Ulcer Tea: Boil tea or soak, weigh herbs or measure?
I am trying the suggested ulcer tea:
40% marshmallow root (I have only powder)
30% peppermint (I have spearmint leaves chopped, not powder)
15% canedula (flowers, not powder)
15% yarrow (chopped, not powder)
Do I weigh each on a scale (if I have one), and how do I put in the marshmallow powder as it is not in chunks like the rest. The flowers are about four times fluffier than the yarrow. Do I fill half the jar with the above and add boiled water? I’m not sure I have enough product to have even one pot of tea.
I have ulcers. My Chinese doctors (yes, two now) don’t really do herbs, I think something about being sued in this state. I have in their terminology is kidney Chi deficiency, spleen chi deficiency, liver blood deficiency and stasis. I have “Healing With Whole Food” by Pickford, and look up what to eat based on this diagnosis.
I am basically starving to death — I eat, but nothing gets absorbed into my body. My skin and body is dry and doesn’t even feel like my own skin, but my great grandmother’s. I am also bleeding internally, although not enough to need a blood transfusion yet. It is possible to cure from this slowly, but not under all this severe isolation stress.
My doctor suggested I follow one of the following, I was thinking of the first one, nux vomica, and the above ulcer tea:
https://www.drhomeo.com/homeopathic-treatment/homeopathic-medicines-for-stomach-ulcers/
Comments
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Here's how the respected Mayo Clinic sums up treatments for peptic (stomach) ulcers.
- Antibiotic medications, to kill the H. pylori that is the root cause of stomach ulcers
Other medications that:
- Block acid production and promote healing
- Reduce acid production (i.e., acid blockers, also called histamine (H-2) blockers)
- Protect the lining of your stomach and small intestine
Also antacids that neutralize stomach acid; they can provide symptom relief but generally aren't used to heal your ulcer.
So in looking at medicines to treat your ulcers, you are looking for things that do one or more of the things listed above. I don't know which category the ulcer tea would fall.
However, you may need antibiotics that kill off the H. pylori bacteria to truly heal the ulcers, and that would mean going beyond herbal medicine.
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@heirlooms777 The recipe you have for ulcer tea looks like a good one on the surface but it should be more explicit as to how to combine the ingredients. What is the source for this recipe?
Oregon Grape Root is a herb that will help eliminate H. pylori, if that is the cause of your ulcers. Its also a bitter, assisting with digestion and the improvement of bile production (necessary for digestion). Bitters are a great thing to take for digestive issues but you need to screen the ingredients for ones that may be contraindicated in your case. An herbalist could help with that.
Something with turmeric might help ease the inflammation of your ulcers. Golden Mylk would be the way I might go with that.
My naturopath diagnosed me with spleen chi deficiency a couple of years ago and gave me a commercial product that had 4 or 5 different herbs in a tincture. It worked very well and the symptoms I went in for disappeared within a few days. So there are products out there that can be taken for those deficiencies that you have listed. A naturopath or TCM doc should be able to prescribe those for you. Not sure how your Chinese docs are practising if they aren't prescribing herbs cause that is what TCM is based on.
Antacids do give temporary relief but I'm assuming from previous posts that they aren't working. Antacids often aren't the best thing. They prevent the production of stomach acid but that is precisely what is needed for optimal digestion.
As to the homeopathic remedies listed in the article you have quoted, they are all recommended for stomach ulcers but you should have assistance choosing the right one for you. There are many others that may be a better match than what has been listed in the article. For example, my homeopathic repertory program lists 160 remedies for stomach ulcers.
To help with absorption of nutrients, nourishing herbal infusions are highly recommended. For these, you need a full weighed ounce of herbs in a quart jar with boiling water poured over and steeped for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight. Then strain and drink throughout the day. There are many choices to help with vitamin and mineral absorption. Stinging nettle, linden, oatstraw (or milky oats), raspberry leaf, red clover, burdock and alfalfa would all be good choices. Alfalfa is high in Vitamin K which is recommended for cases of malabsorption. It will also assist with internal bleeding. That's a pretty serious condition, even if you aren't in need of a transfusion. Stinging nettle will help replace iron that you may be losing through blood loss.
