Ulcers
Ulcers
Back in 1991, I had an injury that caused the most excruciating pain I've ever had. My doctor prescribed large doses of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are powerful pain relievers.
Unfortunately for me and for anyone who's ever taken NSAIDs, these drugs are also notorious for causing ulcers. Luckily for me, however, I knew about licorice, and I still regularly sweeten some herb teas with it. Now I'd say that I may owe my freedom from ulcers to this habit.
I never got an ulcer from taking all those NSAIDs. And even more amazing, I never developed one during the 30 years that I was employed by the federal government in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
I don't think this proves that I have a stomach of steel. Rather, I think I owe my freedom from ulcers to the fact that sweet licorice root contains compounds that have remarkable anti-ulcer effects. And perhaps I also benefited from eating many of the ulcer-preventing herbs and foods discussed in this chapter.
The Sore That Won't Heal
Technically, an ulcer is any sore. But when people say that they have an ulcer, they almost always mean an internal sore in the lining of the stomach or duodenum, the gateway to the small intestine just downstream from the stomach. These kinds of ulcers are also called peptic ulcers because they occur in areas that are exposed to the digestive enzyme pepsin.
An estimated 10 percent of Americans have an ulcer at some point in life, with about one million new diagnoses a year. Men are four times more susceptible than women, and risk rises with age. Allergies somehow make people more ulcer-prone: In one study, 98 percent of people with peptic ulcers also had respiratory allergies.
Not long ago, scientists thought that stress caused ulcers. It may well play a role, but now we know that the real culprit is often an infection caused by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, sometimes known as Campylobacter pylori. Simply having H. pylori bacteria in your system doesn't mean that you will get an ulcer. However, more than 75 percent of people with ulcers show evidence of H. pylori infection, and that's straight from the pages of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Anti-ulcer Fruit Cocktail Every one of the ingredients in this tasty, no-fat dessert contains significant amounts of stomach-soothing, anti-ulcer compounds. You'll probably have a hard time thinking of this scrumptious treat as potent medicine, but that's exactly what it is. Bananas Pineapple Blueberries Ground cinnamon Ground cloves Ground ginger Honey (optional) Cut up the bananas and pineapple; the amount and proportions will vary depending on how many people you're serving and which fruits you like best. Place them in a serving bowl and add the blueberries. Season to taste with the cinnamon, cloves and ginger (try to be generous) and sweeten with the honey (if using). If you like, you can also make a between-meal anti-ulcer drink by blending blueberry juice, pineapple juice, a banana and the spices listed above. Garnish each serving with a peppermint sprig. |
Green Pharmacy for Ulcers
These days, doctors generally treat ulcers caused by H. pylori with a combination of antibiotics plus bismuth (Pepto-Bismol) or similar drugs. In addition, you might try a number of herbal anti-ulcer approaches.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale). How about candied ginger as an herbal alternative to cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac) and famotidine (Pepcid)? It would sure taste a lot better!
Ginger is well-known for its anti-inflammatory activity, but it's considerably less known as an herbal treatment for ulcers. In fact, ginger contains
11 compounds that have demonstrated anti-ulcer effects. These chemical compounds are a real mouthful, but I think that you might find it interesting to know just how much anti-ulcer chemistry can be concentrated in a single, humble spice. Here they are in order, from most to least abundant: 6-shogaol, 6-gingerol, 8-shogaol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol, ar-curcumene, beta-bisalene, 6-gingediol, betases-quiphellandrene, 6-gingerdione and 6-paradol.
Eating honey-candied ginger is a pleasant-tasting treatment for ulcers, according to Paul Schulick, New England herbalist and author of Ginger: Common Spice and Wonder Drug. The combination of honey and ginger is particularly effective, he notes. In addition to the antibacterial compounds that are available from ginger, honey has antibacterial action, and the two together seem to produce synergistic effects. Ginger is a key ingredient in my Anti-ulcer Fruit Cocktail.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza gla-bra). German physicians have always been more open to herbal medicine than doctors in the United States, and they have researched herbal alternatives extensively. Commission E, the body of scientists that advises the German counterpart of the Food and Drug Administration, approves licorice as an ulcer treatment. This recommendation is based on the medical traditions of Asia, the Middle East and Europe, plus literally dozens of scientific studies.
Licorice contains several anti-ulcer compounds, including glycyrrhizic acid. Licorice and its extracts are safe for normal use in moderate amounts, up to about three cups of tea a day. However, long-term use--daily use for longer than six weeks--or ingestion of excessive amounts can produce symptoms such as headache, lethargy, sodium and water retention, excessive loss of potassium and high blood pressure.
These side effects, however, can be largely eliminated by using a slightly processed form of the herb called deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). In one good study, DGL was at least as effective in speeding ulcer healing as the newest class of pharmaceutical drugs, called histamine-blocking agents, that were designed to do this. DGL also seems to protect the digestive lining from aspirin's ulcer-promoting effects.
