What to research and how to begin?
If you’re an herbalist or have a good foundational knowledge in herbs, you can do the research yourself. If you’re not, and chances are you’re not, you must contact someone in the field. Depending on your preference, you could go with a practitioner of Chinese
Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, European herbalism, Native American herbalism, South American shamanic herbalism, or a blend thereof.
Do NOT skip this step. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Herbs, when misused or used without proper knowledge, can be deadly– especially in conjunction with allopathic treatments. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR. If your doctor isn’t open to discussing alternative treatments with you, FIND ONE THAT WILL.
As I quoted Jesse Wolfe Hardin and Kiva Rose in the last segment, successful herbal approaches are those that are:
- Using whole plants, not constituents.
- Paying close attention to dosage, when to use dry or fresh plant material, and means of preparation
- Looking for more than an isolated action or effect.
- Taking into account the constitutions and health histories of those in the study.
- Measuring health as more than the alleviation of symptoms.
Therefore, first and foremost, you must make a list of any health issues you have. If you’re epileptic but also have HBP or diabetes, that will affect the herbal regimen you can follow. You should have a list in front of you so you can check interactions with medications you may be on, side effects, and so on.
Then, look up herbs you can use for your situation. I have a lot of resources below specific to seizures– but also specific to how epilepsy affects me, the kind of seizures I have and my other health issues, both related and unrelated to epilepsy. As an herbalist, I have a store of herbs at my fingertips, so I decided to try herbs that I was familiar with in some way, herbs that I may have used before for other conditions, or herbs that I had already in my apothecary.
Once you determine what you want to try, you must decide on the format. Will you take the herb in supplement form? Teas? Tinctures? Et cetera and so forth. Some herbs don’t work well in supplement form and others are so unpalatable that they can only be taken in
capsules or tablets. Taking supplements isn’t recommended by many herbalists, but sometimes it’s convenience. While I love herbal tea, it’s not convenient (or gentle on the bladder) to drink cup after cup after cup of herbal tea. So, for me, I do a blend of supplements and tea. When I find the time, I’ll probably make a combination tincture specific for me and start using that in place of some supplements, but that’s in the future.
One note that is important you understand: regardless of whatever you may read on the vastness of the interwebs: NEVER EVER EVER INGEST ESSENTIAL OILS. Consuming essential oils is not accepted practice amongst herbalists and practitioners of herbal medicine. Ingesting essential oils is highly dangerous. Essential oils have their uses, but not internally. Don’t fall prey to the magic bullet idea and don’t believe the claims that internal use of essential oils helps cure disease. The only people to recommend the
internal use of essential oils are the folks trying to sell you their special, super duper therapeutic grade essential oils– from dubious companies that function sort of like a cross between Amway, Avon, and The People’s Temple.
When you decide, make sure you have a reputable supplier. Make every effort to get organic and vegan supplements– and double and triple check to make sure that that company hasn’t had complaints. With all the hullabaloo about some recent supplement companies, folks I’ve never used for supplements, I might have to invest in supplement making supplies to make my own capsules, when possible. So far, in terms of my own issues, I’ve not had any problems with supplements. However, for Anthony, we just had a situation that brought home the disparity between suppliers. In earlier segments, I noted that we used Puritan’s Pride Bitter Melon. It went out of stock in the late summer and was out of stock for several months. After getting tired of the same reply that I got from their customer service– we expect shipment in 1-2 weeks– I had no choice but to buy the supplements from another supplier. We went with Vitacost since I had heard some positive reviews. After the last few months of Anthony being on that, after seeing his blood sugar slowly tick up, I am convinced that Vitacost’s Bitter Melon is either extremely poor quality or is adulterated in some way. After this experience, I try to stick with Puritan’s Pride for supplements. They’ve been consistent and even though they don’t carry everything, their prices are good.
When you decide on herbs, also pay careful attention to dosage and the time of day to take the herbs. Some of the herbs promote sleep. Others will wake you up. So, at the risk of being repetitive, you have to do your research.
I would highly recommend NOT to purchase complexes or blends of herbs. As I noted in past segments in this series, those complexes often have such low dosages of the desired herb as to be ridiculous. Also, as many herbalists agree, when you have a premade blend, ultimately you don’t know what herb is helping or hurting the situation. Also, in my experience, blends often have fillers and other ingredients added that don’t necessarily make it onto the product label. Finally, many blends are more expensive than the straight herb.
