With many of our pregnant patients having trouble with anaemia we thought it would be helpful to blog about the Herbal approach to the condition. Herbal treatment is often more favourable as it doesn’t cause digestive disturbance like the conventional treatments do.
Key Blood-Building Strategies
(Excerpts taken from the article by Andrew Gaeddert BA, AHG)
The best ways to build blood include iron supplementation (whether herbal or commercially produced) especially liquid iron, along with vitamin B12 and folic acid.
Diet
Blood-building foods include animal liver, brewer’s yeast (which is rich in B vitamins), bone marrow soup (not sure about that one!) black strap molasses.
Other iron-rich foods include kidneys, apricots, dark leafy greens, lamb, oysters, soy foods, duck, goose, raisins, spinach and mushrooms.
Herbs such as Nettles and Alfalfa can be incorporated into the diet to improve iron utilization. For example, nettles can be added to greens that you are eating for your meals, soups and smoothies! Yum!
A strong Nettle infusion is very helpful – here’s how to make it…..
Nettle Infusion
To make an infusion:
~ Place 25gs of dried herb in a 1 litre jar (le Parfait jar is perfect).
~ Fill to the top with boiling water.
~ Lid tightly and let steep for at least four hours or overnight.
~ Then strain.
~ Drink liquid portion hot, cold, or in between.
~ Refrigerate what you don’t consume at once; use within 48 hours
Herbs such as Rehmannia and Peony are the chief blood-building herbs in Chinese medicine and can be helpful in raising blood levels.
Lovage (which is traditionally used to improve blood circulation and aid in new blood formation) is also helpful.
Licorice can help to tonify the qi (i.e. the general energy of the body)
Ginger is used to aid the absorption of the herbs in the mixture. Herbs to improve absorption of Iron through the gut are also used.
There are also numerous herbs which are high in Iron and these include – Nettle, Comfrey, Yellow Dock and Horsetail.
For more information about how Foreman & Jones can help with Iron deficiency anaemia
