Herbal Remedies for Inflammatory Response

By Marcelina Hardy,

Joint pain can keep you from doing the activities you love. And popping over-the-counter pills every few hours isn’t fun either. There may be hope for inflammatory response sufferers though. Herbal remedies may help those who have inflammatory pain.

The Story Behind the Immune Response
When your body encounters a foreign substance, your immune system attacks it. It’s what protects your body so it doesn’t become injured or ill. These foreign substances are bacterium, viruses and other antibodies.

So how does your immune system know that these foreign substances are toxic? They have a signal called antigens. These antigens, which are molecules on the surface of the substances, are chemicals that the immune system uses to locate and then identify its toxicity. This is the immune response. The immune system goes out searching for these chemicals on the substances, finds them and then kills the substances; mission complete.

However, sometimes, the immune response fails and an inflammatory response occurs.

The Process of the Inflammatory Response
When the immune system fails to identify or destroy a foreign substance, injury may result. The toxin may cause cell damage, tissue swelling or inflammation.

The reason why your tissues swell is actually another protective response of your body (the inflammatory response). Attacked cells quarantine themselves by sending out chemicals to induce the swelling. The swelling stops the toxins from spreading and moving on to other cells and other bodily tissue.

The cells also send out the call to white blood cells (phagocytes). They help repair the damage that the foreign bodies have done and clean up the mess of dead cells. This way, new cells can regenerate and thrive.

While the inflammatory response is positive because it stops the process of your whole body being attacked by infection, the swelling can be painful. Some people’s immune system have a much harder time keeping up with the toxins that enter their body. Their inflammatory response is much more active as a result, and thus, causes more pain. This is why, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) have come up with a syndrome for it.

Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
The ACCP and SCCM, defined SIRS in 1992. The symptoms included in this definition have to include at least two or more of the following according to eMedicine from Medscape:

• Fever between 38 degrees Celsius to 36 degrees Celsius (97 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Heart rate of 90 beats per minute
• 20 breaths per minute or PACO2 level of less than 32 mm Hg
• Abnormal white blood cell count

They also wanted to include cases in which the inflammatory response was caused by ischemia, trauma or other causes other than infection from toxins.

Herbal Remedies for Healthy Inflammatory Response
Many inflammatory response sufferers take over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen. However, these drugs can sometimes have undesirable long-terms side effects. To avoid these drugs, many individuals turn to natural remedies such as turmeric, ginger, boswellin and other combination remedies.

Turmeric
According to Dr. Weil, a leader in herbal remedy advice, turmeric is a good inflammartory herb. He says that individuals with arthritis, tendonitis and autoimmune conditions may find benefit from this remedy by taking 400 to 600 mg three times a day. He does advise that it may take at least two months for it to work.

DO NOT TAKE: If you are pregnant, have gallstones or bile duct dysfunction.

Ginger
According to two studies mentioned on the Web site, The World’s Healthiest Foods, three quarters of arthritis patients and all patients with muscular discomfort reported being free from pain and swelling when taking ginger supplements.

Dr Weil also recommends ginger for a health inflammatory response. It might take up to two month before you’ll notice a difference with this remedy and you’ll have to take one to two capsules, or 500 to 1000 mg, twice a day.

Boswellin
Boswellin, used in Ayurvedic medicine, may support healthy joints. It’s known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Dr. Weil recommends it as well with two capsules twice a day.

Combination Herbal Remedy
If you’re looking for an herbal remedy that includes a combination of herbs, you may want to look into Zyflamend by New Chapter. It has many of anti-inflammatory herbs mentioned above along with other possible healthful joint and cardiovascular proponents such as holy basil, green tea, rosemary, Hu Zhang, Chinese goldthread and Barberry, oregano and Baikak Skullcap.

Seek Doctor’s Recommendations
Before starting any herbal remedy, please discuss it with your doctor. Just because herbs are natural does not mean they do not have side effects or that they don’t interact with other prescription drugs. Call or visit your doctor before you begin taking any of these or other herbal remedies.

Sources: http://www.evitamins.com/a/herbal-remedies-inflammatory-response-100#.VHk9oWfaIyk

Top 4 herbs that lower blood pressure quickly

High blood pressure is a particularly scary health condition to have. Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure often has no symptoms at all, so an individual might not realize just how unhealthy they are until they go for a routine checkup at their physician and discover that they have high blood pressure. To make matters worse, many of the medications that are typically prescribed for this condition can have side effects that are unpleasant or that affect the individual's quality of life. Use the following herbs to add incredible flavor to meals while also reducing blood pressure quickly.

Ginkgo biloba

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), Ginkgo biloba could be responsible for thinning the blood and dilating the blood vessels, making the blood circulate more easily. In addition, Ginkgo biloba is also high in antioxidants. Called terpenoids and flavonoids, these substances have been shown to lower blood pressure as well as improve heart health, according to the UMMC.

Hawthorn

The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook touts the health benefits of this herb. Hawthorn aids in supporting the overall health of the cardiovascular system by strengthening the walls of the heart as well as acting as a tonic for the organ. According to the authors of the aforementioned book, hawthorn can also be used to reduce blood pressure when it is taken as directed. However, the authors do caution that a doctor's supervision should be sought when it comes to taking this herb as a method of improving heart health.

Rauwolfia serpentina

Also called Indian snakeroot, Rauwolfia serpentina has been used for years as a traditional medication to treat a number of ailments related to the heart. It is used to improve cardiovascular health while also lowering blood pressure. This herb contains high levels of alkaloid reserpine, a powerful compound that helps regulate heart function. It is particularly useful when high blood pressure or other heart issues are the result of anxiety and stress.

Garlic

Though listed last, garlic is by far not the least of these herbals powerhouses. Long known to be highly effective for a number of medicinal purposes, its many benefits are still being discovered. Recently, research conducted by the University of Berlin made a connection between garlic and the removal of nanoplaque. Nanoplaque is a substance that can be deposited on cell walls, resulting in the clogging of the arteries and leading to a condition called atherosclerosis. Garlic can help prevent blood clots, lower cholesterol and relieve hypertension.

For those people who have a family history of high blood pressure, or who want to help ensure that their hypertension does not get worse, adding the above herbs to their diet might be able to help.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/047299_blood_pressure_herbal_remedies_cardiovascular_health.html#ixzz3Gftq12Cb