Herbs for Dengue Fever
Answered by: Susan Eagles
Question from: Janine Mercado
Posted on: December 30, 2001

I’m a licensed pharmacist presently doing some voluntary research on herbal plants here in the highlands of the Philippines, particularly in Central Mindanao. I accomplished a short course of Herbal Medicine in the University of the Philippines. I am a nature lover and environmentalist. I have a question about what herbs should be use in "dengue fever"? Do you have any information about this?

The Merck Manual lists Dengue fever as "an acute febrile disease of sudden onset that most frequently follows a benign course characterized by headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, lymphadenopathy, and a rash that appears with a second temperature rise following an afebrile period.", stating its cause as a flavivirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito.

Herbs recommended for Dengue by Thomas Bartram in "Bartram’s Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine" (available at Richters) are:

- Chickweed ointment to soothe irritable rash

- Guaiacum officinalis to reduce fever

- Abundant herbal teas made of: Yarrow, Elderflowers, Boneset, Chamomile, Goldenrod and Wild thyme. These herbs have the following actions: diaphoretic to reduce fever (Yarrow, Boneset, Goldenrod, Thyme); antiinflammatory (Elderflower, Chamomile, Goldenrod); antimicrobial (Chamomile); mild nerve sedative for aches and pains (Chamomile, Wild Thyme); antiseptic (Wild Thyme), antiviral (Wild Thyme, Elderflowers, Yarrow)

General recommendations are bed rest and lots of liquids.

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