Gastroenteritis

Summary

Gastroenteritis is the general term used to describe inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract that may result from bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. Common symptoms result including abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. A number of medical and lay terms describe subsets of this general condition. The most common is “stomach flu” that would more correctly be called viral gastroenteritis since it is typically a viral infection. The links below are to descriptions, oils and experiences related to the most common forms of gastroenteritis. The descriptions below this define some of the overlapping terms that are used for these conditions.

• Diarrhea

• Dysentery

• Food poisoning

• Gastritis

• Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis)

• Traveler’s diarrhea (Montezuma’s revenge)

A quick note on the terms associated with digestive tract infections.

Common medical terms
	Gastroenteritis is the general term for infection (bacterial, viral, parasitical or toxins) that leads to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the digestive tract.
	Dysentery, a subset of gastroenteritis, primarily affecting the colon. Infection is commonly from parasites but can also be bacterial, viral or toxic. Most common are amoebic, giardia and cryptosporidium that all come from protozoans (single cell parasites).
	Gastritis, a subset of gastroenteritis, is specifically inflammation of tissue in the stomach.
	Diarrhea is a common symptom of various forms of gastroenteritis. Some use this term interchangeably with dysentery.
Common lay terms
	Food poisoning can lead to gastroenteritis and primarily describes what and how the infectious agents come into the body.
	Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis) is a subset of gastroenteritis caused by a viral infection from a number of viruses (but unrelated to those that cause the common cold and flu).
	Traveler’s diarrhea (Montezuma’s revenge) is the lay term used for gastroenteritis (bacterial or viral) common to folks traveling to new areas and exposed to new infectious agents.

Oils, blends & products recommended:

Oils & Blends: DigestZen, fennel, ginger, peppermint, sandalwood

Essential oils based products: GX Assist, PB Assist

Also consider: cinnamon, cypress, eucalyptus, oregano

Suggested protocols:

DigestZen may be taken internally or topically. Internally add 3 - 4 drops to a swallow of water or juice. Topically apply 3 - 4 drops to the lower stomach area. For children and babies apply topically and dilute with a carrier oil. For infants the oils will be effective when applied to the bottoms of the feet.

Ginger and peppermint are also good to settle upset stomachs.

Cinnamon or cassia applied topically to the lower stomach area with a carrier oil are specifically helpful for diarrhea.

Experiences and Testimonials of others

Protocols folks recommend for children

Diet and Nutritional complements to essential oils

What Science & Research are saying

Herbal remedies for dyspepsia: peppermint seems effective.

Prescrire Int. 2008 Jun;17(95):121-3. [No authors listed]

Abstract

(1) Functional dyspepsia is extremely common, yet few if any treatments have been shown to be effective. This review examines the potential benefits and risks of using herbal products in treating symptoms of dyspepsia. (2) About forty plants have been approved in France in the composition of products traditionally used for dyspepsia. (3) The clinical efficacy of most of these plants has not been assessed. Some essential oils can cause severe adverse effects, including seizures. Herbal teas appear to be safe when used appropriately. (4) A few randomised controlled clinical trials suggest that peppermint essential oil is effective in reducing abdominal pain, flatulence and diarrhea in patients with "irritable bowel syndrome". Peppermint tea, containing essential oil, has no known adverse effects. (5) There is no sound reason to discourage patients from using herbal teas made from plants such as lemon balm, German chamomile or star anise.