In taking a herbal remedy, I felt a little better for the first 3 days. But then the symptoms that I originally had came back, a little worse than before. Had I not known better, I would have thought that it was the remedy that made me sick. Would you please explain about the detox process and the healing crisis?
So many people are hearing good things about healing with herbs from their friends and families these days. Then maybe they take an herb or a combination formula and they have a reaction (usually after the 3rd day). This could be anything from a skin rash, to nausea, diarrhea, sleepiness, unusual fatigue, cold symptoms, boils, headache, or the original symptoms. Call it a ‘reaction’ or call it a ‘symptom’, either way you are experiencing what is called the- “HEALING CRISIS” and it’s a good thing! Your body is detoxing.
Herbal healing is totally different from medical treatment. In Herbal Healing, that’s just what it is: HEALING. In medical treatment, it’s a case of masking the symptoms. Very rarely will you find healing in the allopathic medical establishment. Drugs have side effects, causing more symptoms for which we are prescribed even more drugs. Now, don’t misquote me: I am not totally against prescription drugs. Sometimes they are needed to sustain life. But, I do believe that the Creator gave us a remedy for every illness within Nature- if the damage (of the illness and the medical treatment) hasn’t gone too far.
The healing crisis happens when the body is in the process of detoxing accumulated toxins from the body. Reactions may be mild, or severe, depending on the overall condition of your entire system, the length of time you’ve had the condition and the amount of toxins your body has to eliminate. When taking herbal formulas, you should expect some sort of healing crisis reaction, because the herbs are working with your body to get rid of toxins and disease causing organisms. Work toward it, joyfully accepting it as part of the healing process. This is a matter of educating yourself as to how and why herbs work. They do not work like prescription, or over the counter drugs. They are different and their healing methods take time to learn. Do research! Read books! Talk to herb people!
If you do experience a healing crisis, some of your symptoms will be identical to the disease you are treating, but there is an important difference: elimination. A cleansing, purifying process is underway and the stored wastes are in a free flowing state. Some-times discomfort during the healing crisis is of greater intensity than when your body was building the disease in the first place. This explains why there may be a brief flare-up in your condition. The healing crisis will usually bring about past conditions in whatever order the body is capable of handling at the time.
The healing crisis may last for up to three days. But, if your energy is low or your immune system is severely compromised, it could last for a week or two. It all depends on how many toxins are in your body and the damage they have done. A lot of people don’t experience any detox symptoms. They just take the remedy and start to feel better in a matter of minutes or hours. Also, not all herbs, or herbal combinations will cause a healing crisis for all people; we’re all different and herbs have different actions too.
Take for instance, Echinacea- when taken at the first sign of a cold or flu, either in capsule or tincture form, it will stop your cold or flu in its tracks with no adverse symptoms. Mint tea aids digestion while it calms the system- no side effects. Chamomile will relax and calm for a better sleep- no side effects.
It is my belief that when taking several herbs in a formula, which is geared toward a specific condition, one is more likely to have symptoms of detox. That’s because a genuine healing is taking place. Be thankful for it, you body is healing! Most people will not understand this way of looking at detox symptoms. That’s because we’ve been so brainwashed into thinking that we need to take a pill to stop any physical discomfort. Actually, physical discomfort, or pain is the way our bodies communicate with us. We need to listen. These symptoms can be expressions of your body’s attempt to defend itself, to adapt, to recover, to heal itself, or to tell us what we need to change in our life.
There are several things to remember when taking herbs for healing illness and/or disease:
1. A healing crisis is normal
2. The healing process takes time, be patient.
3. Don’t suppress temporary healing symptoms with drugs, or the healing process will interrupted.
4. Talk to and listen to your body.
There is one important question to ask your self when taking herbal remedies for healing a particular condition:
Do I really want to heal?
If you are committed to healing, you’ll do research on your condition, research on the side effects of drugs you might be taking and research on the healing properties of herbs. Herbal healing is also a lesson in patience.
