BENEFICIAL HERBS
- The best herbal remedy is to use deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). Licorice stimulates the protective factors that prevent ulcer formation. The standard dose is two to four 380-milligram tablets between or twenty minutes before meals for eight to sixteen weeks. Caution: Do not substitute ordinary licorice root for the deglycyrrhizinated variety. Ordinary licorice can elevate blood pressure if used on a daily basis for more than seven days in a row, and should be avoided completely by individuals with high blood pressure.
- Aloe vera speeds healing of damaged tissue. Take 1/2 cup of aloe vera juice or gel daily.
- Gentian root and papaya leaves are very good aids to digestion
- Lemon balm can calm a nervous stomach
- Meadowsweet controls stomach acid and heals the stomach lining
- Calendula and/or marshmallow relieves pain from ulcer irritation. Caution: Do not use calendula during pregnancy
- Peppermint tea can soothe the lining of the digestive tract
- Fennel is an anti-inflammatory that promotes digestion
- Cayenne has been shown to have a healing effect on ulcers
- Irish moss reduces gastric secretions and alleviates peptic and duodenal ulcers
- Ginger root has soothing and mildly stimulating effects on the stomach
- Slippery elm encourages the formation of protective mucus in the stomach, soothes irritated mucous membranes
- Flaxseed tea coats the digestive tract and protects the ulcers from irritation
- White oat bark and/or evening primrose may heal peptic ulcers
- Goldenseal when combined with myrrh relieves discomfort caused by ulcers. Caution: Do not take goldenseal on a daily basis for more than a week at a time, and do not use during pregnancy. Do not give goldenseal to children under two. Do not use goldenseal without consulting a physician if you have had heart disease, diabetes, glaucoma, a stroke, or high blood pressure or if you are allergic to ragweed.
DIET RECOMMENDATIONS
- Include the following in your diet: raw cabbage juice (1 quart daily taken in divided doses), raw potato juice, cabbage, sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, white rice, pasta, bananas, plantains, tea, garlic, hot chili peppers, beans, especially red beans, white beans, corn and unpolished rice. Note: Plantains must be cooked before eating because they are too hard and tough to eat raw. Green plantains are considered more potent medicine for healing ulcers than ripe ones.
- Include fiber in the diet. Increase fiber intake gradually
- Rhubarb or aloe vera preparations can be used to stop the bleeding of an ulcer. Drink 1 liter of aloe vera juice/day when there is active bleeding.
- Avoid the following top stomach acid makers (in order of potency): 1) Milk 2) Beer 3) Kava (low acid coffee) 4) 7-up-sanka (decaffeinated coffee)-5) coffee (with caffeine) 6) tea (with caffeine) 7) Coca-Cola
- Avoid boiling hot liquids. Foods hot in temperature can hurt your stomach
- Limit high sugar foods, which stimulates acid secretion
- Eliminate allergenic foods, especially milk
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTATION
A well balanced diet is a more natural source of nutrients and it is best to get as much as possible from food. If you are not eating a varied mixture of the main food groups or foods high in a certain nutrient needed for your health situation then make up the remaining through vitamin and mineral supplementation.
- Flavonoids: 500 milligrams three times/day
- Zinc: 20-30 milligrams. Caution: Do not exceed a total of 80 milligrams daily from all supplements. Taking over 80 milligrams of zinc daily can weaken the immune system
In some cases, herbal products can interact negatively with other medications. Such interactions can be dangerous. Herbal remedies are not regulated and their quality is not controlled. Moreover, while there is an abundant supply of information circulating about herbs, not much of it has been scientifically proven. Consult your physician. Informing your doctor and pharmacist of what herbal products you are using is just as important as letting them know what drugs you are taking. Your physician and the pharmacist on duty at your pharmacy can assist you in deciding which herbs
are safe.