Health class herbology 101

Health class herbology 101
  by Kasey Adams

 

This article is going to run over some of the go-to important key notes on what to take and what to avoid when you get sick, so you can get better faster.  Or, if it's urgent, you can skip the herbal medicine, and go to western. Legally I can't breakdown which Chinese herbs and formulas to take on here but will prescribe them in my office or sell you a seasonal package for the inevitable. 

This article was inspired by the many patients and friends who have come to me confused about which herbal remedies are safe to take when they're sick vs. in good health. Once again, I find myself sympathizing with a patient who went to a store looking for a remedy, surrounded a thousand bottles of similar sounding names.  Many of the products claim to help with the same conditions, and, finally, giving up, she just bought based on a guess or label appeal. Why did her condition get worse? I get both the confused frustration, the lack of success, and the ultimate skepticism about herbals in general.  I wish people had more help figuring out whether herbs are preventative or curative, whether they are contraindicated for certain conditions, or safe in combination with their medications. It frustrates me when I see strong medicines, which many herbs are, freely available over the counter, yet CBD is still labeled a "high risk" substance. 

"Immune support" is very confusing idea full of mixed messages that are difficult to sort out without specific training. So, I've decided to begin the complicated explanation, over several blog posts of where to begin, and what to consider when herb shopping.   

When the FDA allowed herbal medicine production and distribution to be freely available, n quite freely. We should be grateful for this, and yet this freedom comes with a cost of a free-for-all in capitalism. In my professional opinion, a lot of what is being placed on the shelves of everyday stores is irresponsible and unregulated unless they are flagged. People are learning techniques improperly on youtube and tiktok that should only be passed down from a professional. Unfortunately due to our current system, we are limited to what we can share online as medical professionals.

In a Chinese medicine perspective, herbs are categorized by their very nature of temperature, taste, meridians, functions, indications, and contraindications. They are combined together to treat a pattern someone presents. Each herb is very different and to me they have a personality like a character out of a story, making each unique and from others in the same category. Some herbs are culinary like cinnamon and ginger but have a very specific function and when used properly can readily repair an imbalance.

Through Chinese theory, when a pathogen attacks the body, it's initially on the exterior. There's a short window when we can kick it out before it enters deeper layers. Usually this first initial stage is a 2-4 day timeline. The herb category is called "Release the exterior" and includes a number of amazing herbs including some you may know like cinnamon and mint. However as we mentioned earlier, each herb has a purpose and not all of these herbs will be good for all exterior conditions. It's not appropriate for me to teach you a bunch of formulas as that takes years. I can lead you in the right direction so you don't make a pathogen worse by taking the wrong herbs. When you get sick there's a timeline and it's my goal for you to understand that there are useful herbs in the initial stage, and other herbs that would be contraindicated at this initial stage.

Imagine you walk into your local health food store, pharmacy, or grocery store and notice an herbal formula for 'immune support' and ask, "would this be good for my sore throat?" Well, it depends on what's in it. Immune support can mean two things: preventative, or helping when your already sick, and they are two opposite kinds of herbs. The herbs for prevention are strengthening, and can make you more sick if you take them when you are already sick! None of this is not explained on the package or common knowledge.

The main thing you need to know is to stop taking most qi, blood, or energy boosting such as adaptogen herbs when your getting sick. Only take the herbs that will kick out the pathogen. You don't want to give your body unnecessary instructions and if you take a tonifying herb like ginseng, it will make your body get sicker! Yes, the saying goes, "don't trap the robber in the house" as taking a tonifying herb will send the wrong signal and do exactly that, trap the pathogen pushing it deeper into the body, usually the lungs. This will commonly lead to a cough or something along those lines. So you're probably wondering, how will I know what herbs to stop taking if I'm sick? Well an umbrella list of herbs would be: panex ginseng, astragalus, ren shen, dang shen, he shou wu, tai zi shen, bai zhu,  chinese yam, tai ji zi, gou ji zi.. exc. However I would not expect anyone to remember this. It's more important to ask, what do I know of that will help me feel better? I can't tell you the Chinese herbs that would be prescribed as there's a lot of variations. However there are some great formulas many people report as helpful called yin qiao and gan mao ling worth looking into. People also common report western herbs like elderberry, osha and echinacea, are excellent and versatile and liked by many. Garlic, ginger, noni and turmeric are popular in Hawai'i. I will be releasing some 'preventative' and 'get better soon' recipes in the future.

If there are more concerning symptoms that might indicate some red flags, it's wise to seek western medical attention. Red flags are symptoms that indicate there is a underlying illness or disease that is serious and requires western medical attention. Call 911 or go to your nearest emergency center if you are experiencing:

Vomiting: blood or bile worsening after 48 hours.

Confusion: or extreme irritability.

Fever: unusual skin rash, severe headache and extreme sensitivity to bright lights.

Abdominal pain: Consistent abdominal pain with bowel issues.

Chest pain: Sudden severe chest pain.

Weight loss: Sudden unexplained weight loss.

Shortness of breath: Unexplained, sudden and severe.

 

Anyone can legally create herbal medicine. You don't need a degree, license, or even take a class indicating you might know some stuff. So I recommend going with trusted companies and looking into them before going off of sleek labels or catchy advertising. When it comes down to who is responsible, in our current era, people lean on western medicine and they are outstanding where is a medical emergency. However people are mostly expected to take their health into their own hands so I am here to help you do that. I want to help put medicine back into the hands of the people and it all starts with understanding basic herbal medicine. 

If in question, talk to your primary care doctor or herbalist.

  by Kasey Adams