How do I deal with spider veins in pregnancy?
Spider veins are damaged capillaries that cause more issues in terms of appearance than actually causing harm or damage to the circulatory system.
However, it is worth using remedies to strengthen the walls of the entire venous system to avoid issues with varicose veins and haemorrhoids since spider veins or thread veins can indicate weakness in other vein walls.
One herbal remedy that may be somewhat surprising in its action to help improve the tone of vein walls is the humble calendula plant. Calendula not only helps to strengthen the walls of capillaries and veins, it also works to reduce inflammation.
Yarrow is another plant that I highly recommend when it comes to a number of blood-related issues. In this case, it can help to disperse any pooling or stagnation of blood and promote healthy circulation.
Witch hazel is well known as a toner for the face, and it is also a common natural remedy for varicosity due to its astringent nature — it can help to reduce the appearance of broken capillaries by shrinking the tissues.
You can make a simple spray using the herbs mentioned above to help treat and minimise the appearance of the veins. You will need to find a suitable jar — around 1 litre is the perfect size.
Fill this with a 50/50 blend of dried calendula flowers or petals and dried yarrow aerials (leaves, stems, and flowers). Cover the dried herb blend with witch hazel. Steep the combination for three weeks, shaking once daily.
When the three weeks are up, strain the liquid out, and add 1ml of lavender essential oil. Decant into a spray bottle, shake well before using, and spray on the affected area two to three times daily for best effect.
Internally, I like horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) as a herbal remedy to restore tone and elasticity to veins both small and large.
A Vogel make Venaforce tablets using the extract of fresh horse chestnut seeds, and are available from www.avogel.ie.
Note: Horse chestnut should not be used while breastfeeding, since they may reduce or dry up your milk supply. Do not take horse chestnut together with aspirin or other anticoagulants.
Shingles are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the chickenpox virus, which lies dormant in the nerve ganglia until it is activated by any compromise to the immune system.
As the nervous system is the main region affected, it makes sense to supplement with nutrients which support nerve health.
The B vitamins are crucial to nerve function and work best when taken together as part of a b-complex formulation.
If your mum isn’t able to take pills, you could try Floradix’s B-Complex liquid, which also contains supportive nutrient herbs and is combined with fruit extracts for a pleasant flavour.
Immune support is also necessary since this virus thrives when immunity is low and/or stress levels and anxiety are high.
Vitamin C has long been the staple nutrient when it comes to the immune system, and this is certainly the case for shingles outbreaks. Vitamin C in the form of the Amazonian superfruit, camu camu, is ideal.
Camu camu has been shown to outperform the pharmaceutical drug, Acyclovir, in eliminating the common viral infection of cold sores. This powerhouse anti-viral fruit has also been valuable in the treatment of chickenpox, shingles, genital herpes, and Epstein-Barr.
Most people are told to avoid citrus and tomatoes if they are suffering from shingles. This is because these acidic foods appear to have a stimulating effect on any rash or blisters caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
