Be cautious with herbal remedies

October 13th, 2006

Chris has talked about Echinacea or purple coneflower in his blog as a
preventive against common cold. Diya, my daughter of seven, used to
get colds accompanied by high fever a bit too often until recently.
As a result she was put on antibiotics time and again, which gave her
serious problems whilst she was teething.

I used to be worried about her catching colds frequently so I put her
on Echinacea, which a herbalist had suggested. Whilst on the
supplement for more than a month Diya caught a cold and had a fever
shooting up to 105 degree Fahrenheit. I was asked to double the
dosage of the herbal supplement, which I did. But Diya was unable to
fight her cold and my worries did not seem to abate.

Echinacea, a native of America and southern Canada, has long been held out to
prevent and treat common cold, flu and other infections of the upper
respiratory system. It is believed to boost immune system.

But scientific studies carried out on the efficacy of the herb have some
discouraging findings. National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine within the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services
funded two studies on Echinacea without establishing the benefits as
traditionally claimed.

Some long-term users of the herb have known to suffer from allergic
reactions including rashes and aggravation in existing respiratory
conditions like asthma. Clinical trials on the herb showed
gastrointestinal problems as among the most common side effects.

When it comes to using a particular herb it is important to know if it has
been in use under a recognised medicinal system. A herb simply for
its being natural does not qualify it to be safe. Herbs like kava and
comfrey have been known to cause liver failures. Spirulina, sometime
back was marketed to be a protein-rich ‘wonder’ lichen
that was claimed to end malnutrition all over the world. Several
gastrointestinal and other disorders were linked to the lichen in the
studies carried out later.
Caution
is the word before using herbal supplements. Nursing and pregnant
women should specially need to be careful.

Upper respiratory problems are among the first ones which respond to now
the-much- talked-about breathing exercises called Aalom Vilom
under yoga. Diya could get rid of her frequent bouts of cold thanks
to yoga. Even if she took liberties like finishing off the 250 ml
bucket of her favourite ice-cream on a winter night and caught a
cold, she seldom has had a fever. High fever in her case is a history
for sure.

Entry Filed under: Health Issues