Sue Hardman

Nourish + Rejuvenate

Plant Medicine 101

Rose a woman’s healing herb – an essential in any healing toolkit

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Rose A Herbal Healer

The rose is steeped in legend and symbolism from Greek mythology, the Eastern traditions and also in Roman legends. Since those early days the rose has not only been appreciated for its beauty and perfume but also for its medicinal values.

One of the most sensuous and romantic of flowers – is used as a symbol of love in western cultures, of divine love in the church, as a food in the middle east and in skin and perfume preparations since Egyptian times.

In Ayurveda they say rose treats the heart, nerves, and lifts the spirits. It has an affinity for the blood and has a certain astringency that stops bleeding and reduces inflammation, so it’s very beneficial when there are signs of heat (in Ayurveda high Pitta in one’s constitution) – like a red tongue, agitation, hot flushes, lots of blood, irritability and emotional sensitivity.

Rose a herbal healer

The areas where I tend to find rose most beneficial, as a Naturopath and Herbalist, is for women who have issues with PMT, hormone imbalance or who  have periods that are painful, excessive or irregular, it is helpful with infertility and to increase sexual desire.

If there is an underlying anxiety, nervousness, sadness or grief the role of rose is nourishing on the nervous system. It has a calming effect on the emotions and the heart.

I would also recommend using Rose in the following situations:

– for fevers, rashes, infections, colds & flu
– as a tea to help clear heat & boost immunity
– for hyperacidity, diarrhea, excess phlegm
– rose water is an excellent cleanser used to soothe the skin
– to help with tissue repair with skin blemishes, acne, minor cuts and fine lines

How to use Rose

  • PMT or problems with your periods –  try drinking 2 -3 cups of Rose tea daily.
  • Feeling irritable or sad – add rose otto essential oil to your bath or rub it on your forehead or over your heart area. Drink the tea.
  • Red skin and acne – spray your face with Rose water after cleansing. The best toner ever!
  • Inflamed red eyes – spray rose water onto cotton pads and place over eyelids

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Oestrogen Dominance – 9 ways to reduce it

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oestrogen dominance Are Your Oestrogen Levels In The Right Balance? 

Hormones are the chemical messengers that control major body functions. Any imbalance can wreak havoc on your health. Some of the most important hormones for us to understand and keep in a healthy balance are our sex hormones.

Each hormone needs to be in the right balance for you. In 30’s your hormones will have different levels to when you’re 50.

As you enter perimenopause (usually after 40) through to the age of 50, there is an approximate 35% drop in oestrogen, and approx. 75% reduction in progesterone occurring simultaneously. This is considered normal, however because oestrogen and progesterone are so dependent on each other, the dramatic decrease in progesterone production leaves many women with symptoms of oestrogen dominance, even if oestrogen levels are lower than before.

Oestrogen is a fabulous hormone:
– it gives you hips, breasts, and thighs.
– It builds up the endometrial tissue in your uterus during your cycle ( important when having a baby).
– It protects your brain, heart, and bones

There’s more than one oestrogen, be sure to have the good one!

Oestrogen is not a single hormone but a group of hormones that are present in both men and women. They’re produced by adrenal glands, fat tissue, the ovaries and the testis.

The term “Oestrogen” is an umbrella term for three hormones – estradiol, estriol and estrone.

Estradiol is the most commonly measured type of oestrogen for non-pregnant women. Estradiol varies throughout the menstrual cycle. After menopause, estradiol production typically drops to a very low but constant level.

Estriol levels usually are only measured during pregnancy. And Estrone may be measured in women who have gone through menopause to determine their oestrogen levels.

Excess estradiol can be dangerous. Many diseases, including cancers and fibroids, are associated with too high estradiol levels.

To complicate matters, when oestrogen is broken down into metabolites in the liver, “good” or “bad” metabolites and they can either help or harm your health and wellbeing.

Oestrogen breaks down into 3 different type of metabolites. They are:

  • 2-Hydroxyestrone (or 2-OH for short)
  • 4-Hydroxyestrone (or 16-OH for short)
  • 16-Hydroxyestrone (or 16-OH for short)

2-OH is beneficial. You need to make at least 70% of this.