Start slow. Don’t try a cocktail. If something doesn’t mix well with you then you won’t know what is giving you a poor reaction. Beginning an herbal regimen is something that can take weeks to months, not just to adjust yourself to taking herbs, but to acclimatize your body to the regimen, to see how you react to the individual herbs and the herbs in combination. You must, absolutely MUST, embark on an herbal journey with assistance. I can’t recommend herbalism for people with tonic clonic or grand mal seizures because I have no experience with those types of seizures and with the medications that come into play. If you suffer from this form of epilepsy, work with licensed herbalist and work with your doctor. I hesitate to recommend any herbal remedies for children. I can only make you aware of my own experiences and give you some resources for your own educational purposes.
Another thing you must understand, on top of epilepsy, I do have a chronic pain condition– call it fibromyalgia, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, whatever. I react a little differently to some supplements that other folks do. One in specific, rhodiola, is actually sold as an energy enhancing supplement. If you can find it in your local vitamin shop, it’ll be where the body building stuff is, or behind the counter.
An example of how differently herbs work for different folks
When I began taking rhodiola, since it is marketed as an energizer and something to promote mental alertness, I took it with my breakfast in the morning. I was dumbfounded that I became drowsy. At the time I was taking something like 500mg. I found some references online in fibromyalgia and chronic pain forums to others having the same issue. Then I found a note on Mountain Rose Herbs, before they began removing content that could be misinterpreted as medical advice and another several different notes on fibromyalgia forums mentioning that rhodiola only helped increase energy in low doses. I read that the low doses necessary for increased energy could be found in a decoction or a “tea” of the herb. The higher doses, what’s in the capsules you can buy, can cause drowsiness for someone with a serotonin issue, someone suffering chronic pain, insomnia, or fibromyalgia. Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb, which means that basically it adjusts to your own body’s needs. An adaptogen does what you need it to do. This is a problem and a boon of herbs. Many herbs are adaptogens, therefore by that rule alone– they won’t work the same for you as they do for me.
So, after reading this and after having some serious issues with drowsiness– not a good thing when my sleep patterns are directly connected to my seizures– I experimented. I purchased the whole root from Mountain Rose herbs and followed instructions on how to prepare a decoction. I used only 21 grams of the whole root to make a 1 cup decoction, which I then only used in 1-2 tbsp doses– added to juice or a smoothie. I was wide awake and energized for hours. I kept the higher dose capsules and used those every other evening to help regulate sleep patterns. I couldn’t use them every evening because I slept so deeply that sometimes I woke up seriously groggy. So, I began taking rhodiola before bed when I didn’t have anywhere to be the next day or when I had a solid 7-8 hours to sleep.
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| Rhodiola rosea the whole plant |
This whole rhodiola experience took about 2-3 months to fine tune– and after using this regimen for more than a few years, I recently retuned it and am keeping an eye on how I might reaction, especially in conjunction with new supplements. I am noticing with the addition of other supplements, I don’t get as groggy, and, in fact I’m noticing as my sleeping patterns have gotten better– I’m actually having trouble falling asleep. So, I might experiment again and try cutting back on the rhodiola or taking it earlier in the day. As I said, it’s an adaptogen and as such it might not even work in the same fashion that it did for me a year or even a month ago. Biologically speaking, I’m not the same person.
So once you figure out what you want to start with, make sure you know how to take the herb– is it better in tea form, capsule, whole food– when to take it, the optimal dosage, and what to expect in terms of side effects and positive results. It’s also important to keep in mind the health of the plants you’ll be using. You want the highest quality, which comes from plants that are ethically harvested, organic, and from suppliers you trust. The leading supplier in herbs is Mountain Rose Herbs. I have no affiliation with them, not even an affiliates link and I freely and gladly recommend them, not just for herbs but for information about the herbs you may want to use. In doing research for this article and while loading up my MRH shopping cart for the Great ReOrdering –(I ring in Spring with a massive herbal order)– I found this article on their blog about the endangered nature of Rhodiola rosea and I was horrified.
My own Regimen
As I’ve said several times before, my recommendations are for educational purposes and are not to take place of personalized medical counseling, diagnosis, and treatment from a trained health practitioner.
As I said earlier, I’ve been using herbal supplements and reading up on herbal treatments for years. Only in the last year have I added supplements that specifically have been recommended for epilepsy, and only in the last few months have I adjusted those supplements to help me further reduce the number of seizures and the duration of those seizures. My regimen is a culmination of years of experience, as a person with herbal know-how. It’s also formulated for me, with the understanding that as I change through time and space– this regimen will change.
