholesterol comes from the diet. Many people know of the role too much fats play but what is often not acknowledged is the role of sugars. Fats and sugars are closely associated with each other as forms of usable energy and energy storage. They cannot be sensibly considered in isolation from each other. The biggest strain for the body is too much energy (food), the body then has to find a path for the elimination or storage of the overload.

We can reduce the cholesterol overload by one fifteenth if we take regular and varied exercise. A mixture of energetic exercise (the kind that makes us breathless and sweaty), stretching of muscles and strengthening of muscles (using weights such as a tin of beans for arm and shoulder exercises).

So now that we know where dietary cholesterol comes from how do we get rid of it? The answer is Fibre, Fibre, Fibre. All of our cholesterol is excreted in the stool so ‘a bowel movement a day takes the cholesterol away’. If you are constipated and have high cholesterol this is the first place to start.

So the rest of the cholesterol we produce ourselves in the liver! I wonder why this happens? If we start with the belief that the body knows what it is doing, we can consider some of the possibilities. Maybe there are not enough helpful fats (Essential Fatty Acids) in the diet and the body is trying to compensate by making the next best thing? Or the body is chucking out other substances (eg. stress hormones) and the body is trying to protect us from the harmful effects of these chemicals? Maybe we are deficient in some vitamins (eg. Vitamin D- in 2007 70% of all new patients attending the rheumatology clinic in Cork University Hospital were deficient in Vitamin D). Vitamin D is known to have an effect on sex hormones. These are structurally related to Vit D. Again the body is trying to protect us from a deficiency condition.

Cholesterol is related to the sterol hormones, including the sex hormones and the adrenal hormones. As such it is influenced by our brain chemicals. Managing stress with exercise, journal writing, having a pet and helping others are all evidence based ways of coping with ‘stress’. Prayer/meditation/reflective time-out all support positive mental balance.

Things to do:

Eat Essential Fatty Acids in the recommended amount. (7 Portions of Fruit and Veg per day- yes that’s right 7! The Department of Health advises a minimum of five! Why have a minimum when you can benefit from optimum !

Eggsare eggscellent! Enjoy 5 per week.

Fibre; Especially helpful are soluble fibres eg Oats, Oat Bran and Psyllium Husks. Slippery Elm is particularly helpful fibre for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome who cannot tolerate insoluble fibres (skin of fruits and vegetables, beans and peas, wholegrains).

Exercise : Dance yourself happy! Walk and stretch regularly, join a class or group if you find it hard to self motivate.

Drink water; 6 glasses per day.

Foods for strength of blood vessels: The humble blackberry and blackcurrent have a role to play also our native bilberry and hawthorn berry.

We seem to love new foods such as blueberries but all dark red and navy berries have the same strengthening effect particularly on the small vessels of our circulation.

Rutin is also strengthening, this is high in buckwheat (try buckwheat pasta as a change from wheat pasta). The pith of citrus is also high in rutin, this is the white pithy core of citrus fruit.

Foods for reducing Cholesterol:

All members of the onion family eg Chives, Leeks and especially Garlic. Include these in your diet on a regular basis.

Celery has a proven effect on reducing cholesterol. Eating 2 sticks a day has a demonstrable effect, eating 7 sticks a day will reduce high cholesterol.

Almonds has research evidence of reducing cholesterol. Include these as part of your 2-3 tsps. per day to cover your essential fatty acids.

Herbs for the Happy Heart.

Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.); this is rich in antioxidants and cardiac glycosides which has good evidence for strengthening heart muscle.

Limeflower (Tilia spp.); This herb is traditionally used as an anti spasmodic, particularly for the small blood vessels. It is also used for restlessness, headache and high blood pressure. It is a gentle supportive herb used for all ages.

Alfalfa (Medicago): This is a highly nutritious herb with cholesterol lowering properties.

Chamomile (Chamomilla rec/mat.): Helpful for restlessness and anxiety. By calming the nervous system there is a feedback loop calming stress hormones.

Rose (Rosa spp.): Good for lifting the spirits, soothing the digestion and viewing the world through ‘rose tinted glasses’.

Wild Oats (Aveena sativa): Full of nutrition, particularly plant sterols which lower cholesterol. This has traditionally been used to strengthen the circulatory and nervous systems (as in support for ‘sowing your wild oats’).I have blended these herbs for convenience as a Hearty Tea available on the website or from the clinic. You can use them independently as teas (infusions), capsules or tinctures.

Ginko biloba; This herb is available within the context of a consultation with a Medical Herbalist. It has a beneficial effect on the circulation, particularly the ‘stickiness’ of the blood. This plays a role in the inflammatory process which is associated with damage to the blood vessel walls that is associated with high cholesterol. It is also good for poor memory and concentration. (Contact www.iimh.ie for your nearest practitioner).

Spice up your life:

Spices play a helpful role in protecting us from dietary excess, many people in western society are overnourished and malnourished at the same time! We take in too many calories but not always including the essential building blocks we need for cell metabolism. Spices help us obtain the best from our foods.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is an anti-inflammatory spice. In order for Cholesterol to cause harm there has to be inflammatory process. Turmeric protects us from this inflammatory process (leaflet available on the website for more information).

