Chickenpox

LaurieLovesLearning

Well, this has appeared in our household. I am glad it finally showed up. I've been waiting for it to appear over 20 years.

@hedgehog girl is uncomfortable today. The spots started to show yesterday.

We are looking up soothing things to use and we can go through my new herbal books. Actually, she took the initiative. A few other suggestions were found online, but I don't have most of those herbs on hand.

@torey I am curious and have found nothing specific on it for chickenpox, but I have jewel weed salve & also chickweed-plantain that I think could be helpful for the itch considering its actions. Do you think this will do anything for the itchy spots?

Torey

@LaurieLovesLearning and @hedgehog girl. How exciting!

Chickweed/Plantain salve will be excellent. Cooling and soothing. I'm not as familiar with using Jewelweed but it is a good idea, especially if it starts looking like a poison ivy rash.

This is an excerpt from an article on oats by the Herbal Academy for use in cases of chicken pox. "Tie a muslin bag (or a clean sock) full of oats in the running stream of bathwater to add milky emollients to the water, and then squeeze the oat milk from the bag directly onto your skin, rubbing gently."

This is another way of doing it. Boil 2 cups of oats in 6 cups of water till it thickens. Pour this into a bag or sock and place in the bath water.

Oatstraw or milky oats nourishing herbal infusions would help soothe the nerves and make you feel less "irritated". Or a tincture if you have it.

KP Khalsa recommends a wash of lemon balm. Lemon Balm is antiviral with a particular affinity for anything in the Herpes viral family. You could take it internally in tea form as well. And its just nice.

A poultice or wash with bee balm would be soothing. Yarrow would help if the blisters are oozing much.

A wash of ACV in water (50/50) will help with itching and also is nice as a cooling agent for fevers.

Once the blisters are healing (scabbing), you could apply a calendula salve to promote healing and prevent scarring.

Here is one just for interest's sake. You posted about foxtail causing abscesses, so here is a medicinal use. naturalmedicinalherbs.net says that Shortawn Foxtail is useful in the treatment of chicken pox. No instructions, though. Possibly a wash? I am just starting to learn more about the grass family. Quite a few seem to have a relation with the skin.

Hopefully you have something from the above selection at home that will also support your family as you go through this. But definitely yes on the chickweed/plantain.

Michelle D

@LaurieLovesLearning and @hedgehog girl how is everyone feeling?

RustBeltCowgirl

Just a reminder that the chicken pox virus will lay dormant in the body and can trigger Shingles later in life.

LaurieLovesLearning

@Michelle D She's doing much better today. It was a matter of being more annoying than anything. It was pretty mild. No other kids have had it appear yet.

@RustBeltCowgirl I am aware. That's a good reminder. Did you know that drinking lemon balm tea is a good preventative for that?