4-OH is mostly not beneficial. You want to make 10% or less of this.

16-OH is mostly not beneficial. You want to make no more than 20% of this.

Women who metabolise a larger proportion of their oestrogen via the 16-OH pathway may be at a significantly elevated risk of breast cancer compared with women who metabolise proportionally more oestrogen via the 2-OH pathway.

The “good” metabolites are known to have high antioxidant activity, which provides protection for the brain and heart.

The “bad” metabolites have been tied to cancer and weight gain.

It would make sense that you would want to do what you can to increase the good metabolites and decrease the bad metabolites, increasing the 2-OHE:16-OHE ratio. It is believed that by doing so we decrease the risk for a number of oestrogen-responsive cancers.

So what happens if your body is producing too much or too little oestrogen?

When women experience insufficient oestrogen, they can experience symptoms – including trouble sleeping, headaches, decreased labido, irregular periods, mood swings and hot flashes.

You want oestrogen sticking around, but you also want it to stay in check. When it starts running the show and knocks other hormones like progesterone out of whack, oestrogen imbalance occurs.

Whether it’s extra inches (especially) around the middle, ongoing fatigue, skin issues, trouble sleeping, PMS, PCOS, fibroids or fertility issues you may have a hormone imbalance.

Hormones can effect your size and shape and may be the reason you’ve struggled with losing weight and keeping those extra inches off. Too much fat below the belly button, hips and buttocks may indicate you have a hormone imbalance, in particular oestrogen dominance.

As oestrogen levels rise, controlling your weight becomes really difficult, because fat cells also produce oestrogen. So the more fat cells, the more oestrogen is released into your body, and the more your fat cells grow.

The following symptoms are common among those with oestrogen dominance. What begins with mild symptoms in younger years often becomes moderate in the mid to late 30s, and severe by the time a person reaches their mid-40s.

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, you may be experiencing some level of oestrogen dominance. You’ll be in a far better place if you address your hormone imbalances when they are still mild, it will also mean you’ll have an easier transition to the menopause.

MILD MODERATE SEVERE
Premenstrual breast tenderness Irregular menstruation Uterine fibroid tumors
Premenstrual mood swings Weight gain Endometriosis
Premenstrual fluid retention, weight gain Hair loss Fibrocystic breasts
Premenstrual headaches Depression Polycystic ovary syndrome
Menstrual cramps Fatigue Breast tumors
Thyroid dysfunction Infertility
Adrenal gland fatigue Thickened uterine lining
Headaches, migraines Accelerated ageing
Severe menstrual cramps Miscarriage
Heavy periods with clotting Anxiety and panic attacks
Joint and muscle pain Autoimmune disorders
Decreased libido Impotency
Insomnia and restless sleep Oestrogen related cancer
Dry eyes
Lowered libido
Prostate problems

What can cause oestrogen excess?

Oestrogen is a vital hormone for many functions in your body, but if it’s not in it’s natural form or at the right level for you then it will interfere with your hormonal activity.

According to the work of Dr. John Lee, the balance of your body’s natural hormones are disrupted because we are living in a ‘sea of oestrogens’ as a result of:-

  • Eating non-organic animal foods with high levels of hormones i.e meat, diary, chicken.
  • Increased synthetic oestrogens found in things like plastics (BPA), medications, synthetic hormones (the pill and HRT) and chemicals from beauty products and chemicals in your environment.
  • Pesticides that mimic oestrogen in your body and send messages to the hypothalamus that it needs to keep producing more and more oestrogens.

Dr. John R. Lee coined the term ‘oestrogen dominance’ to describe what occurs when a woman has deficient, normal, or excessive oestrogen but little or no progesterone to balance oestrogen’s effects.

excess weight - a hormone problemEven low oestrogen levels can create oestrogen dominance symptoms if you’re also low in progesterone. In my practice, I’ve found that these factors can create oestrogen imbalance:

  • Being overweight or obese (fat cells produce excess oestrogen)
  • Being overly stressed (adrenal hormones are overly stimulated)
  • Poor diet choices
  • Autoimmune conditions
  • Gut conditions i.e. constipation and dysbiosis
  • Environmental toxins

Chemicals—called xenoestrogens— can set the stage for oestrogen dominance. One study found that mineral water with xenoestrogens leached from plastic packaging material could create oestrogenic activity, and sadly, these chemicals are all over the place in our modern world.

