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Page 69
| ful for combating diarrhea. Take two 200-mg echinacea capsules up to three times a day while symptoms last to counter infection. Slippery elm gruel (p.38) will help to soothe inflammation in the gut as well as provide necessary nutrients; drink a cup three times a day. |
| Gastric flu and stomach chills can also lead to diarrhea. Again symptoms are likely to be short-lived; using these same astringent teas, combined with anti-infection herbs like echinacea and garlic, can help. |
| Regular diarrhea can often be stress-related; in severe cases it can take the form of ulcerative colitis, which needs professional treatment. The sort of increased frequency and loose stools that are so common before exams or job interviews can be soothed by chamomile tea (1 teaspoon to a cup of water). |
| Tea for Nervous Diarrhea |
| 3 parts meadowsweet |
| 2 parts lemon balm |
| 1 part skullcap |
| Mix the herbs and use 2 teaspoons to a cup of boiling water. Drink up to 3 cups a day. |
| Earache |
| Earache can be an extremely painful and distressing condition, especially in children, and needs great care in home treatment as infection can lead to perforated ear drums and the risk of permanent hearing damage. The cause is usually an acute local infection that can be related to sinus or catarrhal problems; the anticatarrhal tea and steam inhalants suggested for catarrh (see p. 63) can often help. |
| If there is any discharge or possibility that the eardrum has burst then seek immediate medical help. |
| For minor cases, where there is no risk that the eardrum has perforated, ear drops using infused St. John's wort oil are safe to use. Put a few drops in the ear and then insert a cotton ball. Repeat three or four times a day as needed. Massaging the mastoid bone (behind the ear) with antiseptic oils can also help. Use 10 drops of lavender oil in a teaspoon of almond or vegetable oil, or 2 drops of tea tree oil applied directly. A traditional cure was to insert the |
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