Inflammation - Punishment or Defence?
Academik EANS and RANS, doctor-phytotherapeutist, c.m.s. K.A.Treskunov
SCC RAS Chernogolovka, Russia
It was 20 years ago, a young woman came to my surgery hours. There was a note of a surgeon in her medical card: "Is sent for consultation of the physician in connection with complaints about heartache."
The patient's case history was like following. A gynaecologist prescribed her calcium gluconate intramuscularly. At the chemist's she was “presented” several boxes with ampoules. Having taken 2 ampoules of 10 cubic centimetres she came to the treatment room. A nurse filled fast a syringe with 20 cubic cm of transparent liquid, stuck bravely the needle into buttock and pushed the syringe piston. The patient gave a shout of pain. The nurse glanced at the ampoules and gasped: there was written “calcium chloride 10%”. She ran for the surgeon, the patient was overpricked with physical solution, novocaine, a compress was applied and UHF was prescribed. But the pain grew harder, the temperature rose. The poor woman couldn't sleep the whole night long, and when the next morning came she went to a private hospital. There a surgeon examined her and foretold her an awful outlook: she would have to suffer during 3 months until the abscess would have ripened, then it would be burst and the pus would be let out, after that the wound would be closing up to a drawn in scar during 2 or 3 months. Sad she came back to her surgeon where they began to apply UHF and compresses again, but there was no improvement—the buttock got brightly red, dense, numb, the temperature rose up to 39.8 degrees. The left side began to ache, as well as the chest, so the heart trouble was suspected. While the examination I found no breaches in her heart activity. Rapid pulse was caused by the high temperature.
By that time I was already practicing thoroughly phytotherapy and recommended the patient to take a herb cure, having proposed her the following collection : Matricaria chamomilla L. (camomile), Achillea millefolium (milfoil), Hypericum (St. John's wort), Plantago (plantain), Tussilago farfara (coltsfoot), Melilotus (melilot), Potentilla anserina L.(silverweed), Polygonum aviculare (knot-grass), Urtica diodica (stinging-nettle), Arctium lappa (burdock) . The herbs were to be mixed in equal portions. Two tablespoons should be poured over with water on the boil, brought to boiling point and infused for half an hour. After filtering the infusion should be taken 4 times a day and the sediment was to be applied to buttock twice a day.
Already in a week the surgeon phoned me: “Karp Abramovich, why are you interfering in my process of treatment?”—“All right, did I hurt?”—“Well, no you didn't, but you should have submitted that to my approval.” Then the nurse came running: “You have rescued me of a great trouble, they could prosecute me! The patient got healthy and turned up to her work.”
Since then I have been treating with permanent success furuncles, carbuncles, starting abscesses, dangerous staphylococcus pneumonias, peritonitises and other infectious diseases. The herb collection is patented.
All that made me think seriously over the nature of inflammatory processes. The Great Medical Encyclopaedia characterises inflammation as a defending adapting reaction against pathogenic irritation. The following question rises: what does the inflammation defend from in the cases of burn, allergy, and intramuscular injection of hypertensive solution of calcium chloride? Let us have a good look on how the inflammation develops after the example of a burn.
Inflammation is a phase reaction of an organism against any harmful agent intrusion. At every stage the reaction has a definite trend.
The first stage is hyperaemia . Because of the rush of blood there appear pain, reddening, swelling, the temperature rises—organ functions get broken. The rush of blood ensures the flood of leucocytes for destroying the harmful agent, and many microbes and viruses die under the influence of high temperature.
In the case of burn necrotic skin destroyed by fire becomes a harmful agent itself. If the harmful agent is impossible to annihilate, then the next phase follows – oedema , which is characterized by accumulation of the nidus inflammation liquid for agent (here that is the necrotic tissue) and its toxins diluting and withdrawal. In the case of burn, if skin is not burnt down, blood serum, intended for harmful agent diluting and washing off, is just accumulated on the surface, what is excellent nourishment for microbes. Together with serum the water and salts, which are necessary for vital functions of kidneys, are also withdrawn. They cease their normal functioning, their cells perish. In the case of vast burns necrosic nephritis develops, it may even cause lethal outcome.
The next phase is isolation of pathogenic factor – the infiltrate is generated. The nidus of inflammation is infiltrated by leucocytes, erythrocytes, platelets and fibrinogens. As a result of fibrinogen coagulation there is formed a dense nidus isolating the harmful agent from organism. At the same time the natural "defenders" as well as antibiotics can not penetrate into the nidus of infiltration. So the deliverance from harmful agent in this case can occur only if own tissue perish.
The phase of necrosis develops then – thrombi are formed in arterioles of the infiltrated zone, the entrance of oxygen enriched blood into it stops, and the cells die of hypoxia. The borders of the infiltrate get permeable, and morbific microbes spread all over the organism. The necrotic tissue is devoured by leucocytes, which dissociate later, forming pus. If the cut has not been made, the infiltrate itself will break through and pus will pour out over the surface of various membranes. If pus runs out over the surface of skin or mucous membrane – then the inflammation will end by recovering, if it runs out over pleura – by suppurative pleurisy, over the surface of peritoneum – by peritonitis, on the surface of cerebral membrane – by meningitis.
