Fainting

Herbs for fainting? The picture that comes to mind is definitely turn-of-the-century--a scented handkerchief being waved under the nose of a fainting woman. And it's true that women fainted a lot in the days of Queen Victoria's reign. Often it was because they wore their corsets too tight.

Folk medicine does, in fact, offer a number of different "smelling salts," strong-scented substances that can wake up the slumbering and jar them back to full consciousness.

Fainting, or swooning, is simply sudden loss of consciousness as a result of decreased blood flow to the brain. Among the causes are hunger, exhaustion, severe emotional upset and pain. A hot, stuffy environment can do it, too.

If you feel faint, standard first-aid advice is to lie on your back and elevate your legs to coax more blood into your brain. Or sit with your head lowered between your knees to accomplish the same thing.

A number of medical conditions can cause fainting, and some of them are fairly serious. If you have a tendency to faint easily, or if you faint for no apparent reason, a doctor's visit is usually in order.

Green Pharmacy for Fainting

Herbalists no longer recommend routinely carrying smelling salts. But if you have a tendency to faint, there are a couple of herbs that act like smelling salts that you can have on hand. There are also a number of stimulant herbs that might prove helpful in preventing fainting.

Broomweed (Sida rhombifolia). Canary Islanders brew the leaves of this herb into a tea. I'm not surprised, because it contains ephedrine, the potent central nervous system stimulant and decongestant. I'd try a strong tea made with about five teaspoons of dried herb per cup of boiling water. Steep until cool.

Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). For centuries, Arabs have added cardamom to their coffee in the belief that it was an aphrodisiac. I can't swear that it stimulates the libido, but it certainly stimulates the nervous system.

According to my database, cardamom is the best source of the stimulant compound cineole, which is present in most of the herbs that aromatherapists recommend for fainting. For a little extra kick, I frequently add one or two cardamom seeds to coffee or tea. It tastes really good.

Coffee (Coffea, various species) and other caffeine-containing beverages. Coffee contains that famous stimulant, caffeine. It's an old favorite for getting rid of that faint feeling. But other caffeine-containing beverages have also been used to treat fainting, including tea, colas and the South American drinks mate, guarana and cacao. Hot chocolate works, too, since it also contains caffeine.

Country mallow (Sida cordifolia). Here's an herb that's generously endowed with the stimulant compound ephedrine. The seeds have the most. Because of its stimulant action, country mallow has even been used to treat narcolepsy, a condition that gives people the overwhelming urge to fall asleep.

Try making a strong tea using five teaspoons of this herb per cup of boiling water. Steep until cool.

Ephedra (Ephedra sinica). Also known as ma huang or Chinese ephedra, this herb is the best source of ephedrine.

The big problem with whole ephedra, as well as its chemical components ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, is its side effects: insomnia, anxiety, restlessness and possibly aggravation of high blood pressure. So you have to be careful with this herb. In fact, if you take really high doses, very strange things can happen. The medical literature contains 20 case reports of ephedrine psychosis.

Over the past couple of years, several people have died as a result of abusing this herb. They took large overdoses of commercial products containing ephedra in an attempt to get high. Unfortunately, because of these incidents, the Food and Drug Administration has decided it's too much of a stimulant, and they have taken steps to remove ephedrine supplements from the market.

When I use ephedra, I brew a tea using a half-teaspoon or so of dried herb (or a half-teaspoon to one teaspoon of tincture) per cup of boiling water. I steep it until it's cool enough to drink. These forms of the herb are safe to use at the recommended doses.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus). This herb has a sharp, pungent aroma that is familiar to anyone who has ever sniffed Vicks Vapo-Rub. It comes about as close as we get in modern times to smelling salts. Aromatherapists suggest placing a drop or two of eucalyptus essential oil on a cloth and holding it under the nose to revive someone who has fainted. (Eucalyptus oil should never be ingested, however.)

Eucalyptus is also high in the stimulant compound cineole, so after the person is more or less revived, try giving some eucalyptus tea made with one to two teaspoons of crushed leaves per cup of boiling water.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis). The oil that gives rosemary its unique aroma is well-endowed with cineole, which has been shown to be active whether it's inhaled, ingested or applied directly to the skin.

Use rosemary as you would eucalyptus: If someone faints, place a drop or two of rosemary essential oil on a tissue and hold it under the person's nostrils. (Again, though, the oil should not be ingested.) Or crush a handful of rosemary's needlelike leaves into a ball and hold that under the person's nose.

Once the person has revived, brew up some rosemary tea using one to two teaspoons of crushed leaves per cup of boiling water.

Other herbs with good amounts of cineole include sweet Annie and ginger. You can use them the same way.

Lavender (Lavandula, various species). My good friend, respected California herbalist Kathi Keville, who wrote The Illustrated Herb Encyclopedia and Herbs for Health and Healing, notes that the Victorians were clearly prepared for swooning. The ladies carried little aromatherapeutic "swooning pillows" filled with stimulating lavender and camphor. She offers a good recipe for smelling salts: Fill a small vial with table salt and add a dozen drops of lavender, rosemary or eucalyptus oil.

Soursop (Annona muricata). The leaves of this tropical member of the pawpaw family contain aromatic compounds. In the Caribbean, people crush the leaves and use them as smelling salts when someone feels faint. In a pinch, I'd try seeds from any of our North American pawpaws, but don't get the juices in your eyes--they may cause eye problems.