Commercial licorice preparations containing DGL are readily available in natural food stores that sell herbs. If you have an ulcer, this is the preferred form of licorice to take, but clearly some of the power of the herb is lost with the lost glycyrrhizin.
If you'd like to take licorice from time to time as an ulcer preventive, you can do what I do. When you're brewing some other herbal tea, add a little licorice. Licorice by itself makes a sweet, pleasant-tasting tea, and when added to other teas, it serves as a sweetener.
Yellowroot (Xanthorrhiza simplicissima). If the late Alabama herbalist Tommie Bass's experience with yellowroot can be believed--and I'm inclined to believe it--this herb is worth a try. (For details, see "Folk Wisdom Vindicated Again" on page 438.) Yellowroot is an antibiotic that should work by helping to control H. pylori bacteria.
I personally would try a teaspoon of yellowroot tincture in juice or tea once or twice a day before moving on to the antibiotics my doctor might prescribe for ulcer. If you're already taking antibiotics, however, do not make this switch without first discussing it with your doctor. Be warned: Untreated H. pylori virus is linked to stomach cancer, so you must take this condition seriously.
Banana (Musa paradisiaca). Bananas are an old folk remedy for many gastrointestinal problems because they soothe the digestive tract. And studies with experimental animals suggest that bananas do, in fact, have an anti-ulcer effect.
One researcher noted that "bananas may be another useful addition to such well-established anti-ulcer foods as raw cabbage, green tea, garlic and legumes."
Cabbage (Brassica oleracea). Raw cabbage juice is a hallowed folk remedy for ulcers. It turns out that cabbage and its juice contain considerable amounts of two compounds with anti-ulcer activity, glutamine and S-methyl-methionine.
Melvyn Werbach, M.D., assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine and author of the excellent Nutritional Influences on Illness, cites a study of people with ulcers who were given raw cabbage juice as a treatment. Ninety-two percent showed significant improvement within three weeks compared with 32 percent of those taking a lookalike treatment (a placebo) without cabbage juice.
In studies of just the active compound glutamine, daily doses of 1,600 milligrams proved as effective as conventional antacids in treating ulcers.
The folk recommendation for treating ulcers is to drink one quart of raw cabbage juice a day. That may be hard to swallow, so I offer a recipe that might help: Anti-ulcer Cabbage Soup.
Folk Wisdom Vindicated Again Here's a story I'd like to share with you about herbal folk wisdom and modern science. An old herbalist whom I respected, the late A. L. "Tommie" Bass, who had a little herb farmette outside Leesburg, Alabama, became the subject of a book, Herbal Medicine: Past and Present by John K. Crellin and Jane Philpott, published by Duke University Press in 1989. In this book Crellin and Philpott discussed some 300 herbs that Tommie recommended over the years. For each herb, the authors recounted what Tommie had to say about the herb and then interpreted his account in the light of pharmacological research. One herb that Tommie recommended for ulcers was yellowroot, which contains some of the same chemicals as goldenseal. Here's what Tommie said about it: "More people are taking it now for ulcers than anything we know of. I've used yellowroot to help so many people with their ulcers. They come back to thank me and offer me money. But I'm not in the business for the money. I'm in it to help people. And yellowroot can help an ulcer, more than that Tagamet. They throw away their Tagamet once they try the yellowroot." But Crellin and Philpott noted that "little physiological evidence exists to suggest any specific activity on ulcers" from yellowroot's known active compounds, most notably berberine. Perhaps they were understating the case. When I checked my database, I saw that berberine had, in fact, been reported to have anti-ulcer effects. In addition, Crellin and Philpott's commentary was written before the discovery that most ulcers are caused by bacterial infections. Yellowroot is a potent antibiotic, and berberine is a compound that has antibacterial effects even at very low concentrations, meaning that a few spoonfuls of tincture a day might well cure an ulcer, just as Tommie claimed. I'm including this story as yet another example of how often folk wisdom about plants turns out to be scientifically valid. It also serves as a reminder that sometimes scientists need to take a second look at something that they've initially rejected as unscientific, especially when new data accumulate. The wisdom gained by long experience may prevail. |
Calendula (Calendula officinalis). Calendula, sometimes known as pot marigold, has antibacterial, antiviral and immune-stimulating properties. Calendula has been shown to alleviate symptoms of chronic stomach inflammation, what doctors call hypersecretory gastritis, a condition that has been associated with ulcers. Clinical trials in Europe suggest that this herb may also be useful for treating ulcers.
You can make a tea with the dried herb or take a tincture. I personally enjoy a cup or two of tea made with about five teaspoons of fresh calendula flowers. It's especially good with lemon balm and lemon.
I've also enjoyed calendula liqueur (the petals impart their golden color to the beverage) but I can't recommend that for treating ulcers. In fact, it's a good idea to go easy on alcohol if you have an ulcer. Finnish researchers have discovered that alcohol abuse increases the risk of H. pylori infection by 500 percent. If you have hay fever, however, you might want to avoid taking this herb, because people who are allergic to ragweed might react to calendula as well. If you take it and have a reaction--itching or any other discomfort--discontinue use.
