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Herbal medication with alcohol


Kämpfe

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I would like to be sure that  natural/herbal/homeopathic remedies (with one form of sugar) and diluted with Brandy (yes... that alcohol...) are allowed while doing the Whole30. I read what the books tell about taking prescribed medication by doctors , but in this case it also has added alcohol and it is the persons choice to take it. Some say "yes", because at the end of the 30 days, there was not much alcohol ingestion, some say "leave it for 30 days, if you can stay without it"... So, what to do?   I think that if taken by a persons choice, than it´s not allowed, but when prescribed as a "must" for a treatment, then yes. I also heard that "if you can have alcohol vinegar, than you can surely add a few drops to your medication". So, what would be allowed in the program in this case? Thank you in advance!

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I think you'll need to make this choice for yourself.  My official position would be that this would not qualify as a prescription.  What 'must' for treatment would brandy and sugar be?

I don't know what alcohol vinegar is or where you're finding these differing ideas but if you feel that a naturopath is a doctor and that you cannot live without this supplement for 30 days, then that's your choice.  I don't feel that naturopathy is quite the intent of 'doctor's orders' or 'prescriptions' but that's a personal judgement... 

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I'm guessing Bach's Blüten? Similar to Essential Oils here in the US which i think are sometimes carried by alcohol. They are essentially herbal tinctures suspended in alcohol solutions. Some people swear by them others think differently. I don't know if there is much science behind their use, and i really can't speak to whether it's ok using them on the whole30 or not.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_flower_remedies

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16 minutes ago, Georgina2 said:

I'm guessing Bach's Blüten? Similar to Essential Oils here in the US which i think are sometimes carried by alcohol. They are essentially herbal tinctures suspended in alcohol solutions. Some people swear by them others think differently. I don't know if there is much science behind their use, and i really can't speak to whether it's ok using them on the whole30 or not.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_flower_remedies

Yes, it's a difficult one because it depends on whether you believe that this type of treatment constitutes medical necessity.  I'm all for naturopathic and homeopathic medicines and treatments and alternative therapies such as TCM, but I personally don't think ingesting something like essential oils is what the program means by 'doctor's orders'.  However, it's not up to us to decide that or make judgement based on whether that is a 'real' doctor or not.  In a case like this, a person needs to decide on their own what to do and how strongly they feel this is a prescription in the commonly accepted way. :)

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11 hours ago, Georgina2 said:

I'm guessing Bach's Blüten? Similar to Essential Oils here in the US which i think are sometimes carried by alcohol. They are essentially herbal tinctures suspended in alcohol solutions. Some people swear by them others think differently. I don't know if there is much science behind their use, and i really can't speak to whether it's ok using them on the whole30 or not.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach_flower_remedies

The science isn't in the flowers, its in the alcohol.  Alcohol's function as a central nervous system depressant is very well documented.  Even small amounts will have a calming effect, at least on some people.  The flowers make it to be a pleasantly scented, socially acceptable way to microdose on high proof alcohol.   

Sugar is another one.  Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic flu remedy by Boiron, is diluted so much, its been posited that it is virtually impossible to include even a molecule of the sole muscovy duck that allegedly  gets harvested for the product.  And the manufacturer doesn't even deny this.  
 

Quote

The dilution of Oscillococcinum goes further still: "200C," with a potency equal to 1/100 multiplied by 1/100 200 times. Robert Park, a University of Maryland physicist, figures the odds of a consumer actually getting even a single molecule of duck heart or liver in Oscillococcinum are less than those of getting hit by an asteroid.

Homeopathic drug makers don't deny any of this. "Strength is a nonissue in homeopathic medicine," says Boiron spokeswoman Gina Casey. "Just because we can't detect the molecular activity doesn't mean it doesn't work."


And yet, one dose is multiple sugar pills.    Why?     Melissa describes why on pages 30-31 of It Starts With Food.

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1 hour ago, Kämpfe said:

Yes, Bach´s and it´s not for me, just somebody asking in a group. You use some drops in water or Brandy (as the drink...). That´s why i think it´s not Whole30 compliant at all.

Oh, yes, putting drops of something into liquor is not on... sorry.

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46 minutes ago, SugarcubeOD said:

Oh, yes, putting drops of something into liquor is not on... sorry.


Even before putting it in liquor, the product itself is 40% alcohol -- which is higher than vanilla extract.  Brandy is reportedly the solvent and that's a very high proof brandy if the entire solution is 40%ABV.   It would have a label on it saying "80 proof" if it were sold in liquor stores.

If the botanical component genuinely has medicinal value, there are simple ways of extracting it that don't involve soaking it in booze or pretending it is in sugar pills.   My ancestors certainly didn't have Brandy or Vodka or Everclear at the ready when they made cough medicine from parts of certain evergreens.    

Many naturopaths are all about finding another way when the current path has a roadblock.   Why not here?  Its only 30 days.





 

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But to clarify, there are respected herbal medications that are in a carrier of alcohol that I believe do fit within  Whole30 criteria. For example,  I have SIBO, and my doctor prescribes Iberogast, a European motility drug  that has 50 years of solid research behind it. (In Europe, it's a prescription drug; in the US, it's over the counter.) It consists of about 30 herbs in a base of alcohol. Bitters are also commonly prescribed for SIBO (by my GI specialist, at any rate!), and they also contain herbs in a carrier of alcohol. I use both even when I'm doing Whole30, and at least for my purposes, I feel they fit within the criteria. 

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I'm not disagreeing with the actual bitters or medications if you put a few drops in water.  I"m disagreeing with putting a few drops into ANOTHER alcohol and then consuming that.  You've hit the nail on the head tho, if in your context, you feel that this is in the spirit of the Whole30 and this is actual medication then that's your choice, there are no Whole30 police that are going to come and knock it out of your hand, but if a person thought they could deal with 30 days without taking it, that would be their choice too.  

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