Peptic Ulcer
A peptic ulcer is an area of the inside of the stomach that's internal mucosa has eroded away, leaving the tissue to the mercy of stomach acid. This creates an open sore on the inside of the stomach, the upper portion of the small intestine or the esophagus.
Symptoms
Symptoms may include a burning pain in the abdomen between the belly button and the sternum between 30 minutes and an hour after eating; nausea; vomiting; anemia; dull, achy chest pain; loss of appetite; blackened stool and sudden, severe abdominal pains that incapacitate you.
Causes
Peptic ulcers can be caused by hyper acidity, overeating, the excessive consumption of alcohol, eating too many spicy foods, excessive intake of coffee, food poisoning, smoking and the presence of helicobacter pylori bacteria.
Cautions
Gastrointestinal bleeding can be a life-threatening complication of an ulcer eroding away a blood vessel, so it is important to get checked out by your health professional for this ailment.
Herbal Treatments
Internal Applications
- Fenugreek – the seeds of this herb are made into a tea. When moistened, the seeds become mucilaginous, and it coats the ulcer as it passes through the digestive system.
- Astragalus – this herb has been traditionally used to treat ulcers of the stomach.
- Barberry – the berberine contained in this herb fights bacterial infection. Because of this compound, barberry is a good choice to treat inflammation and infection in the digestive tract. It also improves the appetite.
- Bilberry – this herb helps prevent peptic ulcers from forming. It can be helpful for people under stress, who are on medications or who drink alcohol.
- Cat's claw – this herb reduces inflammation and has been used for centuries to treat many health problems including ulcers.
- Cranberry – this herb helps prevent infection by helicobacter pylori.
- Licorice – this herb soothes and coats the stomach. This helps ulcers feel better. Be sure to use deglycyrrhizinated licorice.
- Slippery elm – this herb is used for gastritis and ulcers, since it coats the stomach and soothes irritation.
- Turmeric – this herb can prevent inflammation of the intestinal and stomach walls as well as ulcers.
- Aloe vera – drink the juice of this herb for pain relief and to speed up healing.
- White oak – the bark of this herb can be used for inflammation and irritations of the stomach.
- Yarrow – this herb is good for inflammation and irritation. It also normalizes any bleeding.
- Neem – this herb's extract can be used to treat stomach ulcers and it is also effective at fighting infections.
- Calendula – this herb soothes the stomach lining and helps relieve the pain of ulcers. Take a tea made of the flowers in a dose of 3 cups per day. A tincture can also be taken in water or tea.
- Cayenne – while this may seem to be too spicy to help an ulcer, cayenne is actually very good for treating them. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon of cayenne to a glass of water and drink it twice a day.
- Comfrey – take a tea made of comfrey as needed to heal ulcers in the stomach and intestines. Some say that it is not safe to take comfrey internally due to the alkaloids in the herb. If you are using the leaves rather than the root, the alkaloid level is much lower, while the healing qualities are still intact.