My phytotherapeutic practice during the forty years has shown that inflammation can be cut short at any stage. Let us take as an example the case of a burn again. No matter how vast and deep the burn is, the development of any inflammation begins with hyperaemia-stage. Hyperaemia is cured by lotions, tightening tissues, blood- and lymphatic vessels. For this purpose such herbs with astringent qualities are used: Hypericum perforatum L.(St.-John's wort), rind of summer Quercus robur (oak), grass of Polygonum aviculare L.(knot-grass), root of Potentilla erecta (tormetil), root of Poligonum bistorta L. (snakeweed), root of Sanguisorba officinalis L . You should prepare decoction with one of these herbs. For this aim one tablespoon of herb material should be poured over with half a litre of boiling water, brought to the boiling-point, infused for half an hour and cooled. Moisten a serviette in the herb potion and apply to the burnt surface of any size and depth. Keep until drying up, moisten the serviette again and apply it. Make such lotions during 2 – 3 days. Astringent lotions can be alternated with enveloping ones ( seeds of Linum sativa, seeds of Plantago major, leaf of Arctium lappa, leaf of Tussilago farfara, flower and leaf of Verbascum paniculatum or Verbascum thapsiforme, flower and leaf of Tilia cordata Mill ., grass of Lamium album L., grass of Melilotus officinalis L. Desr .). Enveloping lotions lower excitability of the nervous system, assuage aches, take away hyperaemia. One should not apprehend the development of contagion, because numerated plants are strong antiseptics. In case the phytotherapy is applied soon after burn, then the hyperaemia would be stopped, i.e. the inflammation would be cut short at the very first phase averting the development of the dangerous to life second phase of inflammation – oedema.
During the oedema phase the permeability of capillaries and veins rises. The liquid part moves away from blood, saturates tissues, then blisters and weeping arise. At this time it would be useful to take potion of diuretic plants and herbs that regulate microcirculation of blood and lymph ( leaf and root of Arctium lappa L. and Taraxacum, grass of Polygonum aviculare L., grass of Potentilla anserina L., leaf of Tussilago farfara L., leaf of Betula alba L., grass of Geranium pratense L., grass of Centaurea jacea L. and others ). Lotions on burnt surface can be made of these herb potions. These plants not only cut short inflammation at the oedema phase, but promote fast healing of damaged surface, as all the numerated plants possess antimicrobial and healing qualities and bring regenerative effect.
Inflammatory infiltrate is successfully resolved by: leaf of burdock and plantain, grass of melilot, leaf of birch, grass of horse-tail and leaf of coltsfoot .
A distrustful reader or a doctor brought up at pharmacological chemistry may ask a question: why do we need such complexities with herbs, while there are strong antiseptic medicines, for instance metindol, brufen, hormones glucocorticoids and the most powerful antibiotics which are able to kill any contagion?! They indeed exist, but their influence oppresses immunity, haematopoietic function of marrow, and is toxic for liver, pancreas, kidneys, heart and brain. As the result of their long-term application the following diseases can develop: anaemia, dysbacteriosis, self-infection, gastritis, duodenitis, enterocolitis, necrotic nephritis, hepatosis and others.
Inflammation takes especially tragic course while staphylococcus contagion, acute and chronic mastitis, carbuncle, staphylococcus pneumonia, peritonitis, pyelonephritis, dysbacteriosis. During staphylococcus contagion an inflammation passes all the phases in 3-5 days, so phytotherapy is to be included into treatment the earlier the better.
One of my patients, a woman of 22 years old, got an acute mastitis after childbirth. The disease started as swelling of the right mammary gland. Then pain rose, the patient was feverish, the temperature grew to 40 degrees. The next day the skin of the breast reddened and the gland became dense. Treatment with antibiotics, UHF, half spirit compress yielded no result. Five days later the woman was operated – abscess was cut. But her state did not improve. And what is more, the disease spread over the second mammary gland. A day after that the right-sided middle lobe (staphylococcus) pneumonia developed. In a hard state of acute form of respiratory deficiency the patient was moved to reanimation.
I began to cure her by means of herbal collection phytostaphylolysine, consisting of grass of Achillea millefolium L. – 6 parties by weight (p.w.), leaf of Arctium lappa L. – 5 p.w., grass of Hypericum perforatum L., Melilotus officinalis L. Desr., Origanum vulgare, leaf of Urtica dioica L. and Plantago major – 3 p.w. for each, leaf of Tussilago farfara L., grass of Polygonum aviculare L., fruit of Rosa cinnamomea, root of Potentilla erecta L. Hampe, root of Taraxacum officinale Wigg., flower of Calendula officinalis, flower of Tanacetum vulgare L. – 2 p.w. for each, flower of Matricaria chamomilla L., grass of Equisetum arvense L. – 1 p.w. for each.