That being said, oestrogen dominance doesn’t occur in a vacuum. often when oestrogen gets out of balance, other hormones like insulin and cortisol can quickly follow. 

9 ways to take charge of your oestrogen levels so that you can have your best life: 

There are some simple changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle that may be just what the Doc ordered.

  1. Get more fibre – Plenty of complex carbohydrates and fibre from beans, lentils, wholegrains, vegetables and fruit. Fibre helps your body eliminate excess oestrogens. That’s why the saying ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’, is still so relevant to you today.Eat moderate amounts of protein – legumes, fish, eggs & chicken. Good fats such as nuts, seeds, oily fish and cold pressed vegetable oils. Eating enough fats and protein are key to ensuring the correct hormone levels in our body.
  2. Help your body detoxify daily by supporting your liver. Among its copious nutrients, studies show indole-3-carbinol (I3C)—prevalent in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables—prevents the development of oestrogen-enhanced breast, endometrial, cervical, and other cancers.Eat ‘a cup a day’ of cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts and kale ) to help your liver produce enzymes and provide sulphur needed for the liver’s detoxification processes and help you liver remove the bad oestrogens and keep the good ones.Milk thistle is also an excellent herb for the liver as it not only supports detoxification but it also repairs liver cells.Liver-healing strategies include eating quality protein, garlic and onions, taking a B vitamin. 
  3. Heal your gut. Once the liver processes oestrogen for elimination, your gut moves it out. Gut issues mean oestrogen probably isn’t making its way out efficiently and instead could be recirculating in your body. As you can see, identifying and treating underlying causes of your digestive issues becomes crucial to balancing hormones.
  4. Do some exercise. Moderate to high intensity exercise helps your body maintain normal levels of oestrogen – according to research. Do a mixture of exercise, including aerobic and try increasing your muscle mass by doing strength building exercise.
  5. Avoid the following as best you can.
    Alcohol – it impairs the optimum functioning of your liver by making it difficult to metabolise and remove excess hormones.
    Pesticides – Wash if You Can or Go Organic. There are a variety of chemicals and pesticides found in your food or drink that exert oestrogen like activity when absorbed into the body. These are found on non-organic fruits and vegetables as well as animal products.
    Plastics – these are also similar in structure to oestrogen and confuse the body’s hormone balance because they mimic the body’s own oestrogen. Use BPA-free plastic, glass or metal containers for water.
  6. Reduce the following.
    Body fat because it stores chemicals, if you carry excess fat around the middle you will tend to have higher oestrogen levels.Chronic stress – any form of stress (nutritional, physical, chemical, mental, environmental) can increase your cortisol levels and disrupt hormonal balance. Cortisol becomes the predominant hormone and starts to reduce other hormones like progesterone and thereby increasing oestrogen levels. If yoga or meditation aren’t your thing, even five minutes of deep breathing or laughing with your best friend can help lower cortisol and reset estrogen levels.
  7. Supplement smartly. A functional practitioner can help you design an oestrogen-balancing supplement protocol.Optimal vitamin D is also crucial, as studies show sufficient vitamin D levels can inhi
    bit breast cancer cell growth. Ask your doctor or health care practitioner for a 25(OH)D test.
  8. Get tested. Lab testing can reveal whether and why you have oestrogen dominance. I like the DUTCH test which stands for “dried urine total complete hormones” and this has more benefits than other testing methods.

    The biggest and brightest names in health are reccomending the DUTCH test….Dr Mercola and Chris Kresser are all loving this test. If you would like to own your hormones, it starts with knowledge and I can help you.

  9. Sleep becomes mandatory to balance your hormones. If you have trouble drifting into eight hours of solid sleep nightly, try a relaxing tea, a warm bath.