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Thank you, @Torey, this is helpful. I took notes during an herbalist’s advanced class, and spoke with my Chinese doctor. I am also seeing a second Chinese doctor who supposedly is known for the gut / central area, and hopefully I will meet soon a local herbalist, as in this state acupuncture Chinese doctors are not allowed to diagnose or give out herbs, which seems odd to me. I have local organic alfalfa hay from a friend for my rabbits from a friend / farmer. Could I do something with that, like wash it and make a tea? What is the best way to prepare stinging nettle and such? Do I make everything in a hot tea? How much?
I am trying to decide if I should go to the monastery to heal. This might require loosing my angora rabbits (I have eight), as i think might be too far to take them with.
—Christina
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@torey When you say ounce would that mean each herb, or all the herb’s together? What herbalist school(s) do you recommend? I would like to take classes if possible. —Christina
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First, with regards to the nourishing herbal infusions. They are usually taken one herb at a time, although there are recipes out there that use combinations.
Susun Weed was one of the first to promote nourishing herbal infusions. This is a link to one of her blog articles in which she talks about the 5 primary herbs she uses along with a list of secondary herbs that she might also take. Full descriptions on the properties of each herb and how to prepare them.
This is an e-book from Rosalee de la Foret with a list of 11 different herbs to use.
This is an e-book from Bear Roots Forest Apothecary.
Herb Schools: There are so many to choose from. But I would start with the courses here at TGN's Academy. They have a lot of great info. Home Medicine 101. Making Herbal Medicines. Herbal Energetics. If you are going to be wildcrafting for your medicines, then there are two courses to expand on that. Exploring Botany. Wildcrafting and Foraging.
The Homegrown Herbalist Online School of Botanical Medicine. Doc Jones is an amazing herbalist (and naturopath and vet). He is affiliated with TGN and offers a course in herbal medicine. https://homegrownherbalist.net/about-the-school/
Beyond that here is a list that you could look into:
The Science and Art of Herbalism. Rosemary Gladstar is a well known and highly respected herbal teacher. You can access her books and the course "The Science and Art of Herbalism" at this link. https://scienceandartofherbalism.com/
Learning Herbs. They have a lot of free info on this site. https://learningherbs.com/ Click on courses. They are affiliated with Rosalee de la Foret and often sponsor and promote classes that she offers. They also have a link to the next one (Herbal First Aid) listed below.
Northeast School of Botanical Medicine. 7Song is the herbalist. His courses are in person but he has a tremendous amount of info on his site. https://7song.com/ He has also put together a free course in Herbal First Aid which can be accessed through YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ65qItKwpGqY9d_9EFglJA Handouts that accompany these videos can be found on his main website.
Herbal Academy. A variety of stand-alone courses as well as full programs. They currently have a 20% off sale on all courses. https://theherbalacademy.com/herbalism-courses/
The American College of Healthcare Sciences. They offer several programs in different healing modalities. https://achs.edu/
Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. The owner/teacher has just written a book. If you purchase it, you will get access to one of her courses for free along with other bonus'. https://chestnutherbs.com/ They also have published a free guide to educational opportunities including a list of schools and programs for people who are just getting started. https://chestnutherbs.com/budding-herbalist-guide/
With regards to other herbal schools or programs, because I am in Canada I took training at both Dominion Herbal College and Wild Rose College. I'll leave links for both. One of the benefits of Wild Rose is that you can take some individual courses that will act as credits if you should decided to take one of their full programs; Practical Herbalist, Master Herbalist or Clinical Herbalist. They have sales of up to 25% off tuition once or twice a year. And our dollar is worth much less than yours right now, too.
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I understand now why your docs aren't allowed to use herbs. TCM docs have a full range of treatments and herbs that they can use. Acupuncture is one of those modalities within TCM, but as licensed acupuncturists are only trained in acupuncture, that is all they are allowed to do. You would have to seek out someone who has full Traditional Chinese Medicine credentials.
