Remedies For Food Poisoning

Remedies For Food Poisoning

Chinese herbal remedies for food poisoning do more than just relieve the symptoms of food poisoning. They also speed up your recovery from food poisoning and re-balance and strengthen your digestive system to prevent future incidences of food poisoning.

From a Western medical viewpoint food poisoning is caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses and parasites. These can easily contaminate foods such as unrefrigerated meats and foods prepared by dirty hands and utensils.

Chinese Medicine and Food Poisoning

In addition to this, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) considers food poisoning an excess of dampness and heat in the stomach and intestines, via an unbalanced diet. TCM also recognizes that food poisoning is more likely to occur in hot, damp (humid) weather. This combination of internal damp-heat through diet and external damp-heat from the weather makes certain people more susceptible to food poisoning.

Foods and drinks causing damp-heat in the stomach and intestines include fried, greasy, spicy foods, stodgy junk foods like pizza and burgers, dairy products, overcooked meats, chocolate, coffee and alcohol.

If you sometimes get food poisoning and you often consume these kinds of foods and drinks, especially in the heat and humidity of summer, you need to eat a cleaner, more natural diet. Diet is an essential food poisoning remedy to consider during an episode of food poisoning and after to prevent further bouts.

Symptoms of Food Poisoning

Common food poisoning symptoms include diarrhea (which may be severe), vomiting, abdominal pain and cramping, aching muscles and fever.

Chinese Herbal Remedies For Food Poisoning

While a bout of food poisoning often only requires rest and lots of fluids, Chinese herbal medicine can, as mentioned, speed up your recovery and improve your digestive system to prevent future bouts.

One very common Chinese herbal food poisoning remedy is Po Chai Pills. This natural remedy is made in Hong Kong and is usually available in Chinatowns, Asian grocery stores and TCM clinics. It is a general remedy for food poisoning symptoms such as diarrhea and cramping. It is also a handy remedy for traveler's diarrhea.

However, for anyone who often gets food poisoning or is having trouble recovering from a bout of food poisoning you need something more specific and therefore more effective. I recommend you visit a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner for an individualized herbal prescription and individualized dietary advice.

Regardless of whether you have food poisoning or some other problem nothing is as effective as a medicine or therapy that specifically treats your unique symptoms and constitution. This is the beauty of TCM and the advantage it has over Western medicine. One medicine does not suit all people, nor does one diet.

Any questions about Chinese herbal remedies for food poisoning and diet, etc, let me know. If you need help finding a TCM practitioner see the FAQ page (No.9).