Tbc herbal medicine options that help with symptoms

Tuberculosis (TB) is a very serious infectious disease. Currently, the best treatment for TB is through long-term anti-tuberculosis drugs with strict TB treatment regimes. The reason is, tuberculosis can have a fatal impact to cause death if not treated with medical treatment. So, what about natural remedies or herbal ingredients for tuberculosis?

Usefulness of natural remedies for tuberculosis

Until now, many people are trying to find out the use of herbal ingredients to cure tuberculosis. Unfortunately, TB treatment is through natural medicine or herbal ingredients have not been able to cure the disease directly. Yes, any natural remedy, including for tuberculosis is usually only limited to helping with symptoms and strengthening endurance.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, advise tuberculosis sufferers not to abandon medical treatment prescribed by doctors to prevent the disease from becoming more serious. This is because the main key to curing tuberculosis is medical treatment from doctors who are run with discipline.

TB is caused by a bacterial infection Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is strong enough to face the resistance response of the body's immune system. Therefore, antibiotics are needed that are able to completely eradicate bacteria from the body.

Medical treatment is also recommended to prevent transmission of this disease. TB transmission can take place through the air when droplet which contains bacteria inhaled or passed into the mouth.

Meanwhile, there are no herbal medicines that have the same ability as antibiotics to cure tuberculosis. Even so, herbal or traditional TB medicine may be used to complement the main medical treatment to help relieve TB symptoms.

Long-term consumption of natural medicines can help increase the immune system's ability to fight bacterial infections. Moreover, medical treatment for tuberculosis can also cause side effects of malnutrition. Consumption of foods rich in certain natural ingredients can help increase appetite and meet nutritional intake for TB sufferers.

Herbal medicine to treat tuberculosis

Here are some types of herbs and spices that you can use as traditional TB medicine:

1. Turmeric

Turmeric is a plant that can be used as herbal medicine to help relieve symptoms of tuberculosis. How can?

When you have active TB, your body will respond to a bacterial infection in the presence of inflammation or inflammation. This inflammation can appear in the lungs or organs that are directly affected by bacteria M. tuberculosis causes of tuberculosis.

Well, in turmeric, there is a chemical called curcumin. The substances in this natural medicine help reduce the inflammatory symptoms that occur in TB disease.

The way curcumin works as a traditional TB symptom reliever drug is by inhibiting the production of molecules called cytokines. Cytokines are molecules that cause inflammation.

In addition, curcumin is also one of the traditional medicines that is believed to reduce the side effects of TB drugs, especially those that have the potential to increase the risk of developing hepatitis.

You can easily find turmeric anywhere in any form, from raw ingredients, extracts, capsules, tablets, even tea. This natural remedy can also be mixed as a cooking spice for TB patients.

2. Ginger

Ginger, or Zingiber officinale , is a plant that is quite commonly used as traditional medicine, including herbal medicine to treat TB symptoms.

Just like turmeric, this natural remedy also contains substances that are good as anti-inflammatory ingredients, especially for people with tuberculosis. According to a study found on Pain Medicine by Oxford University, the content contained in ginger limits the production of cytokines and the activity of the enzyme cyclooxygenase, which triggers inflammation.

For those of you who suffer from tuberculosis, you can take this herbal medicine in dried form, or supplements in tablet and capsule form. There is also ginger tea sold in supermarkets.

3. Green tea

Green tea is extracted from the leaves Camellia sinensis. Green tea leaves are believed to have various health benefits. One of them is as a herbal medicine to relieve the symptoms of tuberculosis.

Not much different from turmeric and ginger, the ingredients contained in this traditional medicine have the potential to reduce inflammation that occurs due to TB bacterial infection or M. tuberculosis . In addition, green tea has a positive effect on the body's metabolism, so that inflammation can also be reduced.

4. Omega 3 fatty acids

Although not herbs, omega-3 fatty acids can be one way to relieve TB symptoms naturally. You can find omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil and flaxseed (linseed). By eating foods for TB sufferers that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, inflammation caused by tuberculosis bacterial infection can be reduced.

Not only useful as herbal medicine for tuberculosis, omega 3 fatty acids are also useful for reducing inflammation in other diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, and asthma. This is evidenced in a study published in the journal Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy .

Apart from fish and flaxseeds, people with tuberculosis can also take omega 3 fatty acids as natural remedies in supplement form.

5. Vitamin D

Lack of vitamin D in the body has the potential to increase the risk of inflammation in the respiratory tract, and cause the body to not fight bacterial infections properly.

Therefore, you can eat foods rich in vitamin D as a natural remedy to treat inflammation due to tuberculosis.

A study in the journal Molecular Science in 2018 showed that vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the production of cytokines in the body, as well as other cells of the body's immune system. Inflammation can also be reduced.

You can get the goodness of vitamin D from fish like tuna, mackerel, or salmon, cheese, beef liver, and egg yolks. You can also take it in supplement form.

6. Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil contains a natural compound called eucalyptol. Eucalyptol helps reduce mucus production and relaxes the respiratory tract. Shortness of breath is one of the main symptoms of TB disease, and herbal remedies in the form of eucalyptus oil can help you relieve this symptom.

How to use the herbal medicine for tuberculosis from eucalyptus? You can drip eucalyptus oil in 1 cup (150 ml) of hot water, then allow it to lukewarm. After that, inhale the warm steam that comes out of the eucalyptus oil water 3 times a day. This will reduce the symptoms of shortness of breath.

It is important for you to know that further research is needed regarding the efficacy of these traditional medicines to treat tuberculosis.

In addition, it's a good idea to consult your doctor first about the consumption of natural ingredients above. This is important to avoid the risk of side effects when used together with a doctor's antituberculosis drug.

Potential use of TB herbal medicine in the future

The use of natural ingredients for TB medicine is actually expected to be able to provide effective results. The reason is, more and more TB sufferers experience drug resistance, MDR TB, and XDR TB, causing an increase in the percentage of TB treatment failure through antibiotics every year. Solutions are needed to immediately minimize the risk of drug resistance, and natural medicines are one of the strongest candidates to overcome it.

The latest 2019 study published in the journal Plant Archives , reviews some natural ingredients that have the potential to be anti-tuberculosis agents, such as the propolis content in honey, citronellol on eucalypts, and phenazines on linchen mushrooms.

The study states that one study in an in vitro tube showed that propolis extract can inhibit the growth of TB-causing bacteria while increasing the working ability of anti-tuberculosis drugs such as isoniazid, rifampin, and streptomycin.

From a number of research results that show the positive effect of using herbal ingredients to treat tuberculosis bacterial infection, it is hoped that researchers will continue to develop studies on the processing of natural ingredients for TB medicine.