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The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook: Dizziness

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Dizziness

Once when Mrs. Duke was experiencing dizziness, she went to the doctor. She came home with an $18 packet of TransDerm Sco¯p--stick-on patches produced by Ciba Geigy that administered the drug scopolamine by absorption through the skin. For quite a while, scopolamine was the standard medication for dizziness and motion sickness.

Little did Peggy know that she could have gotten scopolamine much more cheaply by gathering some plants in our front yard. My jimsonweed (Datura stramonium) and cultivated ornamental Datura species all contain scopolamine, although perhaps less than the pharmaceutical.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend scopolamine, even from natural sources, for dizziness. It may work, but it can also cause side effects such as blurred vision, dry mouth, hallucinations and heart palpitations. I prefer ginger for seasickness, motion sickness, morning sickness and anything else that can cause dizziness or vertigo.

The terms dizziness and vertigo are often used interchangeably, but technically there is a distinction. Dizziness simply means unsteadiness. Vertigo is worse. It is a disorienting illusion of movement, as if the world were whirling around you, or you around it.

Green Pharmacy for Dizziness

If you have chronic dizziness, see a physician. Prolonged or recurring bouts of dizziness can be a sign of inner ear infection, cardiac arrhythmia, high blood pressure or some other serious problems. For occasional bouts of dizziness, there are several herbs that might prove helpful.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Chinese sailors chewed ginger root for seasickness thousands of years ago, and as they traveled, their remedy did, too--from Asia to India to the Middle East and on to Europe.

Modern science has shown that there is some validity to this ancient remedy. One study of 80 naval cadets, for example, showed that taking one gram (a half-teaspoon) of powdered ginger shortly before shoving off reduced symptoms of seasickness--including dizziness--by 38 percent and frequency of vomiting by 72 percent.

In earlier studies on land with 18 healthy subjects, one gram of ginger relieved vertigo and motion sickness better than the standard drug, dimenhydrinate (Dramamine).

"To prevent motion sickness, swallow two capsules 30 minutes before departure and then one to two more as symptoms begin to occur, probably about every four hours," suggests Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Ginger capsules are available at health food stores and other supplement outlets.

You can also try fresh ginger tea or slices of candied ginger, according to herb advocate Andrew Weil, M.D., professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine.

Ginger Needs More Testing

I'm a big believer in ginger for dizziness, seasickness and all sorts of stomach distress. Centuries of folk use and several good studies support this use. But not every study has been favorable.

One study, sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, I suspect, concluded that ginger was ineffective and the anti-dizziness medication scopolamine was effective. Personally, I don't buy into the results of a single study, but without an unbiased comparative study, I may never know which of these alternatives is more effective.

Unless the U.S. government sponsors studies comparing new drugs (synthetic and natural) not only with placebos but also with the best herbal alternatives, we may not be getting the best medicines. I want the best, whatever it is.

PH_GP_2leaves Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba). Ginkgo extract is prescribed extensively in Europe for vertigo, among many other conditions. One French study of 70 people with chronic vertigo showed that 47 percent improved while taking ginkgo. You can try 60 to 240 milligrams a day, but don't go any higher than that. In large amounts, ginkgo may cause diarrhea, irritability and restlessness.

PH_GP_1leaf Celery (Apium graveolens). Celery seed has a long history of use in traditional Chinese medicine as a treatment for dizziness.

PH_GP_1leaf Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo). Some herbalists I respect claim that pumpkin seeds help relieve dizziness. If I were going to take this remedy myself, I'd have some pumpkin seed butter.

PH_GP_1leaf Assorted herbs. Recipe writer that I am, I can't resist combining all of the anti-dizziness herbs with a few flavor herbs in a Stomach Settler Tea. Combine four teaspoons of ginger with dashes of ground pumpkin seeds, celery seeds, camomile flowers, fennel, orange rind, peppermint and spearmint and steep for 15 minutes.

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