244 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition
lungs.~ Try refl exology. You don’t need to be an expert^ —^ just rub and stroke
your feet. This is best done just before you go to bed.
~ If problems are severe just before you go to bed, use garlic paste (see
“Garlic Paste for Feet” in chapter 3). During this treatment, the body
will bring the garlic very effectively into the lungs, helping to relieve
any congestion, mucus, or infection. (The protective layer of petro-
leum jelly is vital to prevent burning of the skin; be sure to use plenty.)
measles
Measles is a viral respiratory-tract infection that is highly contagious. It
takes fourteen days to incubate from initial exposure, and the child (or
adult) will be infectious on the seventh day after exposure until ten days
after the appearance of the rash. It affects the eyes and skin as well, and is
spread by coughing and sneezing.
The fi rst signs are usually a cold or runny nose, followed by a fever.
When one of my daughters developed it, however (she was not
vaccinated), she went straight into a slight fever and rash, which was
found in her mouth as Koplik’s spots (white ones on the cheek lining),
and on her body as brownish-red spots. The whole episode was over in
three days, though doctors cite ten days as the normal duration of the
illness. At times the reddish-brown spots can also be found behind the
ears and on the face and neck, where they often originate before fi nally
spreading to the body.
The fever generally increases as the rash develops; only fl uids should
be taken during this stage.
f Take a few drops of lobelia leaf tincture every hour to ease the pain,
and add drops of lobelia leaf tincture to bathwater.
f Drink herbal teas like yarrow leaf, red raspberry leaf, red clover
fl ower, mullein fl ower, and nettle leaf, as well as carrot juice or potas-
sium broth (see chapter 4) and superfood.
f Use herbs to enhance the immune system, especially antivirals and
those that will help calm the fever and encourage the correct function
of elimination channels — see “Chicken Pox,” above.
f Grapefruit seed extract in olive oil has been shown to neutralize the
virus.
mononucleosis
Mononucleosis begins with fl ulike symptoms — aches, tiredness, runny
nose, and the like, as well as occasionally a rash similar to German measles.
It is caused by a herpeslike organism called Epstein-Barr virus. The
diseases 244