Esophagitis
Esophagitis is the inflammation, irritation and swelling of the esophagus, which is the tube that leads from the mouth to the stomach. There are four types of this disease: corrosive, reflux, infectious and chronic. Irritation and infection may cause the esophagus to become inflamed and even develop ulcers.
Symptoms
Primary symptoms include difficulty swallowing, pain when swallowing, heartburn and oral lesions, such as from herpes. Other symptoms may include fever, hernia, feeling like something is stuck in the throat, shortness of breath, and bleeding in vomit or stools.
Causes
Corrosive esophagitis is caused by swallowing caustic chemicals such as acid or lye. This can happen accidentally or in an attempt at suicide. Reflux esophagitis is also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). It is caused by a malfunction of the sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach, which allows stomach acids to enter the esophagus. It can also be caused by excessive vomiting. Infectious esophagitis is caused most frequently by Candida, herpes and other viruses when the immune system is compromised. Chronic non-specific disease typically follows corrosive and reflux esophagitis. Other causes include radiation injury and obstruction of the esophagus
Cautions
If you suffer from HIV/AIDS or other autoimmune diseases, your risk increases greatly as a secondary infection. If you are taking one of the many pharmaceutical drugs for acid reflux, while they are very effective at reducing stomach acid, our stomachs provide this acid for a purpose. With less hydrochloric acid, our food does not get digested properly and toxins that may be in our food are not destroyed, which can result in more cases of food poisoning.
Herbal Treatments
Internal Applications
- Garlic – take 2 or 3 garlic tablets per day to recover from infectious esophagitis that is caused by Candida albicans. If you want faster results, you can't beat fresh garlic. The cloves must be chewed or ground and added to your juice to activate the allicin.
- Ginger – drink the tea with honey added after meals. Let the tea cool before drinking. Ginger can also be taken raw and used as a lozenge. Keep the peeled slice in the mouth at least 30 minutes twice per day.
- Slippery elm – this herb coats the throat and esophagus with mucilage, which helps reduce irritation. Take 1 teaspoon of powder in 1/2 cup water and drink before meals.
- Marshmallow – this herb has mucilage, which coats the throat and esophagus to soothe and protect the mucous membranes. You can drink up to three cups of marshmallow tea per day. This herb should be used with caution by diabetics, as it can cause blood sugar to drop.
- Aloe vera – drinking the juice of this herb can help with reflux. Take ¼ cup of juice about 20 minutes before a meal.
- Wormwood – this herb has recently been subjected to tests that suggest it may help relieve reflux.
- Manuka honey – use this herb to treat reflux. The honey soothes the irritation and helps relieve inflammation.
- Echinacea – this herb has antibiotic qualities that may help support the immune system.
- Catnip – this soothing herb may also be effective at relieving pain and discomfort from reflux. Take as a tea as needed.
- Lemon Balm - drink 3 cups of tea a day.