NUTRITION Q&A
with Linda White, M.D.
Question:
What preventive measures can I suggest during flu season?
Answer:
People can't avoid coming in contact with influenza, but if they treat symptoms promptly with the following antiviral and immune-boosting herbs, they might have an easier time of it.
Several lab studies indicate that the various echinacea species (E. angustifolia, E. pallida and E. purpurea) stimulate white blood cell activity, increase the body's production of the natural antiviral substance interferon and inhibit influenza viruses.
For instance, in a German clinical trial, researchers randomly assigned 180 people who had the flu to take either placebo, 450 mg (90 drops) a day of an E. purpurea root alcohol extract or 900 mg a day of the extract. The 450-mg dose proved no more effective than placebo. Those taking 900 mg a day, however, reported a significant reduction in flu symptoms such as weakness, chills, sweating, sore throat, headaches, and muscle and joint aches.1
Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) also eases flu symptoms. In a trial of 27 recently infected people, 93.3 percent of those who took elderberry extract (two tablespoons a day for children, four for adults) were much improved after two days, compared with 25 percent of the placebo group.2
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) boosts the body's production of interferon, inhibits several types of viruses, soothes irritated mucous membranes and promotes expectoration. An animal study also shows it improves outcome after exposure to an influenza virus.3
Question:
What remedies might fight recurrent cold sores?
Answer:
Several remedies help heal cold sores caused by the herpes simplex virus.
In a clinical trial, 116 people with either cold sores or genital herpes applied a cream containing a 1-percent lemon balm extract five times daily. Nearly 96 percent of the patients had healed lesions after eight days, compared with the 10 to 14 days the lesions take to heal naturally.6
At the first tingling of a cold sore, customers can take lemon balm, licorice and garlic (Allium sativum) internally and begin frequent topical applications of lemon balm, either as a commercial cream or a compress made from the tea; licorice either as a compress or a commercial gel that contains glycyrrhetinic acid; or St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) as an oil or ointment. Test-tube studies show these substances inhibit the virus. The key to success is prompt, frequent treatment.
Vitamin C and zinc have also shown activity against the virus. When patients applied an ascorbic acid-containing solution to their cold sores at frequent intervals, their symptoms were significantly reduced and their lesions healed faster than persons treated with placebo.7 Another placebo-controlled study found 79 people who applied zinc sulfate gel to cold sores had reduced symptoms and quicker healing.8
Question:
Are there safe treatments for colicky infants?
Answer:
Although no universal cure exists, various strategies bring relief to some babies. Many of them involve basic baby-care techniques such as swaddling, holding the baby when she cries, and keeping her head higher than her stomach during feedings.
If those comfort measures fail, a baby may have food allergies. One controlled study found that colic symptoms dropped by 39 percent when 38 bottle-fed babies drank a special predigested formula or mothers of 77 breast-fed infants avoided common food allergens such as milk, eggs, wheat and preservatives.4
Although most practitioners hesitate to recommend internal use of herbs for infants under six months, treating colic is an exception. A study of 68 colicky infants compared a placebo liquid with an herb tea made from chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), vervain (Verbena officinalis), licorice, fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) and lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). During each colic episode, parents offered their baby the placebo or the tea—up to 5 oz at a time, but not more than three times a day. The tea eliminated colic in 57 percent of the infants, whereas placebo treatment helped only 26 percent.5
Other time-honored herbs for treating colic are catnip (Nepeta cataria), dill seeds (Anethum graveolens), anise (Pimpinella anisum) and caraway (Carum carvi), all of which help expel intestinal gas and relax smooth muscles. The usual dosage is roughly 1 oz of a mild infusion with each feeding. Nursing mothers can drink about 8 oz of the same brew three times a day, thereby passing the herbal constituents on to their babies.
Linda White, M.D., is a freelance writer and the coauthor of Kids, Herbs and Health (Interweave Press, 1999).
References
1. Bodinet C, et al. Host-resistance increasing activity of root extracts from echinacea species. Planta Medica 1993;59 (Suppl):A672.
2. Zakay-Rones Z, et al. Inhibition of several strains of influenza virus in vitro and reduction of symptoms by an elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra) during an outbreak of influenza in Panama. J Alternative and Complementary Med 1995;1(4):361-9.
3. Utsunomiya T, et al. Glycyrrhizin, an active component of licorice roots, reduces morbidity and mortality of mice infected with lethal doses of influenza virus. Antimicrobial Agents Chemother 1997;41:551-6.
4. Hill DJ, et al. A low allergen diet is a signifi- cant intervention in infantile colic: results of a community-based study. J Allergy and Clin Immunol 1995;96:886-92.
5. Weizman Z, et al. Efficacy of herbal tea preparation in infantile colic. J Pediatrics 1993;122:650-2.
6. Wobling RH, Leonhardt K. Local therapy of herpes simplex with dried extract from Melissa officinalis. Phytomedicine 1994;1:24-31.
7. Hovi T, et al. Topical treatment of recurrent mucocutaneous herpes with ascorbic acid-containing solution. Antiviral Res 1995;27:263-70.
8. Kneist W, et al. Clinical double-blind trial of topical zinc sulfate for herpes labialis recidivans. Arzneimittelforschung 1995;45:524-6.