Black Pepper (Piper nigra) is a ‘helper’ for Turmeric. Taken together the turmeric is 1/3 more effective.

Fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum grecum) play several helpful roles, they help modulate sugar metabolism, add fibre and contain helpful plant sterols. (leaflet available on website for more info.).

Cinnamon (Cinnomomum verum) helps the body process refined sugars. Use on toast instead of marmalade, put in porridge or cereal, add to a yoghurt etc.

The spices should be used liberally! Not a dainty sprinkle from a shaker still half full from two years ago! Use 25 -50 gms per week happily.

This article is for general information and should not be used as the basis for treating any medical condition. Contact a well qualified medical herbalist for professional advice for using herbs for medical conditions. Members of the Irish Institute of Medical herbalists have a BSc in Herbal Medicine www.iimh.ie .

Using Herbs for Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Diverticulitis.

by

Dr Dilis Clare MBBCh, DRCOG, BSc (Herbal Medicine)

Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This is a common disorder causing a wide range of uncomfortable digestive symptoms. According to Prof Eamonn Quigley (Professor of Medicine UCC, president of the World Gastroenterology Assoc.) more than 10% of Irish people could be suffering from this disorder. The common symptoms are bloating, wind, crampy tummy pain and either constipation or diarrhoea. Some people alternate between constipation and diarrhoea. It can come and go often depending on dietary factors or stress levels. It is diagnosed by excluding other more serious digestive conditions. If you have significant disturbance it is important to have a medical check up. Always have investigations for altered bowel habit particularly if you have bleeding or are over 50 and there is no obvious reason for the change.

Diverticulitis

This is a problem of the large bowel which is very common in the over 50’s. Like most conditions it can present with mild problems from time to time or regular disturbance of the digestion.

There are ‘diverticula’ or pouches, little pockets in the bowel wall that can hold onto stale material. This material lodges in the pockets and can become hardened and act as irritants to the remaining bowel wall, they can also become infected and inflamed. When this happens it feels like a ‘flare up’.

Symptoms include pain and discomfort usually in the lower belly on the left hand side as you look down. It can cause loose stools, crampy pain, change in your normal bowel habit and sometimes even bleeding.

If there is infection there may be fever and chills, pain and again change in normal bowel habit. There is often a feeling of being generally unwell, generalised aches and pains.

The problem is associated with not enough fibre in the diet over the years. There is too much tension in the wall of the large bowel leading to pouches being made in the wall of the gut. Rather like an overblown bicycle inner tube pushing through the weakest point in the tyre forming a pouch through the tyre wall.

Always have investigations for altered bowel habit particularly if you have bleeding or are over 50 and there is no obvious reason for the change.

Herbal treatment.

You might wonder why the herbal treatment for both these problems are linked and the reason is because both are linked to increased nervous system ‘tone’ in the walls of the gut. The herbs used are antispasmodic herbs that act to calm and relax the muscles in the wall of the gut. Remember the digestive tract is a tube from mouth to bum. The walls are lined with a mucous membrane and the muscles internal to this relax and contract to ease the contents of the tube gradually from top to bottom of the tube. In Irritable Bowel this action is not coordinated very well even though the structures appear normal. In Diverticulosis there is increased tension often following years of not enough fibre in the diet or constipation due to other causes (including stress).

Antispasmodic Herbs

Chamomile.

Chamomile is the most familiar of the helpful herbs for stress, and it is hardly surprising that it is relaxing for the digestion. The actions on the digestion are well documented and well researched. It is a wound healing herb with antimicrobial actions. So these combined actions help in a variety of ways to heal an irritable digestion and prevent complication of diverticulosis.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare).

This herb is traditionally used for ‘wind’ as it relaxes the stomach and eases crampy pains. It also has anti-inflammatory effects.

Peppermint (Mentha pip.).

Peppermint in addition to its’ antispasmodic effect (which is due to its volatile oil content) it relaxes the stomach allowing the release of trapped wind upwards ‘burping’. Peppermint also has a gentle effect on increasing bile flow which aids the normal breaking down of foods.

Soothing Herbs.

Mallow leaf or root (Althea rad/fol).

Mallow is the original plant source for marshmallow (before it was hijacked by sugar). It is amazingly soft and soothing, exactly what is need by an overworking gut. The irritation is lulled into a sense of security, allowing the wall to relax in response to the antispasmodics.

Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva).

This is a powder which you mix with warm water or food such as porridge, banana or yoghurt to make  paste. It is soft and soothing, also it is nourishing for the gut wall and acts like an internal poultice to encourage healing. It is the internal bark of the tree and as such is a very gentle bulking soluble fibre with the added advantage of acting like blotting paper for a watery stool. A veritable multitasker and one of my favourite herbs for digestive problems.

