Krista's Herbarium
a collection of herbal remedies, recipes, and reveries
Traveller’s Belly
This summer has seen us travelling quite a bit. We have been to a three-day outdoor music festival in Tabor called Mighty Sounds , Berlin for a girls’ trip and, right now, Dan and I are in Kiev for business and sightseeing.
At the music festival were thousands of people using a small number of outhouses. Yikes! In Berlin, we ate sashimi of what we thought was white fish and ended up being escolar…we got diarrhea! In Kiev, it is not recommended to drink the water without boiling it first, but what if we accidentally did, or swallowed some when brushing our teeth?
In our travel first aid kit we always carry Wormwood and Agrimony extracts. These two make a powerful partnership to fight parasites and to relieve diarrhea.
According to Herbwisdom:
The bitter components and acids render wormwood an excellent remedy for digestive issues. This is primarily because a bitter flavor on the tongue actually causes the gallbladder to produce and release bile. Contrary to popular belief, it is often too little acid production that leads to most indigestion, not an excess of it. It is also noted as being useful in alleviating fever, expelling parasitic worms like roundworm from the digestive tract, and for its tonic effects.
According to Organic Facts:
As an anti-inflammatory agent, agrimony has often been used to eliminate digestive and gastrointestinal issues, particularly diarrhea and other irritable bowel syndrome symptoms. By reducing irritation and inflammation in the membranes and tissues of the gut, it can significantly soothe the stomach.
In Kiev, I have been dosing us with wormwood 3x a day to keep any microbes or parasites away. It is extremely bitter, so I recommend it in tincture form. The bitterness aids digestion well, keeping a happy belly no matter what new and exotic foods you are trying. Agrimony together with the wormwood aid in protecting the gut as well as supporting the body in dealing with diarrhea.
A traditional remedy for gastric complaints is wormwood, black walnut shells and clove. A lot of information can be found on the internet.
Wormwood shouldn’t be used long-term. When we are home from our trip on Friday, and if all is well with our bellies, we will put the wormwood away for our next exciting, exotic journey.
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