College is full of stress, anxiety, endless colds and the flu. And when students get sick, some turn to herbal medicine rather than Western pharmaceuticals.
“There’s this other way of taking care of your health that’s affordable; it’s been around for thousands of years and it works,” says Catherine Niemiec, president and founder of the Phoenix Institute of Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture.
Students often discover herbal medicine while suffering from a cold or flu, and are surprised to find that herbs can prevent or knock out sickness within days, she says.
Of the students who visit Mill Avenue's Happy Healthy High Horny Herbs, half are looking to get high, and half are looking to get healthy, says store employee Gino Saada.
“There’s kids that come in with a dopey look on their face and they just want to get high, but there’s the others that really care and are looking to fix an ailment without drugs,” he says.
Herbal medicine is part of a more holistic approach to health, exploring the root causes of problems and the different natures of each body, rather than simply blanketing everyone with one drug that merely masks symptoms.
“We have drugs for pain, sleep, kidney stones, viruses, anything because people relied on herbs back then,” Niemiec says.
For those interested in herbal medicine, Niemiec suggests finding a practitioner who can assess you individually, or for those looking for a simpler over-the-counter experience, be sure to do research and monitor symptoms – stop if you ever feel worse, and make sure to take the herbs as often as recommended.
One interesting facet of the mystical world of herbal health is the diagnosis of bodies as either hot or cold. People with red tongues and warm foreheads and stomachs have “hot” temperaments, Niemiec says. Whereas those with pale tongues and cool bodies are “cold.” Both of which have a big impact on what herbs should be taken.
“Things that have stimulants – even herbs like pepper and garlic – some people cannot and should not take stimulants,” she says. “Hot people do not need a stimulant and it could hurt them, especially athletes, with high activity and warm bodies.”
Niemiec says another intriguing concept is that the body is synched with the seasons, and is affected by each.
“Right now it’s the spring; the weather warms up and things try to grow. And all of this affects the liver, which is connected with anger and frustration. Joints become stiff, we feel irritated. So eat liver foods and greens that take the heat out of the liver,” she says.
These “liver foods” include milk thistle, wheatgrass, dandelion, kale, and apple juice. In the summer she suggests salads to keep the body from overheating, pear juice to help lubricate the lungs in the fall, and thick soups and stews to go deep in the body in winter. Also, American ginseng and foods made with soy can help tame the effects of living in Arizona’s dry climate all year.
Here are solutions to a few common ailments:
Cold and Flu
Niemiec recommends taking a combination of Echinacea and goldenseal, as well as increased amounts of vitamin C. If the first symptom is a sore throat, an herb called Yin Chao is an extremely popular and effective remedy able to “knock it out in a day if you take enough of it,” she says.
Stress
Cooling teas like lavender and chamomile can help calm the body. The herb valerian can have relaxing effects, and moisturizing “Yin” tonics and green tea can help cleanse the body of the toxins that stress creates. An herbal formula called Xiao Yao Wan helps relieve the tension from both stress and PMS, and includes peppermint to clear the mind and ginger to warm digestion. Happy Healthy High Horny Herbs offers skullcap, which helps with anxiety, headaches, and tension.
Depression
Niemiec also recommends Valerian and chamomile for depression, as an alternative to Prozac. Happy Healthy High Horny Herbs suggests damiana, an herb that helps with depression and uplifts mood and can either be smoked or drank as a tea. But women beware: damiana can be a powerful aphrodisiac, so it might be better not to take this one before class.
If you go… Happy Healthy High Horny Herbs 609 S. Mill Avenue, Tempe 480-446-2894, happyhighherbs.com
Reach the reporter at kaila.white@asu.edu
