1. OBESITY AND SUGAR CRAVINGS
Dr Clare is a GP and herbalist in Galway. During my visit to her surgery, I tell her that I have a lot of sugar cravings and proudly boast that I have phased it out of my tea, if nothing else.
She beckons me over the dispensary and asks me to put out my hand. I do so. She spoons some siúcra on it and tells me to rinse it in my mouth. Then I’m given a small pouring of an unknown, bitter brown liquid. “Do you want more sugar?” she asks.
“Ugh, no thanks.”
“I just gave you gymnema leaf,” she says. “It will take away sugar cravings.”
Is she right? Gymnema leaf is native to Sri Lanka and India, and it seems to inhibit sweet cravings. It may be the power of suggestion, and my anecdotal experience is far from data – but I neither wanted nor ate sugary foods for the rest of the day; this is unusual for someone who’s prone to at least a bar of chocolate almost every evening.
Dr Clare and other herbalists use gymnema leaf extract as part of a cravings blend. “Cravings usually last 10 minutes, so I tell people to use the drops and avoid indulging for 10 minutes.”
But she’s dismissive of the idea that it is some kind of miracle cure for obesity. “It helps, but if I had the cure for obesity, I’d be sitting on a Caribbean island,” she says.
Fenugreek, an everyday cooking herb, is also good for prolonging the effects of sugar, she says. Liquorice tea, which is widely available in supermarkets and health food shops, can also counteract the desire for sugar.
The next day, I resolve to try some of this liquorice tea when the sweet cravings kick in. Does it work? Well, my anecdote is not data, but it certainly has helped for me. Liquorice has a long history in herbal medicine across the world and this is just one of its purported uses; it’s also said to help with digestion and heartburn. Liquorice has medicinal benefits but it is also a powerful a herb that can be surprisingly dangerous and there is a maximum recommended daily intake of 70-150mg a day, according to the US Food and Drug Administration.
For most healthy people, liquorice can be beneficial. But anyone with high blood pressure should avoid it, as should people with heart disease, hormone sensitive cancers (breast, ovarian, uterine, prostate), diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease, low potassium levels, fluid retention and erectile dysfunction. And it can interact with prescription medicines, so it is strongly advised you talk to your doctor before taking it.
2. SKIN COMPLAINTS
“I have patients with psoriasis all over their body. Within three months it is gone.” That’s the claim from Dr Clare, a GP and herbalist based in Galway.
But she’s not a miracle healer. “There are other patients where it is a massive problem in their lives and they can’t shift it: it gets a minimum of 20 per cent better, it usually gets 50 per cent better, and then it goes completely for eight or nine years and then comes back – maybe because of too much sugar, or stress.” She smiles kindly.
In the Schools’ Manuscript Collection, which forms part of the Irish National Folklore Collection at UCD, 31.5 per cent of cures relate to dermatology. Back then, psoriasis was poorly understood, but there are a significant number of cures for eczema, including the juice of bilberries (collected from Co Westmeath) and the juice from the boiled bark of an elm tree mixed with sugar and drank for a whole year (collected from Co Offaly).
In the main manuscript collection, one cure for eczema, from Co Cork (NFC 315:85), suggests using two ounces of beeseax mixed with two ounces of pig lard, an ounce of bread soda, the yolk of two eggs and “green oil”. In a time before basic moisturisers such as Silcock’s base, this may have been useful.
Increasingly, science is showing us that many skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema, are autoimmune and exacerbated by stress and sugar, so simply rubbing a salve on it won’t easily address the underlying problem.
In her practice, Dr Clare a variety of herbs for skin conditions, including burdock (which she says is a blood tonic with iron and sulphur and also has antimicrobial and antifungal properties), clovers (which among other properties are anti-inflammatory), liquorice (which is digestive, anti-inflammatory and helps balance cortisol but can interact with other medications), nettle leaf (rich in minerals), and sasparilla (a herb that is mistakenly believed to have heavy testosterone constituents, but which she says is also anti-itch, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic).
*There is scant clinical research on herbs and much of what is taken is based on traditional use, anecdotal reports and science’s current understanding of their chemical properties. Herbs ordered over the internet can be wrongly labelled and may contain poisons. Anyone with a medical condition should consult with their doctor before taking a herbal remedy, as herbs can interact with prescribed medications.
