Diarrhea (synonym: diarrhea) - an increase in the frequency of bowel movements (more than 3 times a day), stool mass (more than 250 g) and its water content by more than 75%. Acute diarrhea usually lasts from 2 to 3 days and is caused by food poisoning or an infectious disease. Chronic diarrhea can be caused by food intolerance, inflammatory bowel disease, or malignant tumors.
Food can cause adverse reactions in the human body for a variety of reasons. The most common food poisoning factors are bacterial toxins, heavy metals (lead), or toxic substances.
Folk remedies for diarrhea are useless for poisoning with heavy metals and enterotoxins.
Why does diarrhea occur?
In Russia, food contamination with Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of food poisoning. When cooking, the cause may be poor hand hygiene. Bacteria die during heat treatment, but not enterotoxins. A characteristic feature is the very rapid onset of symptoms after consumption - from 30 minutes to 2 hours - and an equally short duration. Bacilli and clostridia can also form enterotoxins and cause similar symptoms.
Other risk factors for food poisoning are toxic metals - arsenic, lead, zinc and antimony. Fungal toxins - muscarin (fly agar) and amatoxin (green strawberry mushroom) - lead to neurological disorders in addition to diarrhea. Saxitoxins, which can be enriched in mussels and oysters, lead to paralytic poisoning. It is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea with convulsions.
Folk remedies for diarrhea: food
1. Take powder from chicken stomachs 3 times a day.
Doctor's comment:Chicken stomachs in powder form, contrary to common misconceptions, do not contain digestive enzymes with antidiarrheal effect. They are rich in purines, which do not have a significant effect on the human body. Purines break down to harmless uric acid, which is excreted through the kidneys from the body. The recipe is useless.
2. 1 gram of walnuts pour 150 ml of ethyl alcohol (95%), strain and close in a bottle for 2 weeks. Then drink 7-8 drops daily.
Doctor's comment:the use of tincture with 95% ethyl alcohol can lead to serious consequences: a chemical burn of the esophagus and gastric mucosa. Ethanol can increase existing diarrhea by increasing intestinal motility. The recipe is extremely dangerous, therefore, it is not recommended to take similar folk remedies for diarrhea.
3. Chew a bag of black tea.
Doctor's comment: Black tea contains tannins, which in large doses have an antidiarrheal effect. However, taking dry packaged tea will not be useful, since tannins are well soluble in water, but very poorly in the acidic environment of the stomach. The recipe is useless, but will not bring harm.
4. Take yogurt or kefir during the day with diarrhea.
Doctor's comment: some strains of bifidobacteria improve intestinal microflora, preventing constipation (but not diarrhea). They produce both acetic and lactic acids, usually in a 3: 2 ratio. Bifidobacteria are anaerobic microorganisms, and therefore quickly decompose in contact with oxygen from the air. After opening, the product with bifidobacteria quickly loses its healing properties.
A food product is useless not only for diarrhea, but also for constipation. A large number of bifidobacteria can aggravate the course of diarrhea. The recipe is relatively dangerous.
5. Take a decoction of sunflower seeds with 15 ml of vodka.
Doctor's comment: sunflower seeds are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, which favorably affect the cardiovascular system. A decoction of seeds does not contain substances that affect peristalsis or the amount of fluid in the intestine. Absolutely useless recipe that will not bring benefits.
Folk remedies for diarrhea: herbal remedies
1. 5-6 teaspoons of mint pour hot water and use the resulting broth 3 times a day.
Doctor's comment: Peppermint is one of the most popular medicinal plants, which contains approximately 1.2% of essential oils, tannins, flavonoids and terpenes. Peppermint has a stimulating effect on the flow and formation of bile, as well as an antispasmodic, antimicrobial and antiviral effect in gastrointestinal disorders.
The concentration of active ingredients is so low that the therapeutic effect simply does not occur. Useless recipe.
2. A glass of finely chopped rosehip roots pour 3 cups boiling water and cook for 30 minutes on low heat. Let it brew for 30 minutes. Use in small sips 2-3 times a day.
Doctor's comment:rosehip root contains flavonoids, tannins, pectins, organic acids and vitamins: A, B1, B2, P, K and especially ascorbic acid. If diarrhea is caused by an infectious disease, the decoction will not bring significant benefits. Tannins have an antidiarrheal effect, but not in the doses contained in the rosehip root.
If diarrhea is caused by anxiety or hypochondriacal personality disorder (the so-called "functional" diarrhea), the rose hip root can help. However, with functional diarrhea, sugar, salt, water, and any product that claims to be a medicine can help. Here the role is played not by the substance, but by the placebo effect.
3. 60 g of dry blueberries pour 250 ml of boiled water. Leave the product for 8 hours in a dry and dark place. Take during the day.
Doctor's comment:dry blueberries contain catechins, proanthocyanidins, anthocyanidins, flavonoids, caffeic acids and pectins. The leaves, in addition to tannins, iridoids, phenolcarboxylic acids, contain a small amount of quinolizidine, arbutin and hydroquinone.
The use of berries is due to the high content of tannins and pectins. In a small dose, blueberries have antidiarrheal, and in a large dose, a laxative. It is simply impossible to calculate the dose of pectins, tannins and other antidiarrheal substances at home, so this is a game of roulette.
4. Mix 2 teaspoons of wormwood and 1 teaspoon of dill seeds. Pour the resulting mixture with 200 ml of boiling water and take one and a half hours before eating.
Doctor's comment: when using bitter wormwood, drowsiness, vomiting, abdominal pain and, in severe cases, kidney damage and central nervous system disorders can occur. Water extracts contain a relatively small amount of thujone, unlike alcohol. Dill seeds contain pectins and other antidiarrheal substances.
The use of a combination for diarrhea does not justify the possible risks; equivalent to treating acne with amputation of a limb. Dangerous recipe.
5. The use of tea from lemon balm.
Doctor's comment: Melissa officinalis contains terpenes, tannins and eugenol. The plant has a calming and antiviral effect. In some studies, the antispasmodic effect of lemon balm was noted.
Tannins are contained in a very small concentration, which does not have an antidiarrheal effect. It takes about 120 g of lemon balm to stop diarrhea. The plant helps reduce cramping, but this is where the action ends. Useless recipe.
Folk remedies for diarrhea: unusual ways
1. Take 100 grams of vodka and 2/3 teaspoons of salt. Mix the ingredients and drink.
Doctor's comment: alcohol enhances the production of hydrochloric acid and causes erosion of the mucous membranes of the stomach. Increased intestinal motility may exacerbate diarrhea. Ethanol also has a diuretic effect - it accelerates the elimination of fluids and salts from the body. In chronic diarrhea, additional loss of fluid or electrolytes can lead to fatal consequences - hypokalemia, hyponatremia and severe dehydration.
An extremely dangerous prescription that can worsen the condition of both infectious and functional diarrhea. Any folk remedies with alcohol discoloration can aggravate the course of the disorder.
Diarrhea up to 3 days does not pose a threat to the patient's life. If diarrhea lasts longer than 3-4 days, you should consult a doctor. The thoughtless use of harmless folk remedies is dangerous delayed treatment. In bacterial infections, the late initiation of treatment increases the risk of complications.