Pain relief

Meadowsweet (Filipendula spirea) contains natural aspirin. The word aspirin comes from this plant. However the anti-inflammatory aspirin part of the plant is not irritating to the stomach. In fact the overall effect is relaxing to the stomach in particular,

How do you use Herbs.

When herbs are swallowed by mouth they come directly in contact with the walls of the gut tube there is a direct effect on the trouble spots. Because of this they are particularly helpful for digestive conditions.

I find with patients that it is hard to convince them that herbal infusions (teas) are the best medicine because they are (a) too simple and (b) too cheap!

Yet they have the advantage of being sipped intermittently throughout the day giving continual relief. Infusions are ‘medicinal water’ taken hot or cold (not to be confused with your ‘teabreak’ tea which has its own ritual stress ‘let down’.

When you make any digestive tea with a strong aroma (like chamomile, fennel or peppermint)  put a saucer on the cup as it brews so that the oils are kept in the tea as these are the most antispasmodic ingredients and you don’t want them to escape!

Herbs can also be taken as tinctures (liquid preparations extracted and preserved in alcohol).

These are a few of the many herbs used for digestive problems, but they address some of the commonest problems. If you have mild to moderate disturbance they may be all you need. If you have prolonged or serious discomfort, or you have tried these simple remedies for at least six weeks it is best to seek expert advice. For a well qualified medical herbalist in your area (BSc Herbal Medicine) contact the Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists www.iimh.org .

All of these herbs work in their own right, they need to be of good quality and loose teas work better than teabags (as a general rule). I have blended herbs together for convenience which may be useful and practical. Alternatively you can buy 50gms of each herbs and blend yourself. Store in a canister or paper or foil bag and use within 6 months.

Digestive Tea Blend.

Contains:Chamomile, Fennel , Marshmallow root, Peppermint.

Caution; Avoid in pregnancy. Allergy to any of the ingredients.

Digestive Tonic.

This is formulated as a Herbal Tincture and contains a small amount of alcohol as preservative.

Contains: Chamomile, Fennel, Marshmallow leaf, Peppermint, Meadowsweet.

Cautions: Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Allergy to any ingredients.

You can use either the tea or the tonic. The tonic is more convenient for people on the go! especially those who don’t have a regular routine or those who refuse to contemplate herb teas! Also those who have more money than sense or more money than time!

You can also combine, using the tea regularly but taking the tonic for convenience if away from home or out of routine. If symptoms are particularly bad you can use both together for a couple of weeks but if not settling see a medical or herbal practitioner. If you are stressed you can combine the tea with Valerian Relax Blend. If you are regularly stressed make sure you are including the foods containing Essential Fatty Acids in your diet.

Supplements;

Digestive Enzymes; The body produces its own digestive enzymes which mix with the digestive contents in the small intestine (just after the stomach). However for people with IBS the timing may not be ideal and ‘intestinal hurry’ means the enzymes are too late to mix in with the ‘food’. Think of it as ‘missing the bus’. The digestive enzymes help to break the food into simple ‘building blocks’. Taking digestive enzymes does not correct the problem but it can make you more comfortable in the short term. Also by breaking food down more efficiently it can avoid irritation by larger molecules. Try using them before or with meals according to your level of comfort. For instance you may only need them for large meals, if eating out, particularly rich food or if eating late in the evening.

Probiotics; A whole book could be written on this alone! Think of this supplement as good gardening! If you clear a flower bed and leave it, weeds quickly grow. Similarly if you create a healthy space in the gut with healing herbs you want to plant helpful ‘bugs’ that aid digestion. These are probiotics and they help maintain normal digestion. If you have had years of Irritable Bowel and or Diverticulitis I generally suggest taking probiotics for at least three months initially, thereafter take a course for 4-6 weeks three or four times a year for ‘good gardening’ for the gut. Always take Probiotics with and after taking antibiotics. Taking antibiotics has the effect of ‘strip mining’ the normal bowel flora, helpful ‘Flora’ plugs are particularly relevant (take in between doses of antibiotics).

A note on Fibre;

Patients are often told to increase fibre for these conditions. They go home and have high fibre breakfast cereal, coarse wholegrain bread and maybe lentil soup. They are doubled over with ‘wind’ and discomfort for a few days. Not only do they lose heart but they are at a loss as to what to do next.

There are soluble and insoluble fibres which have different qualities.

Insoluble fibre;(wholegrains, pulses, nuts and seeds including linseeds/flax seeds and the skins of fruit and vegetables) can act like a scouring brush on the gut wall and the ‘irritable bowel’ and diverticulous gut can go into spasm hence the effect. Sometimes people cannot get healthy amounts of fruit and vegetable because of discomfort, try peeling them and you may do better. As your digestion improves gradually include the skins.

Soluble fibre; What is more respectful is soluble fibre; oats and oatbran, slippery elm and psyllium husks. Oats and slippery elm are also mucilaginous and nourishing, I always like ‘3 for the price of 1’ shopping. Psyllium is the ingredient in Fybogel sachets but you can buy it as just the raw herb without the orange dye and sweetener!.

Always have liquids with fibre.