The great news is that you CAN shift your hormones back into balance by following these steps, and reduce not only the inches but also the detrimental effect of excess oestrogen.

 

To find out more about how you can have optimum wellness as you enter your 40’s and feel radiant have vitality, and energy to do all that you want to have radiant skin, calm any digestive issues, cope better with stress, anxiety and have much higher long-lasting energy levels.

 

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5 Foods that will boost Your Energy Levels and Help You Lose Weight Naturally. 

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You may  be struggling with low energy or wanting to lose your excess weight, you might have  tried a number of diets and strategies that haven’t worked for you.

I know how frustrating this can be, and how confusing it is to try to make sense of all the conflicting nutritional information out there.

I put this guide together so you can start to learn how and why specific foods, and drinks, can help you have more energy and lose weight naturally. The information I’m sharing is not about the latest fad diet; it’s about adding in nutrient-dense foods that have been proven to both aid in weight loss and improve overall health at the same time.

While some of this may be new to you, with a little bit of practice you will find it is easy to add these ingredients into your diet on a daily basis. In fact, at the end, I’m going to share one simple recipe you can make in under five minutes that incorporates all of these foods. How’s that for healthy eating on the go?

I’m excited to share this information with you, so let’s dig in!

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Bittersweet Chamomile – Medicine for the ‘brain & gut’

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chamomile for stress and digestion

Chamomile – Why it’s way more than a calming tea

 

What is Chamomile used for?

The combination of essential oils and the bitter taste together make for a powerful ability to:-

– reduce any inflammation and promote healing, especially in your gut.

– a mild relaxant for the smooth muscles of your gut, uterus, bladder and respiratory tract

– excels at treating “nervous stomach”, which generally implies digestive upset alongside anxiety and nervous tension.

 

What makes Chamomile so effective?

Chamomile’s has a high essential oil content, that has a specific relaxing, calming effect on your nervous system.

These aromatic oils are also responsible for Chamomile’s actions as a digestive – relieving stagnation in the form of gas, gu

t cramping and mild constipation.

Herbalists – call it the ‘Mother of the gut’ as its bitter flavour gives it the distinct effect, it has one’s digestive system, increases the secretion of digestive juices and enzymes, also providing calming properties.

Why should you keep Chamomile in your herbal first aid cabinet?

A simple cup of chamomile tea is a wonderful healing tool use it to:

  • reduce gut inflammation, pain and cramping. It will promote healing of your gut lining and improving overall digestion.
  • And of course, reducing any anxiety that may be aggravating or triggering the gut issues in the first place.

I recommend you always have a box of chamomile tea as it’s an essential tool in your home’s ‘Natural First Aid Kit’ and you can use it for when you (or anyone in your family) has:-

  • Stress or anxiety
  • Nerves or a nervous stomach
  • Stomach ache
  • Upset tummy
  • Constipation
  • Inflammation
  • Insomnia

How will a herbalist use chamomile?

I will more than likely include Chamomile when I create a herbal formula for a client when they’re experiencing anxiety or stress along with any digestive disorders (ie a leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or dysbiosis).

A Herbalist will tailor your herbal formula depending on your specifc needs, with the correct dosage and combination of herbs.

 

To find out more about how you can have optimum wellness as you enter your 40’s and feel radiant have vitality, and energy to do all that you want to have radiant skin, calm any digestive issues, cope better with stress, anxiety and have much higher long-lasting energy levels

You can make use of my Complimentary 15 minute phone call to get your questions answered

please contact [email protected].

 

Wonderful Ginger – so much more than an anti-nausea remedy

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gingers healing propertiesGinger a wonder botanical medicine

Ginger, has been cultivated and used medicinally since antiquity and is used throughout the world as a medicinal agent, from the traditional medical systems of the west, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa and South America.

It’s from the same family as turmeric, which possible explains its amazing benefits. The medicinal benefits come from the pungent gingerols and shogaols, and they account for the majority of ginger’s health benefits acting as a highly potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents.

Gingerol, has been thoroughly evaluated clinically, and the research backs up why you should use this herb on a regular basis.

