Laryngitis, Tracheitis, Bronchitis

An anatomical reminder: the larynx and its vocal chords are situated at the entrance to the trachea, which divides into two bronchi that carry the air we breathe into the lungs.

Viral or bacterial infection, or sometimes allergy, can originate at one of these three levels, leading to laryngitis, tracheitis or bronchitis, all of which entail irritation of the airways, with a roughening or change in the voice, pain or discomfort in the throat, cough, and sometimes fever.

Standard anti-infective treatment

At the first signs of a cough - to be started as quickly as possible at the first abnormal symptom.

• Start with Aconitum-Homaccord@ (Heel) which contains Aconitum D2, D10,D30,D200, Eucalyptus D4, D10, D30 and Ipecacuanha D2,D10,D30, D200:
  - Available in drop bottles containing 30 and 100ml
  - Generally 10 drops three times daily. Initially 10 drops every 15 minutes
• Add copper as a trace element with silver or gold in colloidal form
• Six tablets of Pyrogenium 5c once a day in a single dose for a few days
• Twenty drops of Lehning@ L52 in a little water, three or four times a day, if there is fever
• Vitamin C: one gram a day for adults, 0.5 gram for children, for a fortnight
• This treatment combined with the dietary advice given in the section 'The start of infection' will bring about improvement or cure in a good number of cases.

Homeopathy

Arum triphyUum, Bryonia, Coccus cacti

- Four tablets of one of these three remedies at 5c to be sucked like sweets between meals every two hours at the beginning, then at greater intervals on improvement

Arum triphyllum

- Vegetable origin: the fresh root of the Indian turnip, a wild, hardy North American plant
- The homeopathic remedy for inflammation of the mucosa with the appearance of raw lesions, often prescribed for singers and public speakers
- Specific sign: the tone of the voice constantly changes

Bryonia alba

- Vegetable origin: the fresh root of white bryony
- The homeopathic remedy for dry cough aggravated by the sli.ghtest movement
- Two characteristic signs: improved by rest and by high atmospheric pressure

Coccus cacti

- Animal origin: the cochineal insect, an aphid
- The homeopathic remedy for laryn­geal inflammation with abundant secretion of thick, runny mucus
- Two characteristic signs: the cough is worsened by heat, improved in a cold room

• You can use Mercurius-Heel@ (Heel), which contains Hepar sulfur D8, Mercurius solubilis D10, Belladonna D4, Phytolacca D4 and Echinacea angustifolia D3 among others:
  - Sold in containers of 50 and 250 tablets.
  - In general, one tablet to be dissolved under the tongue three times daily between meals. In acute conditions, initially one tablet every 15 minutes
• Also Oroperteel@ (Heel) which contains Orosera D4, Lachesis D12, Carbo vegetabilis D12, Coccus cacti D4 and Kalium carbonicum D12.

- Available in containers of 50 and 250 tablets
- One tablet to be dissolved under the tongue three times daily. In acute disorders initially one tablet every 15 minutes

• If the illness recurs, you should also add the basic remedy decided upon after consulting your homeopath: in this case it will often be Pulsatilla, Silicea, Sulfur iodatum. . .

Silicea

- Mineral origin: silica, once extracted from quartz or flint
- One of the homeopathic remedies for persistent infections
- This remedy is best for a thin, tired, patient. deficient in essential minerals and sensitive to the cold
- Silica, the main component of most rocks, confers and preserves the vigour of plants that absorb it through their stems - and reinforces human defences equally well.

Three plants for the airways

Eucalyptus, white horehound, plantain

Prescription: Ask your herbalist to prepare a 30ml bottle of a mother tincture of one of these three plants; take 25 drops in a little water, three times a day.

Plantain

The plantain is a highly paradoxical plant: it is useful for its anti-infective, anti-tussive and anti-allergic properties, but its pollen is often responsible for allergic rhinitis.

White horehound

White horehound has been used since antiquity for coughs and respiratory problems and before the advent of antibiotics, it was used in the treatment of tuberculosis.

• You can add coneflower for its anti­infective properties, using Lehning@ which contains Echinacea Ix...

- Available in 30ml bottles of oral drops
- Fifteen drops to be taken in a little water, three times a day by adults, eight drops three times a day by children

Essential oils for the airways

Eucalyptus

-Two drops of this essence to be taken twice a day in a little honey

Eucalyptus

Australian in origin, eucalyptus was introduced last century into the South of France and other parts of southern Europe in order to drain the marshy regions and drive away insects. Its leaves contain eucalyptol, widely used in pharmacy for its action on the lungs.

Guayacum

Lignum vitae, the hard, dense, resinous wood of the African jasmine, a shrub native to Central America and the Antilles: anti-inflammatory and anti­ rheumatic.

Peppermint

The essential oil of peppermint (Mentha piperita) is delicate and effective; it contains large amounts of menthol its antibacterial active principle.