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| First Aid for Travelers |
| Travelbe it to some exotic location or simply to a neighboring statecan bring its own health hazards. Jet lag, stomach upsets from unfamiliar foods, sunburn, and travel sickness are all too familiar to the traveler. Packing a few essential herbal remedies before you head for the airport can save hours of wasted vacation time searching for pharmacists or seeking professional medical help for minor ills. |
| In less developed countries it is best to avoid eating any raw foods and drinking tap water to reduce the risk of gastric upsets. In hot climates, too much fruit is not a good idea eitherespecially if you are coming from cooler zones. In Chinese terms, most fruit is characterized as yin and is very cooling. Those arriving in the tropics from temperate areas are already sufficiently yin in character so adding more fruit to the system can result in ailments associated with over-chilled stomachs, including diarrhea and abdominal bloating. Wait for a few days to become acclimatized to the new temperatures before gorging on guavas, mangoes, or other exotica. If stomach upsets strike before then, switch to eating papaya (Carica papaya)a traditional and effective remedy for stomach ills used throughout the Far East. |
| Fortunately, if you are traveling in Europe, even if you forget to pack essential herbs, they will probably be available in local health food stores and pharmacies. Homeopathic remedies are readily available in European pharmacies and the botanical Latin names for tinctures or dried herbs will be the same in any language. |
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