Top 8 Benefits of Ginger

Ginger is a mainstay of traditional medicine with powerful benefits for just about every system in the body. Research shows it’s effective in several health conditions and that it is a multi-faceted remedy:-

1) The best-researched use of ginger is in combating nausea, cramping and vomiting, by neutralising stomach acids and stimulating the production of digestive juices.It has powerful anti-inflammatory botanical hence it’s effectiveness in relieving digestive irritation. Use it to treat your stomach ache (especially when due to undigested food), poor appetite, dyspepsia, flatulence and nausea.

2) Heart health – It can help to lower high blood pressure and keeping the blood thin in higher doses.

3) Ginger root contains compounds called gingerols which, studies say, help calm down the inflammatory “heat” that triggers swelling and discomfort in joints, muscles and other tissues.

75% of Rheumatoid Arthritis and osteoarthritis patients experienced relief in pain and swelling, and all patients with muscular discomfort experienced relief of pain – in an uncontrolled clinical study using dried ginger.

Being a warming circulatory stimulant ginger increases circulation to the affected joints and enhances the effectiveness of other anti-inflammatory’s in a formula.

ginger2

4) Poor Immune and respiratory health – it’s an anti-viral and makes a warming cold and flu remedy. In addition, this root is a natural decongestant and antihistamine, and is often included in herbal cold and cough preparations.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is used for the immune system because it is so effective at warming the body, it can help break down the accumulation of toxins in your organs. It’s also known to cleanse the lymphatic system preventing toxins from accumulating so that your less susceptible to infections.

5) It has anti-pain properties by lowering the body’s production of prostaglandins (hormones involved in inflammation).

6) Poor digestion and malabsorption – if your body is not digesting or assimilating nutrients correctly you will end up with nutrient deficiencies.  This is why ginger is so important. As we age our digestive ‘fire’ also decreases, try some fresh ginger just before a meal to stoke your digestive fire and support a healthy gut!

7) Fungal infections are increasingly resistant to conventional medicine, of the 29 plant species evaluated in a University study, ginger won the prize for having the extract most effective at killing fungus.

8) Researchers have found that compounds in ginger interrupt the cycle of cancer cell development—in a sense, throwing a spanner into the gears of the tumour machinery. Ginger oils provide compounds that interrupt inflammatory triggers that can cause the development, growth, and spread of tumors.

How To Use Ginger For Maximum Benefit

FullSizeRender-3
In India, ginger is liberally used in daily life. Ginger-infused Chai is a household favourite.

On dining tables in India, you’ll see fresh ginger that’s turned a soft pink from being soaked in lemon juice and salt: a zingy accompaniment to any cooked meal.

You can grate it up and squeeze it into a hot tea (this is my favourite), add it to juices, baked goods, smoothies and more… experiment and have fun.

For a powerful anti-fungal, mix several drops of pure ginger essential oil with tea tree oil with one teaspoon of coconut oil, and apply up to three times a day.

Herbalists frequently add ginger to herbal formulas, as it’s known to play a role in increasing the bio-availability of other substances and it’s actions – Clears Heat & Toxins.

 

 

 

 

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5 Steps to Great Gut Health & Ditch The Bloat

 

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Herbal Teas – kitchen healing essentials

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FullSizeRender-3Nothing like a good cuppa tea to sort out the problems of the world. My grandmother loved her tea and it was the first thing we’d do when we visited her, I do miss being able to sit down and share a pot of tea with her.

Who meets for a cup of tea these days? It seems we’re all more likely to meet for a coffee. But, a cup of tea is so much more than just about the socialising. I wanted to share with you how ‘just’ a cup of tea could be one of THE most simple ‘healing’ tools that you could have in your kitchen. I know you might say, it’s only a cup of tea!

Research studies and ancient eastern traditions show that herbal teas can have the most positive effect on supporting you with illness, ailments and for ensuring optimum health.

As a herbalist and lover of simple, effective, quick and easy solutions there are some essential herbal teas in my kitchen for when first aid is needed – either to settle a sore or nervous tummy, insomnia, anxiety, cramps, heartaches, the beginnings of a cold or flu, bloating, indigestion and even PMT.