With regards to the first recipe on your list. Was this intended to be a tea or a bitters formula made into a tincture? It looks like an excellent combination for a bitters tincture. That is how I would do it. So, by weight. And then add 5 times as much alcohol by volume as dried herbs by weight. Even though they are listed by percentage, you could alter that to be weight. I'd do it in grams. That would total 100 grams for this formula, so you would need to add 500 ml (2 cups) of alcohol. Let this steep for 1 month, strain and bottle. Bitters are generally taken in dropper doses before meals. It could be added to a small amount of water if it is too bitter straight up.
For the ulcer tea, it will be more difficult to do this by weight cause of the difference in structural weight between the ingredients. Yarrow is a lot "fluffier" than marshmallow root. But they are all excellent stomach ingredients. A good way to do this one at home would be to use 1/2 Tbsp marshmallow with 1 tsp each of the other ingredients to about 1 1/2 cups of water. If you want to do a cold infusion with the marshmallow, do it first with about 1/2 cup lukewarm (not cold) water and let steep for 4 hours. Then do a hot infusion with the remaining ingredients. Combine when finished. Or you could simply make a marshmallow infusion and drink it separately from the hot infusion.
I'm not sure about the alfafa hay. Even though it is organic, there may be other things in the mix. Its very difficult to get hay that doesn't have some other sorts of grasses that have managed to get into the field. If there were other grasses or grains in the mix (even organic) they might be OK for bunnies, but they could aggravate your stomach. I would have to say from safety's sake that you buy something that has been grown for human consumption.
I think your questions on stinging nettle and hot teas will be answered in the nourishing herbal infusions post.
Let me know if I have missed any of your questions. Or if you have more.
Hope you start to feel better soon.
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@heirlooms777 In your recipe, is that calendula? I want to be sure before I edit it for clarity.
Thanks!
You have some excellent advice here. I hope you can feel better soon.
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I think you've gotten some excellent advice above, so I won't add to that -- I just wanted to let you know that my heart is going out to you and I am wishing you speedy and full healing, and strength during the process. Hugs.
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@Torey @VermontCathy @LaurieLovesLearning @Merin Porter @Marjory Wildcraft
okay, friends, MY SKIN IS SOFT AGAIN! This is the first sign that I am getting better instead of worse in over a year. Thank you all! @Torey , I think you and your research are amazing. Would like to be my teacher? :))
Have a great day everyone!
Christina
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@heirlooms777 I'm so happy you are starting to see improvement. Keep going!
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Very glad you are starting to feel a bit better @heirlooms777.
In addition to TGN's Academy, you can also learn a lot about herbal medicine from the discussions here on TGN. There are a couple of specific threads with regards to courses including a synopsis done by @judsoncarroll4 on Michael Moore's teachings through the SWSBM. Judson has given some good insights into Michael's classes (which unfortunately no longer seem to be available through SWSBM although his research papers are still accessible). I did a synopsis on 7Song's Herbal First Aid course.
I am very happy to answer any questions you have about herbs and herbal medicine.
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Great list of herb schools and courses- thanks.
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@Torey I thought all of the recipes were for water based, but I could be wrong. I am having trouble deciding what to do next. I feel I have been strong enough to take supplements for a long time. I notice oils in my urine, which I think means that I’m not absorbingthe oils. I have too many things to take and I’m not sure what is helping the most. The tea seems too much at times, and I might be tired of taking it; I’m not sure how to measure, right now I just eyeballing it. I don’t know what the Chinese tablets do, but I can tell it is helping. They are like little candies, is that healthy? I see my acupuncturist today, so I can ask.
I am trying everything. I put some digestzen on my stomach and took a pill of it. I tried oregano tablets. I am trying to eat garlic cloves. I have a powder mixture that has aloe in it, that has helped relieve pain this whole time, but it doesn’t seem to work as well as before. I have SBI powder, whatever that is. Some Enzymes seem to help. I have one enzyme for just absorbing fat around my home somewhere, that is perhaps how I noticed I had a problem. After the flu two Januarys ago when I was staying a a monastery in the desert, my skin was dry and just really painful, and I started taking this enzyme for absorption of oil. In general, I have trouble absorbing nutrition. I am trying to eat more colors and finish up any good quality multivitamins (I want to stop taking vitamins and eventually just focus on food), but I only took one and I don’t know if I can handle supplements right now. ALA seemed to help in the past. This peppermint oil in a thick capsule from the GI doctor actually seems to help (the original pain is above the belly button, to the right, under the rib cage, and I heard the peppermint oil is best for below the belly button pain, but I think it could be helpful). I just have too many ideas and I think need to focus. How does a person focus, and on what?
