|
|
Got a cold? Don't turn your nose up at herbs
Warts, mice show speedy results
November 25, 1996
Web posted at: 9:20 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen
ATLANTA (CNN) -- Linda Gooding is a microbiologist at Emory University, where she spends her days working with the tools of Western medicine.
But when she gets a cold, she turns to the East, and to Chinese herbs.
"It was just recommended to me by someone one time who had tried it and found that it was effective. So I gave it a try one time when I was coming down with a cold," Gooding said. "There is not a whole lot else you can do."
Gooding said the herbs worked for her, and convinced her to do a more formal study.
"A billion Chinese can't be all wrong, right?" Gooding joked.
She took 25 patients with warts on their hands, which, like colds, are caused by viruses. The patients had the warts removed by a dermatologist, then Gooding sent some of the patients to a Chinese herbalist.
The herbalist, Cindy Xu, had patients soak their hands in an herbal solution three times a month. After eight months, the group soaking their hands were less likely to have the warts come back, compared to those who didn't use the herbs.
Then there were the mice who lived and the mice who died in a new study on Chinese herbs at the University of Texas.
Researchers gave mice lethal doses of a flu virus. Those treated with Chinese herbs lived. Those that did not get the herbs died.
Still, scientists do not really know how they work. They hypothesize the herbs somehow help kill the virus, whereas over-the-counter drugs for cold and flu only treat symptoms.
Every year, Xiao Wu of the Chinese Medical Center said she sees more and more Americans at her clinic in Atlanta.
"I never saw so many people come in to take herbs. I'm very excited," she said.
But even traditional Chinese doctors say herbs will not cure everything. It is best to contact your primary care doctor if your flu gets serious: if your temperature goes higher than 103 degrees or if you develop a severe cough.
Eastern and Western medicines are not mutually exclusive. Gooding said she would not dream of going to her Western doctor for something as simple as a cold, nor would she see an herbalist for anything truly serious.
Related story:
- St. John's Wort may offer herbal relief for depression - August 3, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1996 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.