Measles: No Measly Solution

Measles (Rubeola or Rubella)

Best Single Herb: Boneset

Best Combinations: Echinacea, golden seal; boneset; safflowers; liquid chlorophyll; marshmallow, fenugreek; slippery elm; yarrow

Other Helpful Supplements: Beta carotene; vitamin C

Possible Cause: Exposure

Complementary Help: Thyme fomentations; garlic and catnip enema; Oregon grape used externally; eucalyptus diffused in a room

Measles is typically a childhood illness, caused by a contagious virus. The symptoms include a rash that lasts about three to five days, a cough, a fever, and sometimes small red spots with white centers on the inside of the mouth.

This illness usually lasts a short time, but you should take care of yourself for at least a week after you recover to ensure that you avoid further complications from the illness. An inner ear infection or other ailments of the respiratory tract can sometimes follow a measles outbreak. Read the section “Allergies Bee Gone,” to find some great herbs that will help dry up sinus passages. Also see the section “Colds: A Cure for All Seasons,” for some herbs that will soothe an irritated throat. For some herbs to recover from measles right now, read on.

Were You Vaccinated?

Most of us already have experienced measles in childhood, whether we were vaccinated against it or not. However, exposure to this usually mild infection, through exposure to someone contagious with the measles, will usually ensure lifetime immunity so that you don’t have to experience the problem again.

The vaccine against measles is not necessarily 100 percent protection against the virus, nor is it necessarily the reason for the eradication of the disease. Here are some interesting facts:

• The death rate from measles declined by 95 percent from 1916 to 1958. Note that this occurred years before the introduction of the vaccine.
• More than 95 percent of measles cases have a history of vaccination, according to Dr. William Atkinson of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
• In Hungary, between December 1988 and May 1989 there were 19,000 cases of measles; 77 percent of these cases were found in people age 17 to 21 who had already received the live measles vaccine.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

If you have been exposed to the measles in any way whatsoever, you should begin taking your herbal remedies right away. You’ll boost your immune system and lessen the severity of your symptoms if and when you do catch the disease.

Whether you were vaccinated against measles or not, you can still utilize the same herbal remedies to help you recover. Let’s take a look at an old remedy, boneset.

Boneset, for Bone-Breaking Aches and Pains

The herb boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) got its name back in the days of the Civil War, when it was used against the flu named breakbone fever. The muscle aches and pains were so severe with this flu that folks believed their bones would break! Boneset helped ease these fever-related pains and earned its name as it did so. It is said that boneset was also used in place of quinine during this time to fight malaria. You can still use boneset to fight the discomfort of the measles and other illness such as the flu.

Boneset works as a diaphoretic (it pushes out fever) and an expectorant (it pushes out mucus); it also resists bacteria and viral infections and helps reduce the muscle pain associated with fevers. Make boneset into a tea or decoction and drink warm to help with fever. The energetic effect seems to change with this herb if taken in a liquid form. For instance, herbalists will tell you to take boneset warm for its diaphoretic effect (making you sweat to break a fever). But if you are chilled and shaking with a fever, boneset is more effective taken as a chilled tea or infusion. Of course, if you take the herb in a pill form or mixed with other herbs, you bypass these specifics.

Warnings about the use of herbs

Boneset is also an emetic, which means that too much can make you sick. Take only small amounts of this herb at a time, or take it in combination with other herbs historically known to help with colds, flu, and other respiratory ailments.

Other herbs to boost the immune system that are safe for children as well as adults include echinacea and golden seal, safflowers, liquid chlorophyll, marshmallow and fenugreek, slippery elm, and yarrow. Beta carotene and vitamin C both can boost the immune system as well.

Make a fomentation of thyme and apply topically to the rash or use for a sponge bath to help break fever. Garlic and catnip enemas are helpful in fighting infections in little ones and also help reduce mucus in the system. In addition, you can swab Oregon grape onto internal mouth sores to aid in healing.

The essential oil of eucalyptus diffused in a room can help protect others from airborne viruses spread by the coughing, infectious person.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

If estrogen levels become too high during the follicular phase, women may experience PMS. The liver is responsible for filtering out excess estrogen — consider milk thistle to aid liver functioning. Also avoid fats in the diet, which can raise estrogen levels, avoid sugar, which can affect the blood sugar and make you irritable, and avoid salt, which can make you retain excess water.

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