Two tablespoons of this collection must be poured over with one litre of boiling water and brought to the boiling-point. Infuse it for an hour, and then filter. Drink a quarter of glass of the potion every hour. Herb sediment should be poured over for the second time with half a litre of boiling water, infused for 1 hour and filtered. This potion is used for lotions on mammary glands (3 times a day) and for microenemas (50 ml 2 times a day).
On the second twenty-four hours the woman's state fast improved, fever, short breath and cough vanished. In the next 10 days she recovered. As the collection included lactagogue herbs (milfoil, burdock, melilot, stinging-nettle, dandelion), lactation was restored. The woman went on breast-feeding the child.
Staphylococcus contagion and inflammatory process, mastitis in particular, can take its chronic course. In this case abscesses, which it is necessary to cut, appear, as well as
purulent fistulas, also staphylococcus pyelonephritis, anaemia can develop, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) rises up to 80 mm/h. Long-term usage of antibiotics of wide range effect results in dysbacteriosis, patients have poor appetite, lose weight, begin to suffer from asthenia. Their treatment with phytostaphylolysine during three months leads to the total recovery, healing of fistulas and resolution of infiltrates without ugly scars. It is confirmed by my twenty-years-old observations.
Inflammation can become the cause of septicaemia, DIC-syndrome (disseminated intravascular clotting). During the necrotic phase of inflammation, as it has been mentioned, the borders of nidus are being destroyed, so suppurative microbes spread over organism. They accumulate on the inner membranes of arterioles, capillaries, veins, lymphatic vessels, all the phases of inflammation including necrosis with generation of petty thrombi develop very fast, the sides of vessels integrity gets broken and bleedings start. Anticoagulants, antibiotics, haemostatics, blood transfusion, operations yield no positive result. Phytotherapy can be more successful. Plants include efficacious and harmless substances, stimulating immunity and haematosis. It is interesting that plants themselves have no such defence as inflammation. Their ways of defence against harmful agents differ, for instance there is a plant antibiotic phytonzid.
In 1990 Galina Zukina, a student of Arkhangelsk medical institute, attended my lections. To my delight I saw her again in Chernogolovka on my 80-year-old anniversary. She told me a story about how she escaped with the help of phytocolin collection. After her baby birth she got staphylococcus endometritis, then acute pyelonephritis and finally – sepsis. Even the most modern and strongest antibiotics didn't help. Then profuse uterine bleeding, hematuria and haemoptysis followed. According to her words she felt herself within a hair's breadth of death. At this time she recollected about phytocolin – the herb collection, which yields magnificent results in the treatment of septic diseases and is successfully applied for prophylaxis and cure of DIC-syndrome. She took phytocolin potion half-glass each hour. Just on the second day she felt abrupt improvement and soon total recovery ensued.
The phytocolin combines in harmony plants of various therapeutic orientation: antiphlogistic (plantain, St.-John's wort, melilot), styptic (knot-grass, lady's thumb), anticoagulative (melilot, clover), antimicrobial (St.-John's wort, plantain, clover, red bilberries leaf), healing , restoring inner vessel membrane (melilot, plantain, St.-John's wort, clover, knot-grass), intensifying tone of uterus smooth muscular system , arteries and so promoting the end of bleeding (lady's thumb, knot-grass), spasmolytics (dandelion, mint), improving blood circulation and microcirculation.
For the last years there became more frequent such diseases as children's staphylococcus pneumonias developing against the background of influenza; liver abscesses, carbuncles of kidneys, abscesses of lungs, suppurative pleurisy. These dangerous diseases are diagnosed late – only at the phase of festering. They are characterized by hard septic fever (at day temperature rises up to 40 degrees with shivering, at night falls down to 35 degrees with pouring sweat), ESR of 40-80 mm/hour, toxic displacement of leucocytic formula, as well as development of anaemia. In case of the slightest suspicion of staphylococcus pneumonia the following collections must be taken at once: either phytostaphylolysine or phytocolin and similar collections. With their help I managed to save a 14-year-old girl from staphylococcus pneumonia of both lungs, developed against the background of influenza, a 24-year-old man - from ripening abscess of liver, a year-old boy Misha – from staphylococcus dysbacteriosis and pneumonia, which ended as abscess of lung and suppurative pleurisy. All patients recovered thanks to phytotherapy and managed without operation. Though, when phytotherapy is started at the phase of festering, the cure continues not least than three months.
Thus, inflammation – is a return reaction of a warm-blooded living organism to inculcation of an alien agent. It is directed on diluting, delimiting, destroying and seizure of agent even at the cost of loss of tissue with following restoration of blemish by means of a scar.
Inflammation – is a universal reaction, which is frequently inexpedient and hurting the organism, that is why special defending measures must be taken. Phytotherapy is able to cut short an inflammation at its any phase, including necrosis, and to subject it to the opposite development with total recovery.