This is full list of my supplements, the dosage per capsule, tablet, or gelcap, and the number of caps I take per day, with the reason I take each. This is not a complete list of the benefits of each supplement, but the reason I take them. There are other benefits of each supplement that aren’t noted. And there are side effects. For example, astragalus, in high doses can aggravate skin conditions or auto-immune disorders in some people and has interactions with medications for psoriasis. Bromelain and stinging nettles all will promote bleeding so are strictly NOT recommended for anyone at risk for bleeding, anyone taking blood-thinners, or anyone about to undergo surgery. Ginger will increase the ability to form blood clots, so again anyone at risk for clots shouldn’t take Ginger.
None of these are recommended for anyone pregnant or seeking to become pregnant. Several herbs will flow through breast milk. Others are used to induce menstruation and others are even abortifacients. This list isn’t a recommendation for you, but a list of what has worked for me. I’ll follow with a specific list of herbs that are anti-convulsants, anti-spasmodics, and nervines that have given some people, myself included, some help in seizure management.
I am not advocating stopping any antiepileptic medications you or someone you know may be on. I am not advocating taking any of these herbs WITH antiepileptic medications. I am merely sharing my own regimen
- Astragalus, 1000mg (1); allergies, sinusitis
- Stinging Nettle, 300mg (1); tonic herb, allergies
- Ginger root, 550mg (1); tonic herb, reduces inflammation
- Bromelain, 500 mg (1); digestive enzyme, anti-inflammatory
- Oregano Oil, 1500mg (1); fights bacteria, prevents infection, fights colds/infection
- Turmeric, 800mg (1); anti-inflammatory, helps skin conditions, helps fight and prevent colds
- Quercetin, 250mg (also contains 500mg vitamin C) (1); allergies, anti-inflammatory
- Magnesium, 500 mg (1); eye health and circulation
- Bilberry, 1000 mg (2); eye health, reduces blood sugar
- Vitamin D, 2000 i.u. (1); doctor recommendation since vitamin D levels are low
- Vitamin C, 1000 mg (1); immune system
- L-Theanine, 100 mg (1); mood stabilizer
- Dandelion Root, 520 mg (1); enhances body’s ability to detoxify; liver support
- Red Clover, 430 mg (1); hormone support, improve skin, fibroid/cyst control, respiratory tonic, dexotifier
- Calcium +D3 200mg Calcium; 250mg D3 (1); bone health
- Rhodiola, 340mg (1); restore depleted immune system, increase mental accuity, adaptogen
- Wild Yam, 500 mg (1); hormone regulation, antispasmodic, pain management
- Scullcap, 425 mg (1); nerve tremors, pain management, anti-spasmodic
- 5 HTP, 100 mg (1); increase serotonin levels to combat chronic pain/fibromyalgia; sleep and mood disorders
- Gotu Kola, 250 mg (1); nervine, mental clarity, anti-convulsant/antiepileptic
As with my earlier installment regarding my husband, I take supplement in the morning and a handful in the evening. Get yourself 2 large, 7-day pill organizers for your supplements. Get one specifically for the daytime supplements you decide to use and one for the late evening. Unlike my husband, I take my daily supplements in the late afternoon to evening, with dinner. The other, what I call my PM supplements are really to be taken at bedtime. It is vital that if you decide to try anything in the PM category you are NOT mixing those with alcohol and you are NOT driving a car or operating any heavy machinery AND that you have a full 7 hours to devote to sleep. Those PM supplements act like sleep aids. Just recently, after having a total brain fart after spending all night writing, I took my PM supplements at 3am, wrote for another hour and went to bed, thinking I’d be up at 10ish since I didn’t have to be in work the next day. I didn’t peel myself out of bed until noon and I was good for nothing the whole day because of the sedative haze. I simply didn’t have enough time to sleep.
Herbs taken with dinner:
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Astragalus,
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Stinging Nettle,
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Ginger root,
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Bromelain,
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Oregano Oil,
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Turmeric,
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Quercetin,
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Bilberry,
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Vitamin D,
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Vitamin C,
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L-Theanine,
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Dandelion Root,
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Red Clover,
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Calcium +D3
Supplements taken 30 minutes – 1 hour before bedtime:
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Rhodiola,
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Wild Yam,
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Scullcap,
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5 HTP,
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Gotu Kola,
Herbs used to treat seizures or have been used in conjunction with anti-convulsant herbs A great resource for some of the information below is the article “Medicinal Plants used in the Treatment of Epilepsy” published by the International Research Journal of Pharmacy. One problem with the article– all the plants are noted by their clinical or scientific names.
