Being the end of National Palliative Care Week and Natural Medicine week I thought this topic was perfect.   This is an area that is very close to my heart, as I have worked as in a Palliative Care Ward for over 9 years as an administrator, and then had my grandmother go through palliative care.  This is a very important topic to have with your family so that you can maintain the quality of life and manage your symptoms.  

Palliative Care means specialized medical care for people living with a terminal  illness. The type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of the illness. The goal is to improve the quality of life for both the patient and the family. Death is a physiological process, and as such symptoms could be managed using an integrated approach

Herbs for generalised pain – California poppy, corydalis, Jamaica dogwood, willow bark.

Herbs for Nausea/vomiting -antiemetic bupleurum, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, fringe tree, gentian, ginger, glove artichoke, peppermint, St Mary’s Thistle.

Mouth Ulcers – mouth wash can be made up to help with these depending on the patient’s ability to be able to do this.  

Herbs for Anxiety – for example, Fear of dying could be managed with bacopa, California poppy, hawthorn, hops, Jamaican dogwood, valerian, zizyphus, chamomile, motherwort.

Herbs to manage Depression – damiana, lavender, lemon balm, oats green, vervain, skullcap, valerian

Herbs to assist with Constipation – cascara, damiana, dandelion leaf and root, fringe tree, gential, Licorice, marshmallow root.

Herbs for Coughs/respiratory issues -antibiotic if infection and acute. Fennel, Licorice, marshmallow, mullein, peppermint, thyme, wild cherry.  

Herbs for the management of Diarrhoea – chamomile, bayberry, cinnamon, green tea, grape seed meadowsweet, ladies mantel, mullein.

Herbs to assist with Insomnia – bacopa, California poppy, chaste tree, hops, Jamaican dogwood, kava, lavender, lemon balm, Mexican valerian, passionflower, Withania.

Herbs to manage Fatigue – astragalus, kola nut, Korean ginseng, oats seed, rehmannia, sage, sarsaparilla, Schisandra, skullcap, Siberian ginseng.

Herbs to stop the Itching – topically using ladies mantle and peppermint.

Herbs for Neuralgia – topically using cayenne and peppermint. Orally using California poppy, hops, Jamaica dogwood, wood betony, kava, motherwort and skullcap. 

Herbs can be prepared in many forms, tincture, creams, liquid medication, poultice, and everything is always checked against your current medication.  And as you can see some herbs do double duty.