Pleurisy is a lung condition where the mucous membranes covering the lungs become severely inflamed. This causes pain in breathing. You must see a health practitioner if you have sore lungs for any reason. It is important to rest and keep warm when recovering from pleurisy.
Bed rest, hot lemon drinks, and a hot water bottle are the best treatments for treating lung infections of any kind. And don’t forget the Vitamin C – for an adult, use calcium ascorbate 1000mg every two hours for up to 3 or 4 doses in a day. Use this dose for two days, then cut back the dose to just one or two doses of 1000mg per day.
Here are some herbal remedies to help treat pleurisy of the lungs. Several of these remedies have been used by herbal practitioners of old. I have also mentioned some of my own remedies: Often, it is a case of what is available to you, when deciding what remedy to use for an illness.
I grew Hollyhocks, and let the garden have a wee corner where the honeysuckle and other wild flowers and medicinal weeds could grow. There was always something to use from the garden, in the event of an illness.
Hollyhock and honeysuckle flower tea proved efficacious several times, when I did not have homeopathic remedies on hand. And other favourites – read below about Homeopathic Arsen Alb and Bryonia for helping pleurisy of the lungs.
The book ‘Successful Herbal Remedies’ by Nalda Gosling, published by Thorsons Publishers Limited, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England, 1985, gives two recipes for the treatment of pleurisy which are worth noting. These both use pleurisy root.
Pleurisy Root, Asclepias tuberosa. This remedy can be used for bronchitis, pneumonia, and to treat the flu. It reduces pain in the chest, and eases breathing. Pleurisy root is probably one of the most common herbs for treating inflammation of the lungs – hence its name. Nalda says that the American Indians used pleurisy root simmered for 10 minutes for treating pleurisy.
Pleurisy root can also be combined with hyssop, marshmallow root and liquorice root, used in equal quantities. The method is to take 2 oz or 50 g of mixed herbs and simmer in 1 litre of water for 10 minutes. Allow the infusion to cool.
The dose is a wineglassful taken hot every two hours. This remedy works best if no food is taken for a day or two, until the pleurisy has subsided. This remedy promotes sweating, which is helpful in curing pleurisy.
Her second remedy is one which is recommended by Dr Schramm for the treatment of inflammation of the lung. It uses pleurisy root again, with the addition of marshmallow root, liquorice root and slippery elm bark. 50g are taken of each of these herbs, and simmered in 3 pints of water, which is around 8 cups of water. This mixture is simmered gently until it has halved in quantity. Then half a teaspoonful is taken every half hour. No food is to be taken with this treatment, until the patient is better and the pain gone from the chest. Again, it is important to rest and to keep warm in bed. I would use hot a lemon drink every hour as well, taken separately to the half teaspoon of herbal mixture.
Russell Setright, an Australian naturopath who wrote ‘Get Well: An A-Z of Natural Medicine for Everyday Illness’, published by Atrand Pty Ltd, Crows Nest, NSW, Australia, 1990, says that Pleurisy root is effective when combined with Capsicum, Grindellia, and Lobelia for treating any congestion of the lungs, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and flu.
Honeysuckle Flowers and Hollyhock: My own concoction: I have used this remedy to cure pleurisy in the past, and to treat coughs of all kinds in myself and my children. This also will promote sweating.
Pour three cups of boiling water over half a cup of honeysuckle flowers, and half a cup of hollyhock flowers. Allow the mixture to sit until cool. Add the juice of two lemons and some honey – enough to make the tea palatable. Take a warm cupful every hour for up to five hours.
Add some cod-liver oil capsules and a strong dose of Vitamin C to help this treatment along.
Comfrey Tea can also be used to treat chest troubles. I would add some Hollyhock and/or Honeysuckle flowers to the tea, to help dry up the fluid in the lungs.
I found homeopathic Bryonia to be useful in treating lung conditions of various kinds, and, if I had this remedy, I would use it in combination with the honeysuckle and hollyhock treatment.
Another favourite chest remedy is Homeopathic Arsen Alb., 30c. I keep this one on hand these days, at all times, and I take it with me if I am travelling. It has come to the rescue of other fellow travellers who were sick with chest troubles. It can be used for pleurisy, and for treating and preventing flu.
Homeopathic Drosera is a great remedy to have available for young children. It is well-known as a whooping-cough remedy, and I have found it to be always effective in this instance. It can also be used as a pleurisy remedy.
Wet Onion Pack Remedy For Pleurisy
This is the most effective lung and chest treatment of all, in my opinion. I have used this remedy for my own pneumonia, as well as for pleurisy. This is a marvellous remedy for creating a sweat, to get rid of the poisons causing the pleurisy. I do advise you to see a medical practitioner if you or your children have chest problems. But for me, I found that antibiotics did not do much towards helping to cure these conditions, and I was loathe to take them anyway. This prompted me to investigate herbal remedies, and homeopathic treatment. This is one very old remedy for inflammation of the lungs.
Chop up two large onions, skin and all, and boil in 2 litres of water for ten minutes. Allow the mixture to cool sufficiently so that it will not burn you. Put some rubber gloves on. Take an old towel which is big enough to wrap around the whole chest. Dip it into the cooled, but still hot, onion broth. Wring the towel out as quickly as possible and wrap it right around the chest. Quickly cover up with a plastic sheet, and then an old blanket. Wrap everything quickly and firmly around the chest so that the heat stays in. Now – drink a cup of hot lemon drink, or hot ginger, or herbal tea, and cover yourself up in bed from neck to toe with plenty of blankets and a hot water bottle, to sweat it out. Leave the onion pack on the chest for up to an hour. Surprisingly, the onion pack does not cause you to get cold, but, instead, to heat up and sweat away the pleurisy condition.
You can repeat the process a couple of hours later, using the same onion broth from the first treatment. Generally, though, I found that one treatment of the onion pack was enough to effect a cure.
Again, you can use homeopathic Bryonia with this onion pack remedy. Take 5 Drops of homeopathic Bryonia 30C twice a day for two or three days.