Tonsillitus

Tonsillitis

Although I frequently had trouble with my tonsils when I was a kid, my mother never had them taken out, in spite of pressure from the M.D.'s she consulted. But when my younger brother came along, she followed the doctors' advice.

Brother Dan's tonsils came out. He then faced a constant round of allergies and infections. Were these problems caused by his genes? I doubt it. Could it have had something to with his tonsillectomy? I'll never know for sure, but I suspect that it may have beeen a factor. Doctors now know that tonsils do help fight off infections. And medical opinion now holds that far too many tonsils were removed back in the days when my brother had his taken out.

I still get infections in my tonsils. Would I be better off without them? I can't say for sure, but I do thank my mom for leaving them where they belong.

Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils, the small round lymph glands sitting on the sides of the throat. It occurs most frequently in children under nine. Usually the tonsils become inflamed because they have been exposed to infection-causing microorganisms, frequently streptococcal bacteria or a virus. If you have tonsillitis, you should see a doctor for treatment. It's especially important to treat a strep infection with antibiotics because this kind of infection can lead to a heart-damaging bout of rheumatic fever.

Green Pharmacy for Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis--and inflammation of the related glands, the adenoids--shows that the body is defending itself from infection. Here are the herbs that can help fight off the infection and soothe the inflammation.

Echinacea (Echinacea, various species). Herbs that enhance immunity are useful in almost all infections. Echinacea, also known as coneflower, is a fine one, according to many European studies. Echinacea stimulates phagocytosis, the devouring of bacteria and viruses by certain types of white blood cells. As with so many mouth and throat infections, I'd recommend going with a double whammy by taking echinacea along with goldenseal, another potent antiseptic, antibiotic and immune stimulant.

Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic is useful in treating any kind of throat infection, including tonsillitis. James Balch, M.D., a urologist, and his wife, Phyllis, a certified nutritional consultant, recommend taking two garlic capsules a day for either sore throat or tonsillitis. (They also suggest eating more of garlic's close relative, onions.)

Capsules are a convenient way to take garlic, but not all experts give them top billing. Jane Guiltinan, N.D., chief medical officer at Bastyr University in Seattle, for example, prefers whole garlic cloves to capsules or extracts. I agree.

May I suggest that my Tonsil Soup is also good for treating tonsillitis? To make it, use any favorite recipe for an onion/garlic soup. Then be very generous with any or all of the hot spices that contain vitamin C and other good sore-throat fighters, including chili pepper, ginger, horseradish, mustard seed and pepper.

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Honeysuckle flowers are used in China to treat tonsillitis, bronchitis, colds, flu and pneumonia. Extracts made from these flowers act strongly against a broad spectrum of bacteria. It's small wonder, since the flowers contain more than a dozen antiseptic compounds.

In one study, researchers looked at 425 Chinese students with strep throat. This is not tonsillitis, admittedly, but it is a related throat infection. In this study, researchers spurred rapid healing by introducing an herbal preparation that included powdered dried honeysuckle flowers into the backs of the students' throats.

I would not hesitate to use honeysuckle, by itself or combined with forsythia, to treat tonsillitis. In fact, I do use the leaves of both plants to treat many midwinter respiratory infections.

Sage (Salvia officinalis). In Germany, where herbal medicine is more mainstream than it is in the United States, physicians recommend a hot sage gargle for tonsillitis. The reason appears to be that sage has fairly high levels of tannins, substances that have a soothing, astringent action and an antimicrobial effect. Sage is loaded with other antiseptics, too.

Citrus fruits and other foods containing vitamin C. There is some evidence that the vitamin C in citrus fruit is effective in treating the strep bacteria that often cause tonsillitis. Vitamin C also stimulates the immune system to produce more macrophages, scavenger cells that literally gobble up strep bacteria.

Besides citrus fruits, good plant sources of vitamin C include bitter melon, rosehips, bell peppers, red pepper, pokeweed shoots, guavas and watercress.

Blackberry (Rubus, various species) and persimmon (Diospyros virginiana). Blackberry root and persimmon, either alone or in combination, were early American folk remedies for tonsillitis. Since both are rich in tannins, this is a rational formula.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). The Chinese suggest simmering about an ounce of dandelion root in two to three cups of boiling water until only half of the liquid remains. The resulting syrup is recommended for tonsillitis.

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra). Many cultures use elderberry juice to treat tonsillitis, according to medical anthropologist John Heinerman, Ph.D., author of Heinerman's Encyclopedia of Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs. This makes sense to me in view of medical research showing that this herb has antiviral action and helps treat influenza.

Redroot (Ceanothus americanus). The late Alabama herbalist Tommie Bass, whom I respected, used redroot, also known as New Jersey tea, for tonsillitis, sore throat, cough and thrush, a type of throat infection. The active constituent seems to be the tannins. Redroot can be as much as 10 percent tannins.

Assorted fruits. Elsewhere around the world, blackberry's close relative, raspberry, is used to treat inflamed tonsils. One recipe involves adding sugar to boiled raspberry juice, and after it has cooled, gargling and swallowing it. Now that's one medicine I could enjoy.

Healing claims have been made for sugary syrups of blackberries, blueberries, papaya, red grapes and strawberries. In fact, this approach could be easily worked into what I call Tonsilade: Start with one cup of the juice of any or all of the above fruits. Then add a little juice from one of the citrus fruits--lemon, lime or orange--plus a bit of sage tea and sugar to taste.

Herbal formulas. British herbalist David Hoffmann, author of The Herbal Handbook, suggests a treatment for tonsillitis that I might try myself: a tea brewed from two parts echinacea, two parts garden or red sage and one part balm of gilead. If you like sweet teas, you may add licorice, which is soothing.