Raynauds Disease

Raynaud's Disease

Have you ever heard the expression, "cold hands, warm heart"? I don't know if one has anything to do with the other, but if you suffer the painfully cold, bluish-white fingers of Raynaud's disease, let me suggest warm soup. I recommend a vegetarian minestrone liberally spiced with cayenne, garlic, ginger and mustard, plus oils of borage, currant and evening primrose.

Make a lot. Eat until you're satisfied. Then strain out some broth and rub it on your frigid fingers. Finally, I would heartily suggest following up your anti-Raynaud's soup by taking the herb ginkgo.

If a doctor heard me suggest this approach, she might think I was off my rocker. I beg to differ. There's reasonably good science behind every one of my suggestions, and this is more than I can say for mainstream medicine's approach to Raynaud's disease.

The Mainstream Approach

Raynaud's disease seems to be caused by constriction and spasms of the small arteries (arterioles) that bring blood to the fingers. As blood flow diminishes, the fingers become painful and turn white or bluish. Raynaud's also occasionally occurs in the nose and toes. It is much more common among women.

While Raynaud's may occur independently of other conditions, sometimes it's a symptom of scleroderma, a rare and serious disease that involves hardening of the skin and damage to the internal organs. Doctors often prescribe corticosteroids such as prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone) to treat both Raynaud's and scleroderma. But corticosteroids have many potentially troubling side effects, such as weight gain, acne and irregular heartbeat. And they sometimes make Raynaud's disease worse.

Green Pharmacy for Raynaud's Disease

Because of the problems sometimes caused by corticosteroids, I think it makes a lot more sense to treat Raynaud's with selections from the Green
Pharmacy.

Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis). The oil made from evening primrose (EPO) contains a good deal of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Some studies suggest that GLA helps relieve symptoms of Raynaud's disease.

In one study, EPO was massaged into the fingers of people with Raynaud's disease. About half improved, more than you would expect if this were simply a placebo response. I suspect that both the massage and the EPO helped.

Garlic (Allium sativum). In one excellent study that lasted 12 weeks, researchers gave a daily dose of 800 milligrams of garlic to people with intermittent claudication, a condition caused by a narrowing of the arteries in the legs. People with severe claudication have difficulty walking. By the end of the study, those who took an inactive substance (a placebo) showed no improvement in walking, but the group taking garlic walked significantly better, strongly suggesting that the blood flow to their legs had improved.

Garlic works to improve circulation. In fact, more than one alternative medicine advocate suggests using garlic and ginkgo, which is also known to help circulation, in combination to treat Raynaud's disease. I suggest simply adding more garlic to your diet. You can also take capsules, if you prefer.

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). Literally dozens of studies show that ginkgo improves blood circulation. Most of the research has focused on this herb's ability to promote blood flow through the brain, which is why ginkgo extract is widely prescribed in Europe for recovery from stroke and the mental slowing of old age.

But several studies have explored ginkgo's effects on intermittent claudication. When people who have severe claudication take ginkgo, over time the herb improves their ability to walk. While the reasons for the impaired circulation are different, Raynaud's is somewhat similar to claudication, except that it affects the fingers instead of the legs.

European physicians frequently recommend ginkgo for Raynaud's, and there are many European case reports of people with Raynaud's experiencing improvement after taking it. It makes sense to me. If I had this condition, I would try ginkgo.

The medicinal part of the plant is the leaf, but the active constituents (ginkgolides) occur in such low concentration that there's little point in using the leaves to make tea. If you want to try this herb, buy ginkgo pills or capsules made from standardized extract. It's usually a 50:1 ratio, meaning that 50 pounds of ginkgo leaves are processed to yield 1 pound of extract. Look for these extracts in health food stores and herb shops. You can try 60 to 240 milligrams a day, but don't go any higher than that. In large amounts, ginkgo may cause diarrhea, irritability and restlessness.

Borage (Borago officinalis). Like evening primrose, borage contains GLA, which helps treat Raynaud's when massaged into the fingers.

Borage Borage, an annual that grows about two feet tall, was used by the ancient Greeks to flavor wine.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Chinese herbalists often recommend this "hot" herb to treat conditions involving cold, including the cold fingers caused by Raynaud's. Ginger lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and both effects help normalize blood flow all over the body, including the fingers.

Mustard (Brassica nigra, Sinapis alba and others). I'm sure you've heard of mustard plasters. When applied to the skin, they cause mild irritation that increases the local blood supply, resulting in a warm, tingling sensation. Medically known as rubefacients, mustard and other herbs with this effect have long been used to treat Raynaud's disease.

You can make a mustard plaster by mixing four ounces of fresh ground mustard seed with warm water to make a thick paste. Try applying this to your fingers when symptoms are acting up. Other rubefacients, according to British herbalist David Hoffmann, author of The Herbal Handbook, include cloves, garlic, ginger, horseradish, stinging nettle, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and rue. Any of these can be applied to the fingers.

Red pepper (Capsicum, various species). This is the classic rubefacient. Back in the old days, people used to sprinkle it in their shoes to keep their feet warm in winter. If I had Raynaud's, I'd try mixing some with vegetable oil and rubbing it on my fingers. (Just be sure not to touch your eyes if you have any on your fingertips.) I might even add some to EPO, borage oil or currant oil. You can use it externally, but of course red pepper is a spicy addition to any food, especially salad dressing.

Indian snakeroot (Rauwolfia serpentina). This herb contains the chemical reserpine, which opens (dilates) the blood vessels. It has often been used to treat Raynaud's disease, according to medicinal herb expert Walter Lewis, Ph.D., professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and Memory Elvin-Lewis, Ph.D., authors of Medical Botany.