Nettles, according to some sources, was used by Native Americans to treat seizures. This is hard to verify, but because Nettles is used to promote wellness. I’m not sure nettles would have a positive effect on reducing seizures on its own, but it would help regulate the body system to help the efficacy of anti-convulsants
Ginger. Until now, I’ve never heard of ginger being used for seizures, but my research does seem to have ginger in several antiepileptic remedies in Chinese Medicine. Ginger has been used traditionally to treat muscle cramps, especially abdominal or menstrual cramping. Ginger is also an anti-inflammatory, so, like with Nettles, Ginger might be an herb that could be used in conjunction with others.
Astragalus—also called Huang Qi or Mongolian Milk Vetch, astragalus has been included in antiepileptic blends used in Chinese Medicine. Classically, it’s an immune system enhancer and according to herbalists like Rosemary Gladstar, astragalus helps regulate any imbalances in the body, sort of like ginger and nettles.
Turmeric has been recently linked to seizure management but turmeric has been part of Ayurvedic Medicine for a very long time. I’ve only started taking turmeric in the last year as a daily supplement because it seemed to help my eczema and recurring sore throats (a condition all teachers face). And, only in the last several months have I increased my dosage. Turmeric as an anti-convulsant was a pleasant surprise.
Quercetin– another shocker– has been recently linked, not to anti-convulsants but to another class of substances with neuroprotective effects. A 2011 study suggests that quercetin can help reduce brain injury from seizures. Granted the study was conducted on rodents, but quercetin does help balanced respiratory and circulatory function. If the body can better handle a seizure, without going into respiratory or circulatory distress, then perhaps neurological injury can be thwarted.
Vitamin D doesn’t stop seizures, but some research indicates that low levels of Vitamin D can cause seizures. But, I’m skeptical of some of the articles I’m finding that don’t give sources for this amorphous research. Some of these articles are pushing mega-doses of Vit D as a panacea for all that ails you. Yet some scholarly sources link Vitamin D deficiencies with neurological disorders and lump epilepsy alongside Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s. However, other sources do note that anitepileptic medications can lower Vitamin D levels and cause Vit D deficiencies.
Vitamin C– again, not a cure-all for seizures but something to consider as part of an overall regimen. Vitamin C helps the body deal with stress and helps the adrenal system work efficiently.
Calcium is a funny one. Too much can cause seizures, and so can too little.
Rhodiola, like Quercetin, has had researchers excited because rhodiola “may play a role in the amelioration of neurodegenerative diseases…” Woah nellie. In layman’s terms, rhodiola may help protect the brain against neurological degeneration and while there isn’t yet evidence rhodiola can help epilepsy, some researchers believe there might be some connection.
Wild Yam is an antisposmadic, nervine, and anti-convulsant. Ontop of that, Wild Yam is a hormone precursor and may, as many herbalists and women believe, help regulate progesterone. Wild Yam can help regulate hormone levels overall and so for women suffering from catamenial epilepsy, Wild Yam may be of help. However, it is highly sedative so it’s something that will have negative interactions with antiepileptic medications.
Scullcap is another major anti-convulsant, nervine, and anti-spasmodic. It’s also a strong sedative and pain reliever. According to Gladstar, of all the herbs used for nervous system disorders, scullcap is one of the most important. There’s also lots of interesting, sometimes conflicting, information about scullcap and epilepsy.
5-HTP is one of those supplements that I wouldn’t recommend to others lightly, especially those with seizure disorders. 5 Hydroxytryptophan has been linked to causing seizures. If you’re old enough, you might recall a massive recall on tryptophan products some years back. These products were contaminated and caused seizures. The skittishness around 5-HTP, a form of tryptophan, is linked to this past contamination. Because supplements are not regulated in the US, there is a danger with any supplement. I’ve been using 5-HTP from Puritan’s Pride for several years, with no adverse affects. Because of some serious mood issues linked to hormones, I’ve recently increased my 5-HTP dosage from 100 mg 3-4 times a week, to 100mg every night before bed. My only “side effect”– vivid and sometimes disturbing dreams. I take this because it assists serotonin production. But I wouldn’t recommend it to others.
Gotu Kola is highly recommended by herbalists like Gladstar as both a treatment for epilepsy, but as an overall nervine or nerve tonic. Gotu Kola must be used for several weeks before any effects can be seen. I began using it only 2-3 times a week because it caused such profound and deep sleep that I found it difficult waking to full alertness in the morning. I confess I was going to stop it as “ineffective” before I noticed some improvements to my back spasms (suffered pre or post seizure) and leg circulation. I increased my dosage to daily, before bed, and in the last month I have noticed a radical reduction in the duration and severity of my seizures.
I think that’s more than enough for now. I welcome your own input and would love to hear from you if you’ve tried any of these remedies. Thanks for reading!
Source:
http://www.green-and-growing.com/2015/03/the-cure-is-you-dealing-with-chronic.html
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