Best Single Herb: Butcher’s broom

Best Combinations: Aloe vera (eases constipation and soothes tissues); white oak bark (to shrink tissues); butcher’s broom

Other Helpful Supplements: B-complex; vitamin C with citrus bioflavonoids

Possible Causes: Stress; constipation; weakened blood capillaries

Complementary Help: Bowel cleansing; stress reduction; witch hazel suppository

Hemorrhoids (piles), also known as piles, are simply enlarged capillaries (veins) in or around the rectum. Sometimes hemorrhoids bleed after you use the bathroom, but they typically cause no pain. There are three levels of severity of hemorrhoids. The first two usually do not require medical treatment, but the third type is very painful and sometimes requires surgery to correct the problem.

Hemorrhoids are usually caused by prolonged constipation. The weight of the material in the bowel creates a pressure on the tissues, which causes a hemorrhoid to form. If you strain, you force the blood into the small capillaries and can create a hemorrhoid. Stress also seems to complicate the problem.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

You should never strain or push to have to evacuate the bowel. If you do, you are constipated and should consider herbs that will soften the stool and help get you regulated. A healthy evacuation is passed easily and fairly quickly; see “Constipation: All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go,” for the ideal stool.

A Remedy Amongst Piles of Herbs

Because hemorrhoids are typically caused by constipation, herbs that relieve this problem will be helpful in preventing hemorrhoids and keeping them from getting worse. Aloe vera, for one, is a soothing herb that will help act as a mild laxative. It also soothes inflamed tissues and is an analgesic, which means that it has properties that reduce local pain. You can drink the juice of aloe vera in juice, water, or straight.

Another stool-softening agent that works as a mild laxative is flax seed. Flax seed oil can be purchased in capsules or bulk in a bottle. It spoils quickly, however, and will therefore need to be refrigerated. Flax seeds can be added to foods and can be ground up and made into breads, but the oil is best for constipation.

B-complex vitamins will help feed the nervous system to ease stress-induced hemorrhoids. Vitamin C with extra bioflavonoids are helpful to strengthen blood capillaries and prevent hemorrhoids.

Sweep Away Hemorrhoids with Butcher’s Broom

Butcher’s broom (Ruscus aculeatus) is an herb used by many to counteract hemorrhoids because of its ability to strengthen tissues, tighten veins, and thin the blood. For hemorrhoids, take butcher’s broom internally, although a decoction can be made from it to use as a topical application or for use in a suppository, too. In this case, you can take butcher’s broom at both ends.

If you don’t have butcher’s broom handy, you can substitute white oak bark in its place to shrink swollen tissues. A suppository useful for painful and bleeding hemorrhoids can be made from any of the following astringent herbs:

• Witch hazel (may be purchased in liquid form at drug store)
• White oak bark (make into tea or decoction)
• Butcher’s broom (make into tea or decoction)

Soak a clean piece of cotton in the solution, and insert into the rectum overnight. It will come back out the next morning with your first bowel evacuation.

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