Be sure to stock up on chamomile, rose, peppermint, cinnamon and ginger teas for your home and then you’ll be covered with the basics. Of course you05_05_10_01_12_chamomile-bsp-150x150 need to know which one to use when and you may have be unaware of some of the other things these common herbal teas can be useful for. Chamomile is calming but so much more, peppermint for wind and so much more, ginger for nausea and so much more…..

Fresh grated ginger is one of my personal favourites, it has an amazing taste and is more than a treatment for nausea, which many pregnant women can attest to. It’s one of the foundation herbs used in Ayurvedic and TCM and it’s brilliant for balancing your digestion, great to have before a meal to boost the ‘fire in your tummy’ to help digest your food and get the nutrients you need.  I would say most of us would benefit from drinking warming ginger, daily.

I love having a flask of ginger tea ready to drink at anytime, during the day. Ginger is one of the most researched herbs (along with turmeric) and it has many uses, it’s anti-viral too – so brilliant for colds or flu. Herbalists consider it a universal medicine with multi-healing properties that benefits everybody and all diseases. With ginger think – digestion, lungs and circulation.

Chamomile is most commonly considered a calming tea, but herbalists call it the ‘Mother of the gut’. I found this tea to be particularly useful when ever we have tummy upsets because it works on the nervous system found in your gut or as we like to call it the – ‘second brain’. Think tummy aches from unknown causes, IBS and when someone is nervous about something and have that tight feeling in their tummy. Chamomile excels at treating what is commonly known as a “nervous stomach”, which generally implies digestive upset alongside anxiety, nervous tension.

That aromatic component from Chamomile’s high essential oil content, has a specific relaxing, calming effect on your nervous system and can be helpful for insomnia, cough, bronchitis, cold or fever, gas, gut cramping and mild constipation. .

iStock_heart_of_rosesxSmallRose – heals the heart, balances hormones and is uplifting. It’s a bitter, cooling herb so it can help with headaches and inflammation. Used in combination with other herbs it adds beauty and colour to a blend.

I often recommend rose tea for PMT, periods that are painful, excessive or irregular and if there is an underlying nervousness, sadness or grief the role of rose is nourishing on the nervous system. It has a calming effect on the emotions and as it has an affinity for the heart. It’s often used in times of sadness and grief.

Peppermint – a great pick-me up if you ever need an alternative to coffee. It’s full of aroma that awakens the senses helpful in congestion in the head, use as a hot tea to cause sweating with colds and flu. Useful when there is a lot of mucous. It can lift feelings of emotional ‘heaviness’ and relieves the symptoms of abdominal gas, bloating, muscle spasms and nausea (without vomiting).  Peppermint tea can also be made using fresh herbs from the garden’and it’s one of the easiest herbs to grow.

Researchers from the University’s Department of Psychology have found that drinking peppermint tea improves alertness, while chamomile tea has a calming effect. These findings were presented at the annual British Psychological Society Conference in Nottingham this week (26-28 April 2016).

Cinnamon – useful for poor circulation, colds, flu and a bout of diarrhoea but among this spice’s most impressive health benefits is its ability to cinnamonreduce your sugar cravings. By controlling blood sugar levels you can prevent spikes after meals, normalise your blood sugar levels and improve glucose control.

Cinnamon has more antioxidants than many so-called antioxidant foods, like-for-like. For example, one teaspoon of cinnamon has as much antioxidant capacity as a full cup of pomegranate juice or a half-cup of blueberries. Two of the main types of cinnamon, are Cassia and Ceylon. A better option for taste and health is Ceylon cinnamon (also called Sri Lanka cinnamon or “true cinnamon”).

I recommend that you drink herbal teas because it’s a fantastic and safe way to maintain your health over time. Consistent tea drinking gives your body what it needs in doses that it can handle.

Teas are a really wonderful way to boost your body’s hydration, and because we’re made of 65-80 percent water, the constituents that hot (and cold) water pulls out of the herbs are really absorbable for us. Each herb has a myriad of actions so it isn’t hard to come up with a tasty blend that does a lot of good in your body.