Instead of the tea combined, should I make a tea of each item separately?
here is the suggested ulcer tea again:
40% marshmallow root (I have only powder)
30% peppermint (I have spearmint leaves chopped, not powder)
15% canedula (flowers, not powder)
15% yarrow (chopped, not powder)
I feel like I am starting to understand this pain a little, like I ate a piece of dark chocolate, and now it is 3 am and I feel bad in the whole stomach — but not too much in that area right side of stomach area under my rib cage. I think that is improvement.
How would you focus? Thanks!
—Christina
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@heirlooms777 The world of health care (no matter which path you follow) is certainly a complicated one. It sounds as though you don't have any one particular practitioner that you trust completely. That is an important component.
I always start any of my herbal medicine classes by suggesting that very thing; that everyone find a practitioner of some kind that they can trust. It might be a medical doc or someone who practices in another field. Sometimes you may need more than one. I personally don't have a medical doc (they are in very short supply here) but I do have a naturopath, a homeopath and a massage therapist. I also have a circle of herbalist friends that I regularly consult with. And I know other alternative practitioners in various modalities (Reiki, Reflexology, EFT, Shiatsu, etc.) should I feel that I need that sort of treatment. You really need someone to help you navigate the complicated world of matching herbs or combinations of herbs & treatment plans.
It sounds a bit like you are using the "shotgun" method of treatment. Throwing everything at the problem in hopes that something will help. Its understandable when you are suffering so much. An herbalist or other alternative practitioner would be able to assist with putting things in perspective and determining which herb(s) or treatment(s) are working. I don't like to give too many things at one time so we can figure out which are working. Sometimes too many combinations can contradict each other. I'm not sure what some of the things are that you have mentioned.
You are correct about the peppermint oil capsules. They are meant to dissolve in the intestinal tract, not the stomach, usually prescribed for cases of IBD or IBS. So if you're issue is in your stomach, the peppermint may not assist.
The reason I thought that one of the preparations you listed was a tincture in alcohol (the bitters formula) was because of the Oregon Grape root component. While it can be made into a tea, the berberine isn't as soluble in water and really needs to be tincture to have the best effect.
With your description of where the pain is, have you had kidney, liver and/or gallbladder tests done?
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@Torey My MD is a well known MD and has her own vitamin pharmacy, which is overpriced and quite frankly I didn’t have such pain until she insisted on an antibiotic and an acid blocker — I don’t take western medicine unless I am dying, but I did it to “balance the good and bad bacteria in the gut” after a stool test. I have had agonizing pain since. Then she prescribed oregano tablets and magnesium, giving me diarrhea for two weeks, in bed much of that time, and her nurse kept calling to say to keep taking it. We later discovered it was causing the diarrhea. I don’t trust this woman.
I have a Traditional Chinese doctor, Dr Irv, who I trust. Dr Irv directed to one time see the above doctor’s TCD (I went last week). Dr Irv also gave me the name of a local herbalist, who has not returned my call. There is a herbal school in my state that diagnose but they haven’t returned my calls since I filled out their form.
The GI doctor suggested that I go to the ER because I had dark spongy stool. The stool is fine again and the ER doctor said that I was normal.
I don’t think Western medicine can even help this problem.
Rest seems to help, breathing deeply. Eating before bed, even something small, hurts it (I’m in pain now in the morning), but if I don’t eat the acid or whatever hurts.
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@heirlooms777 My best suggestion for you at this point is to get your doc to run tests on your liver, kidneys and gallbladder. All three of these organs can affect your digestion and how your body processes waste. Even if you think that western medicine can't help at this point, they can do diagnostic tests that will help alternative practitioners choose appropriate herbs or other treatments for you.
I'm surprised that your medical doc would have prescribed oregano oil. There are other products that she could have used if she knows anything at all about herbal medicine. Magnesium can often cause diarrhea. Something else that she should have clued in on.
