Health Notes, August 10th 2008, by Sarah Stacey

HERBAL HEALERS
Barbara Griggs has been researching and writing about herbal medicine for over 30 years: she is truly a ‘green witch’.  To mark the launch of her latest book ‘Helpful Herbs for health and beauty’, I asked her for a rundown of the remedies are in her own herbal medicine chest.  These are the ones she considers indispensable.  Always read the label before using a herbal product and check with your doctor if you are pregnant or on prescription drugs.  All the products listed are available from Victoria Health, www.victoriahealth.com.

Aloe vera  Keep a tube of gel (or the fleshy-leaved plant) handy for minor scalds and to soothe stings and any skin irritation.  Organic Aloe Vera Gel by Optima, £4.99 for 220 ml, click here.

Arnica   The gel was as effective as topical ibuprofen at reducing the pain and improving the flexibility of swollen osteoarthritic hands, in research.  Use on any joint, especially last thing at night to help prevent stiffness on waking, also for bruises, sprains, strains, swelling and fractures – but not on broken skin.  Atrogel (Arnica Gel) by A Vogel, £8.95 for 100 g, click here.

Calendula (marigold)  A tincture of this marvellous remedy helps even raging toothache until you can get to a dentist (soak cotton wool pads in the tincture and pack around the tooth).  Combine it with St Johns wort tincture and water, in equal parts, to dab on shingles lesions.  Calendula ointment is good for piles, as well as tired, aching feet. Calendula Tincture by Nelsons £9.77 for 25 ml; Hypericum Tincture by A Vogel £8.49 for 50 ml; Marigold Ointment by BioHealth £5.40 for 42 g (click on any of those product names, to find them).

Fennel tea  Drink any time for bloating or griping: Italian mammas give it to colicky babies.  Wild Fennel Tea by Dr Stuarts, £3.90 for 100 bags

Ginger  This sovereign remedy for travel sickness has also anecdotally helped migraine; take 500-600mg ginger at the first sign of an attack. Ginger Root tablets by Natures Aid £6.49 for 90 tablets.

Lavender oil  A hot lavender footbath (mix 5 drops essential oil with a little milk and tip in the water) can soothe overtired brains; sip a cup of chamomile tea while you soak.  Also put a drop of oil on your pillow (it will repel mosquitos, too, in the summer).  For wheezing of any kind, including asthma,  mix 10 drops lavender oil to one tablespoonful almond or olive oil as a before-bed chest rub.  Apply neat to minor burns, bites and stings. Lavender Oil by Natural by Nature, £4.25 for 10 ml; Chamomile Tea by Dr Stuarts, £3.90 for 100 bags;  Almond Oil by Natural by Nature, £3.25 for 100 ml

Propolis tincture  This dark sticky resin, gathered by bees to safeguard them from infections, will clear mouth ulcers quickly; apply on a cottonwool bud, repeating several times a day as necessary.  Propolis Tincture by BeeHealth, £4.45 for 30 ml

Rosa Mosqueta oil  Research has shown this oil from the wild roses from the Andes has extraordinary regenerative powers applied nightly to fade scars or alleviate sunburn – and is a wonderful anti-wrinkle treatment. Rosa Mosqueta Oil by Rio Trading, £9.99 for 20 ml

Slippery Elm  Sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome may find this bark extract helps by coating intestinal walls, soothing and healing.  Slippery Elm Capsules by BioHealth £7.60 for 60 capsules.

Tea tree oil  The first choice for obstinate bacterial or fungal infections of the feet, and also effective for the tiny pearly blisters of molluscum contagiosum. Antiseptic Tea Tree Oil by Optima £3.99 for 10 ml

Tormentil Complex this yellow-flowered wild plant provides a marvellous remedy for upset stomachs and traveller’s diarrhoea: I never travel without it.  Take the drops as directed. Tormentil Complex £8.49 for 50 ml

To order Helpful Herbs for Health and Beauty by Barbara Griggs (Infinite Ideas) for £8.57 from Amazon, just click here.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR EYE TESTS 
Following my recent article on the risk of blindness through undiagnosed glaucoma and consultant ophthalmologist Professor Andrew McNaught’s campaign to raise awareness of the need for eye tests for the over 40s, I’m delighted to report that Boots Opticians has responded by rolling out posters across all their practices to remind customers buying Boots Ready Made reading glasses of the importance of regular eye tests.   Hoorah for Boots!

ROSEHIP FOR FIBROMYALGIA
A reader writes that after six weeks of taking Litozin Joint Health, a rosehip extract containing high levels of an anti-inflammatory fatty acid called Gopo, the pain of her fibromyalgia-type symptoms – aching muscles and joints – was significantly better.  £19.95 for 90 capsules, from Victoria Health, click here.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK:  www.thesunflowerjam.com
Angie Buxton-King, author of The NHS Healer, started the Sam Buxton Sunflower Healing Trust in memory of her ten year old son who died of leukaemia in 1998. The annual Sunflower Jam with a star musical line-up, raises funds for this wonderful charity (do also look at the dedicated website www.cancertherapies.org.uk)