Camomile (Matricaria recutita). Several herbalists I admire recommend camomile tea for ulcers, notably Rudolf Fritz Weiss, M.D., the dean of German medical herbalists and author of Herbal Medicine. He writes that for stomach ulcers, "the remedy of choice is camomile. . . . There can be no other remedy more tailor-made, including all synthetic products." Widely used as a digestive aid in Europe, camomile is uniquely suited to treating digestive ailments, including ulcers. This is because it combines anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic and stomach-soothing properties. If I had an ulcer, I'd take my camomile tea with licorice.
Anti-ulcer Cabbage Soup Here's a basic cabbage soup that's chock-full of anti-ulcer compounds. You'll have to do a little experimenting to arrive at a flavor that pleases you. If you try the optional spices, use them sparingly. While they are delicious in cabbage soup, the flavor is rather exotic. 3 cups water 2 cups shreddded cabbage 1 cup chopped celery 1 cup diced potatoes 1Ž2 cup chopped okra 1Ž2 cup diced onions 1Ž2 cup chopped green pepper Ground red pepper Ground ginger Ground black pepper Ground cinnamon (optional) Ground cloves (optional) Dried licorice root (optional) Place the water, cabbage, celery, potatoes, okra, onions and green peppers in a soup pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste with the red pepper, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon (if using), cloves (if using) and licorice (if using). |
Garlic (Allium sativum). Garlic is a potent, broad-spectrum antibiotic. Paul Bergner, editor of Medical Herbalism, suggests that those who are wary of pharmaceutical antibiotics for ulcer treatment might want to try a course of garlic therapy. This would involve eating nine raw cloves a day. You can chop the garlic and mix it with any food that makes it palatable, such as carrot juice. Try blending two raw cloves of garlic with one carrot, for instance. I tried it, and the combination tasted better than I thought it would. It's a painless way to take a couple of cloves of garlic. You can also try whipping up an anti-ulcer gazpacho, heavy on the garlic and red pepper.
Gentian (Gentiana officinalis). This is one of several bitter herbs traditionally used to aid digestion. Commission E reports that the bitter compounds in gentian stimulate the flow of saliva and stomach secretions.
Studies with experimental animals suggest that gentian might also be useful in the treatment of ulcers. Herbal pharmacologist Daniel Mowrey, Ph.D., author of The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine and Herbal Tonic Therapies, whose opinions I respect, recommends using gentian along with ginger, goldenseal and licorice root to treat ulcers.
Pineapple (Ananas comosus). Like cabbage, pineapple is fairly well endowed with glutamine, a compound with experimentally verified anti-ulcer effects. Pineapple also contains bromelain, a general digestive aid.
Red pepper (Capsicum, various species). Many Americans believe that hot spices cause ulcers. The truth is, they don't. In fact, they may even protect the stomach and duodenal lining against them. Capsaicin, the compound that gives red pepper its heat, has been shown to prevent ulcers in experimental animals that were given high, ulcer-causing doses of aspirin.
Bilberry and blueberry (Vaccinium, various species). Both of these fruits contain compounds known as anthocyanosides. In studies with experimental animals, these compounds have been shown to offer significant protection against ulcers. They help stimulate the production of mucus that protects the stomach lining from digestive acids.
Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria). Like willow bark, meadowsweet is a type of herbal aspirin. Aspirin in high doses causes ulcers, so it might seem strange to recommend it as an ulcer treatment. Many prominent herbalists do, however, among them British herbalist David Hoffmann, author of several good herbals, including The Herbal Handbook. The active compounds in meadowsweet are salicylates. Aspirin, on the other hand, is nothing but salicylates. Hoffmann says that while pure salicylates do indeed cause ulcers, whole meadowsweet helps prevent and treat them despite its salicylate content.
Other chemical compounds in whole meadowsweet, among them tannins, phenolic glycosides and the herb's essential oil, give it an anti-ulcer effect. Hoffmann unflinchingly maintains that meadowsweet is one of the best digestive herbs and recommends it for ulcers and heartburn. This makes sense to me. Several plants with proven anti-ulcer effects, including camomile, also contain salicylates.
Rhubarb (Rheum officinale). In a Chinese study of 312 people with bleeding ulcers, rhubarb helped improve some 90 percent within a few days. I'd be careful when using this herb, as it's also a powerful laxative. If you experience diarrhea, cut back the amount you're taking or discontinue use altogether.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa). This culinary herb, used in Indian and Asian curry dishes, might be called the poor person's ulcer treatment. In a good study by physicians in Thailand, turmeric (250-milligram capsules taken three times a day) relieved ulcer pain only about half as well as pharmaceutical antacids after six weeks. However, the antacid was eight times more expensive than the turmeric. If you're low on dough, this herb might be a good way to go.