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Pelargonium – Quickly Stops Coughs, Colds & Sore Throats

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#Plant Medicine 101

Your nose is running, you can’t breathe, your throat is dry and scratchy – it happens to most of us and it’s especially hard when it effects your kids because there aren’t to many effective solutions.

woman-blowing-nose-400x400Pelargonium (Pelargonium sidoides) is gaining huge popularity in Germany because of it’s effectiveness against the symptoms associated with colds and flus, and it is the best researched herbal cold and cough remedy.  It helps to reduce the mucus of snotty noses and phlegm that makes it hard to breathe, improves a bad cough and any associated chest pain, and decreases congestion to help open the breathing passages.

I keep this herbal medicine in my Home Medicine Cabinet, along with some of my other favourites – including Echinacea vulgaris.

Pelargonium has long been used by the South African Zulu’s, it’s also known as the black geranium, “umckalwabo”,  roughly translated as ‘for heavy cough and chest problems’.

Back in 1897, the remedy was popularised in England as ‘Steven’s Consumption Cure’, having been brought back by an Englishman ‘cured’ of tuberculosis by a Zulu tribal healer. With the advent of anti-tubercular drugs, it went out of fashion until recently rediscovered by  researchers in Europe.

In the last few years Pelargonium has gone from being an obscure herbal remedy to become one of Germany’s most popular herbal medicines.

While most other cough, cold and sinus medicines tend to mask your outward symptoms, pelargonium shortens the duration and reduces the severity of your respiratory irritations and helps boost your body’s natural defence system.

Scientific research also shows it to have potent anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and immune-boosting properties.

Pelargomium Sidoides has been successfully used for treatment of:

  1. Respiratory infections like bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia, tonsillitis.It is very effective for treating acute bronchitis as it Pelargonium sidoidesincreases your body’s natural healing rate. Studies have found that 40-60% of patients suffering from acute bronchitis fully resolve their symptoms within a week of Pelargonium sidoides supplementation.Some people reported experiencing benefits after just two to three days. People that are not cured after a week still experience benefits from Pelargonium sidoides supplementation, since it can treat the symptoms associated with bronchitis, including headache, fever, fatigue, cough, chest pain while coughing, sputum in the lungs, rhonchi, and nasal dripping. A 2008 report published in Phytomedicine. In their analysis of six clinical trials testing pelargonium’s efficacy as an acute bronchitis treatment, the report’s authors found that pelargonium significantly improved symptoms of acute bronchitis without causing any serious side effects.
  2. It is often used as an alternative to antibiotics – Pelargonium sidoides has anti-infective properties. It prevents bacteria from adhering to cells, helps fight viruses and stimulates the immune system to hunt down pathogenic invaders.
  3. Acute and chronic ear, nose and throat infections.
  4. Rapid improvement in the symptoms associated with colds and flu. Pelargonium may help relieve your common old cold. A  2007 study published in Explore revealed that pelargonium helped reduce the severity of cold symptoms, as well as shorten the duration of sickness.

The alcoholic extract of the root has been shown to have a three-way effect:

1.) Anti-bacterial: The herb extract prevents bacteria from attaching to cells in your mucous membranes. 

2.) Antiviral effect: It prevents viruses from attaching to your mucous membrane cells and stimulates your body’s immune system in such a way that both bacteria and viruses are prevented from multiplying. 

3.)Expectorant: the extract acts as an expectorant, allowing your body to expel contaminated mucous making conditions less suitable for the multiplication of the bacteria and viruses. 

The three-way effect stabilises the immune system, preventing a re-infection, shortens the recovery phase.

Due to its anti-bacterial and immune-modulating characteristics Pelargonium appears to be a good alternative to the conventional therapy of treating respiratory illnesses with antibiotics.

 

                 

Whether you’re considering using herbs for colds, flu, and boosting your immune system it’s best to see a qualified Herbalist. 

A Herbalist will formulate a personalised treatment plan to suit each person depending on their needs, with the correct dosage and combination of herbs.

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(Please note: The information in this article is general information and not a substitute for medical care. As always, consult your own physician should you have any concerns.)