I hope that your herbalist contact gets in touch with you sooner rather than later. Herb schools that do diagnosis and treatment plans are often quite busy at student clinics, so it may take a bit of time to get an appointment.
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If you have gastric ulcers, Life Extension's "Gastro-Ease" contains a probiotic (Lactobacillus reuteri) that kills off H. pylori. I tried changing my diet and taking aloe vera gel and licorice root, which soothed the stomach. But Gastro-Ease solved the problem totally within a couple of months. I haven't had the courage to try eating hot peppers, but have started eating onions, tomatoes, garlic, etc. in small quantities without any problems.
I hope this helps!
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Thank you, @cali che , I will try it
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I woke this morning with my lower stomach spasming and a bad friend yelling at me for being sick (strange person). The pain area does not hurt, but my stomach is literally shaking. I ate a little Greek soup after Pascha last night, about 3 am. Could it be the soup and bread? It was not much, but at an odd hour. Do you know anything about spasms? I took a IB guard (peppermint oil in a capsule that I guess helps bellow bellybutton area). —Christina
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@heirlooms777 I am no doctor and healers are not allowed in Austria. I am just a herbal teacher with a great interest in alternative medicine and healthy way of life. And this is not a prescription. Just a reflection on your problems. I think you have to clean yourself from all the stuff you are putting into yourself as a start. And for that I would do some proper fasting. If you cannot live without any food, just try a very light chicken (100% organic) broth without anything in, or vegetable broth to turn your inside into a more alkaline environment. And drinking some very soothing herbal teas like daisy flowers or hollyhock petals, or calendula petals to sooth your agitated inside.
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@heirlooms777 From what you have been describing in this and another post, it could be almost anything that is aggravating your system.
I'm not sure that there is much more I can assist with. It is very difficult trying to assess a condition and make suggestions via an open forum over the internet. I am also very limited in the fact that I am in a different country so there are legalities to be concerned with. I don't have insurance to practice outside of Canada.
My hope is that you will be able to connect with an herbalist or other practitioner that is close enough to you to do an in-person assessment and develop an appropriate treatment plan with regular follow-ups. I know it can be a challenge to find someone (alternative practitioners tend to not be as public as main stream docs), particularly one that is close enough to you to build up trust with. But have faith, they are out there. Please keep trying to find someone that you can work with on a more personal basis to assist you on your healing journey.
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@jowitt.europe @Torey thank you so much! This is the most amazing information, and very helpful. I have two more ultrasounds tomorrow back to back with my GI doctor, my Chinese doctor told me to get more sleep (and go back to my schedule, we had an all night Pascha service last night). I asked the herbalist to see me. And now I have a list of schools to look into. I have watched a ton of amazing videos here and I am floored. Thank you everyone!
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One test came back, one of the organs to come soon.
Elivated
Velocities
In the celiac artery “
Small blockage
increased pressure , suggest stenosis
Possible Artery hardened or plack buildup
It is Like high blood pressure but in one artery going to the stomach that we know of
Surgery might be suggested
GI doesn’t know , I have to see another specialist
I won’t do surgery
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And now, they are saying the above diagnosis is wrong. Back to square one….
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For schooling, what does everyone recommend to start? —Christina
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@heirlooms777 I would answer by saying that you need to start with a simple course to understand the very basics. I would say to take some basic courses first before diving headlong into anything. A beginning herbalist mini course would be a good place to begin. Herbal Academy has a good one. I signed up for that in their trial period for that course. I'm sure other schools will have similar.
You could also sign up to Learning Herbs. There is much to learn through them. You don't get certified or anything through that, but it is a monthly payment that is really minimal when you consider what you will learn. I have that as an ongoing learning tool. You get to learn from many top herbalists.
It really is up to you what school you choose and what your immediate goal is. Being familiar with the basics and common plants that you have in your backyard is absolutely a great place to start. Get to know those one by one... each one very well before you move on to the next, and learn how to use them properly.
It's always good to start collecting herbal books, as you can, by respected herbalists. You can find a list of some of these under our Resources category.
I have not done any official full year herbal school classes yet. Many herbal schools are good. It is really a choice that should be which one feels like a fit for you.
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