Having successfully avoided catching it during four years of daycare, my daughter (who normally enjoys rude good health) finally came down with Chickenpox.

For the unitiated, it starts with what look like little pimples on the tummy and back which soon turn into bigger blisters. Over the next few days they get red around the edges, burst and ooze fluid, then scab over. They can spread down the arms and legs, across the face, through scalp and into the mouth and other places unmentionable in a family publication. They itch like mad the whole time.

I rang daycare and pre-school who told me I had to go to the doctor and have it confirmed as Chickenpox. Ellen wasn't too keen on having a huge cotton bud pressed into one of her sores till it burst in order to get a swab, but submitted fairly gracefully. The doctor told me there wasn't much to be done except put Calamine lotion on the sores for the itch, give her paracetamol for the fever and keep her quiet and in isolation. Off we went home for the herbal variety of the treatment. Having never treated it before through clinic, Ellen got to be my guinea pig (again).

The incubation for chickenpox is 10 -21 days. People are contagious for twenty four hours before the spots appear (clever virus). I would have to say this must be a pretty effective means of transmission as Ellen was only playing with her friend for an hour on the day before her friend broke out in a rash. The fluid from the blisters is also highly contagious. Once all the sores have scabbed over it's safe to be social again.

Chickenpox is part of the herpes zoster family of viruses and loosely related to shingles, cold sores and herpes. In herbal terms they are all a disease of the nervous system which manifest on the skin (as is hives). The herb we use to treat all these things is Hypericum, commonly known as St John's Wort.

I mixed up some Hypericum extract to give internally along with some anti-viral herbs and immune boosters. Not having any Calamine in the house, I pulled out the Hypericum oil I infused last summer. Whenever a sore became itchy it received a drop of Hypericum oil. Instant relief according to Ellen. In fact this treatment worked so well she felt totally well in herself the entire time, making “keeping her quiet” impractical and “isolated” interminable (for her - I rather enjoyed hanging out at home for a week being a full time Mum). 

As a general rule I believe that a fever is the body's way of burning out infection and is a sign of a healthy, functional immune system. Unless a fever is getting dangerously high, I let it run its course. However that first day was pretty hot weather and Ellen was uncomfortable so I gave her some natural fever reducing remedies. including homeopathic Belladonna alternated with Mulla Mulla (an Australian Bush Flower Essence) which were very effective.

As the sores started to scab, heal and stop itching, I replaced the Hypericum oil with Calendula cream to prevent any secondary infection or scarring.

Two weeks on she was all healed up with no scars (except where the doctor took the swab) - all in all a very successful herbal treatment of what can be quite an uncomfortable childhood illness.

© Linn Wiggins. Naturopathic Herbalist. RN. Tel: 5485 2724

e: herblady@bigpond.com              www.herbstoheal.ws

Linn Wiggins