Why can’t we get the same eucalyptus-oil medicines in the U.S. as are available in India and East Asia (Vicks Vapor Rub doesn’t count)? From what I understand, the remedies available in Asia all but cure the common cold and its allied maladies.
I assume the FDA is the road block – what is the problem with eucalyptus oil? Sites found while Googling suggest that eucalyptus oil poisoning is very much possible, but only if crazy amounts are ingested (not too different from acetaminophen, no?).
What exactly are you looking for? Eucalyptus essential oil is certainly available here. I like to mix it with equal parts grapefruit essential oil and put them in the “vapo-rub” receptacle on my humidifier or in an essential oil warmer when we’re sick. I’ll also add some of each to a massage oil and rub it on my kids’ (or husband’s) chest, neck and back, just like vapo-rub. It’s very powerful stuff and I couldn’t survive cold season without it, especially as pseudoephedrine doesn’t work on me at all.
Essential oils can be found at Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other crunchy granola stores, or online at any number of retailers, Kismet Potions is my favorite. A little more expensive than some others, but the owner is absolutely scrupulous about her sources and has only the very best quality stuff with no weird chemical solvent odors like in the cheap brands.
WhyNot … I don’t know exactly what I’m looking for because I’ve only heard about the Asian OTC remedies containing eucalyptus oil – I’ve never seen them. I was thinking decongestant pills, cough syrup, and nasal sprays.
Hmm…if it’s “Asian”, you’re probably referring to either a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) or an Ayurvedic blend or blends, and few of them are available in pill form. Most are horrendous teas or decoctions (boiled herbs - except “herbs” includes animal parts used medicinally.) Patient compliance (getting people to make and take them) is very low in the US outside of recent immigrant populations. The reason they’re not widely available is that people won’t buy them. Would you rather take a decongestant pill or take this ounce of herbs, boil it in water for 15 minutes, strain it, boil it again in new water for 10 minutes, strain it and boil it a third time for 5 minutes before drinking the resultant goo - 1 cup, four times a day? That’s the level of preparation we’re talking about with most “Asian” remedies.
I studied TCM for many years, and while I think there’s a great deal to be said for the system and the remedies, don’t delude yourself. They cannot cure the common cold. They can help relieve symptoms, same as us, and they may be able to shorten the duration and severity some of the time, just like us. They offer good options, but they’re not a panacea.
There are plenty of great books out there if you’re interested. Look for works by Michael Tierra, David Hoffman, Bob Flaws and Aviva Romm to get you started. James Green wrote the bible on home medicine making techniques, but it doesn’t include any diagnosis or theory to speak of, and is focused more on Western techniques and herbs than Asian.
“Nasal sprays” for an Ayurvedic would be in the form of a neti pot, and you do NOT want to put eucalyptus in your neti pot! It will burn your mucus membranes on contact. Sniffing is good, touching is not.
Hmmm … I will have to ask around, WhyNot. Thanks for your explanation. What you’ve described in your post doesn’t really sound like the kinds of things I’ve heard described.
Basically, what I’ve heard from many Indian, Chinese, and Vietnamese folks of my acquaintance is something on the order of “man, you’ve got a bad cold. Too bad you can’t get Indian/Chinese/Vietnamese cold medicine here in the U.S. Uncle Ravi/Yen Ping/Tranh brings back caseloads to us every time he visits home. We swear by it – it’s so much more powerful than what you can get here OTC. The FDA won’t approve this stuff, of course … but back home, people practically don’t know what a cold is. Blah, blah, blah …”
Now then. I’m sure a lot of this is selective memory, wishful thinking, exaggerations, family superstitions, and the like. But I was still holding out hope that there was a grain of truth hidden in there somewhere. It was a few Indian friends that brought up the eucalyptus oil/eucalyptol angle, suggesting that the amounts of these chemicals allowed in Indian OTC medicines is higher than what’s found in things like Vicks Vapor Rub and Hall’s cough drops. This was reiterated recently by a Vietnamese woman I work with now, who described how her father will even ingest a tiny amount of eucalyptus oil (perhaps diluted to spare the mucous linings in the mouth and esophagus?) when he feels a cold coming on.
Any and all, maybe it’s simply a case of powerful medicines available OTC in parts of Asia requiring a prescription (for comparable remedies) in the U.S.?
Get some Cold-FX . It’s a ginseng extract that has been proven in proper medical studies to prevent or lessen the duration of colds. I have fended off three colds with it, myself, and I know a bunch of other people it’s worked for. Amazing stuff.