Helpful Herbs for Glandular Fever (Case study extract)
Excerpts from previous naturopathy assignment HLT60512. Glandular Fever.
A 26 year old male presents with glandular fever. It was diagnosed 4 weeks ago and he is still feeling quite unwell. He did have an enlarged liver for a couple of weeks, but the doctor has told him that his liver is now normal. He is still getting some muscle and joint pain and feels extremely fatigued. He does take the antidepressant paroxetine, which he has been on for 6 months. This has helped with his depression and he would prefer to continue with this at the moment. The only other medication he uses is the anti-inflammatory ibuprofen when the joint and muscle pain is getting too much.
Case analysis and treatment objectives
Epstein Barr virus presents as a varied strain of the human herpes virus (SitkiGreen, Hood Edwards, Covington, & Raab-Traub, 2004). It is an enveloped virus which will remain in the body for life, and it can cause few symptoms or significant symptoms relative to the immunity, health, environment, and genetic factors at play in the individual (Odumade, Hogquist, & Balfour, Jr, 2011).
Some of the symptoms, are fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, headache, malaise, fatigue, and aches and pains in joints. The virus may also reside in the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, where it is most active due to lowered immunity or increased viral activity, it can be passed on to others through fluid exchange e.g. most commonly kissing another person is a mode of transmission (Odumade, Hogquist, & Balfour, Jr, 2011).
The virus normally replicates in host cells and the immune system then reacts, and it remains in the memory of the B-lymphocytes and thus immune responses develop to manage replication (Odumade, Hogquist, & Balfour, Jr, 2011).
In normal circumstances the immune system keeps virus replication in check and therefore the person lives a normal healthy life with the virus present. Sometimes the virus reactivates in a person who has previously contracted it, and may produce further symptoms; again in areas such as lymph nodes and other surrounding areas (Pizzigalo, Racciatti, & Gorgoretti, 2010).
The aim of herbal medicine treatment is to address individual client presentation and modulate the immune system (including inflammation) and provide assistance through medicines shown to have anti-viral activity against enveloped viruses and those medicines that provide support to the overall vitality and health of the client, examples herbs which have tonic and adaptogen qualities.
The herbal medicines chosen to assist this client are astragalus membranceous (astragalus), Echinacea purpura (echinacea), glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), eleutherococcus (siberian ginseng), and mellisa officinalis (lemon balm) all which work together in the formula to assist the clients recovery and vitality.
Further naturopathic investigations can include; full blood count, viral load assessment, iridology, stool analysis, re-establishing healthy GIT bacteria after antibiotics, and dietary and lifestyle management and care. Following is the herbal prescription which can be administered with the antidepressant paroxetine.
Case Study 3. Herbal Recommendations (See naturopath for individual dosages)
| Herb | Ratio | Weekly dose | Weekly dose (up to
105ml) |
| Astragalus (Bone,
2003, p. 77) |
1:2 | ||
| Echinacea (Bone,
2003, p. 186) |
1:2 | ||
| Licorice (Bone, 2003, p. 313) | 1:1 |
|
|
| Siberian Ginseng
(Bone, 2003, p. 196) |
1:2 |
|
|
| Lemon Balm (Bone,
2003, p. 308) |
1:2 | ||
| Total / Daily | 7.5ml b.i.d |
Astragalus
- Immomodulatory; this improves immunity against a diverse array of pathogens (including Epstein Barr virus) (Braun, et al., 2015, p. 41)
- Immune modulation, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, hypo-cholesterolemic, digestive cytochrome adaptogen (Braun, et al., 2015, pp. 41-43)
Echinacea Angustifolia
- Echinacea treatment induced additional formation of antiviral interferon ‘gamma, chemotactic molecules (Interleukin-9 (IL-8) or monocyte chemoattractant protein -1 in subjects with a low initial production at baseline (from +18 to +49%). In contrast subjects with higher levels of these factory at baseline experienced no further increase after treatment (Ritchie et al 2011 (Braun, et al., 2015, pp. 287-293).
- purpurea, Angustifolia, and E. pallida, act mainly on non-specific cellular immunity (Blumenthal et al 2000) (Braun, et al., 2015, pp. 287-293)
- Immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, antibacterial, antifungal antiparasitic, anxiolytic, herpes(Braun, et al., 2015, pp. 282-293)
Licorice
- Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immune-modulatory, anti-allergic, mucoprotective, demulcent, antiulcer (peptic) adrenal tonic, anti-microbial, assists bone health (Braun, et al., 2015, pp. 648-52)
- Contraindications: Cholestatic liver disorder, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, hypokalaemia, kidney insufficiency (Braun, et al., 2015, p. 652)
Siberian ginseng
Immune-modulating, anti-viral, convalescence, including after antibiotic therapy; adjuvant therapy for dysentery, insomnia, mild depression
Lemon balm
Anxiolytic, sedative, antidepressant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, cholinergic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-spasmodic, antioxidant, promotes neurogenesis, anxiety, cognitive function (Braun, et al., 2015, pp.
623-29).
Contraindications
None noted.
Heather Indiana Rose
2019