How to bring down the temperature with folk remedies and herbs?

Having read the instructions for the drugs that can help with a temperature of 38-38.5-39-39.5, it can be noted that oral agents have a very negative effect on the condition of the gastric and intestinal mucosa, and the use of rectal suppositories is limited to inflammatory pathologies of the rectum. But people with gastrointestinal diseases, pregnant women, for whom medications seem like poison for the baby, nursing mothers also have high temperatures, and you need to fight it somehow. And you don’t really want to stuff small children with chemicals, because their body is more sensitive to negative effects than an adult.

So many people have this important question: is it possible to bring down a high temperature without medication and how to do it? Some options for such treatment can even be offered by doctors themselves (usually gynecologists and pediatricians who monitor the health of the most vulnerable segments of the population).

The following will help to reduce body temperature:

• cool air in the room where the patient is (not a draft or wind, but fresh air within 18 degrees).
• drinking plenty of fluids (also relevant for preventing dehydration caused by hyperthermia, diarrhea, vomiting, although in the latter case the fluid should be administered intravenously in the form of water-electrolyte solutions),
• a cool compress on the forehead, calves, wrists, groin (the cloth must be moistened with water and wrung out, repeat the procedure every time it warms up from the body),
• rubbing the body with a cloth soaked in cool water (the water on the surface of the body should dry on its own), for rubbing children, you need to take warm water, so it will increase heat transfer, and not provoke vascular spasm,
• a bath with cool water combined with a massage using a washcloth (if you have a cold, this method can be called questionable, although it does help bring down high thermometer readings),
• wrapping with sheets soaked in cool water (can be recommended for treating children),
• an enema with boiled water at room temperature (for children, a warm chamomile decoction in a volume of 50-150 ml is more suitable, depending on the child's age),
• rectal administration of a hypertonic solution (2 teaspoons of salt per glass of water), with the volume of the solution depending on the patient’s age:

• for infants up to six months, 30-50 ml of solution is used for one procedure,
• for children from six months to one and a half years – 50-100 ml,
• for children 1.5-3 years old – 100-200 ml,
• for preschoolers 4-6 years old – 300-400 ml.

With age, the child's height and weight increase, and accordingly, more solution is required. For example, teenagers need to take up to 800 ml of solution for the procedure.

It is difficult to say whether such methods will help to reduce the body temperature that has increased for some reason, but it is still worth trying. But you should take up the matter not when the temperature has reached critical values, and the patient's condition has noticeably worsened, but when the thermometer readings have crossed the 38-38.5 mark and their further growth is noted. Or if the thermometer readings have frozen at one point, but the patient does not tolerate the temperature well, exhausts him and deprives him of the strength to fight the disease.

Traditional methods of combating hyperthermia

When the temperature rises to 38-38.5-39-39.5, and there are no necessary medications at home or there is no way to use them, it makes sense to use non-drug methods of combating heat and fever. In addition to the above-described methods of reducing temperature, alternative medicine also offers other recipes on how to bring down the temperature with folk remedies, as well as amendments to the advice of doctors, making treatment faster and more effective.

For example, doctors recommend rubbing the body with cool water. But this recipe was improved by the people, and instead of plain water, they began to use mixtures: water + vodka, water + vinegar, water + vodka + vinegar, in which all the components are mixed in equal quantities. If you need to treat a child, the proportions are different, while preference is given to a water-vinegar solution, in which the components are taken in a ratio of 2:1, however, 1 teaspoon of nine percent vinegar per 1 liter of water is considered quite sufficient, so that the solution increases heat transfer and reduces the temperature. Using vodka to treat a child is dangerous, since alcohol can penetrate the skin, causing intoxication of the baby's body.

After the child has finished wiping down, you can fan him with a towel for several minutes, which will quickly and lastingly reduce his body temperature.

For the same purposes, you can use a fan, directing the air flow to the lower part of the body so as not to catch a cold in the head.

As for compresses applied to the wrists, forehead, inner elbows, and calves, they can be made not with plain water, but with cabbage brine or sauerkraut gruel wrapped in gauze.

Instead of sauerkraut, you can also use raw potatoes, cut into thin slices or grated. It is also used for compresses at high temperatures.

As for drinking plenty of fluids, traditional medicine recommends drinking not only water, but also juices and vitamin drinks:

• unripe grape juice mixed with water (0.5-1 glass at intervals of 2 hours),
• viburnum juice (1 tbsp. at 1 hour intervals),
• celery juice (1 glass 4 times a day),
• fruit drinks made from berries with a high content of vitamin C, which helps fight fever,
• mineral water (unsweetened and still),
• green tea (without sugar, but it is useful to add a few drops of lemon juice or lemon peel, as well as ground black pepper on the tip of a knife - a good diaphoretic that helps reduce fever),
• fruit and berry compotes
• rosehip decoction (2 tablespoons of dried berries per glass of water, boil for 10 minutes, let it brew and take half a glass three times a day).

Carrot juice can be instilled into the nasal passages, 2-3 drops at a time, which also helps fight infection and reduce fever.

In case of colds and high temperatures, herbal treatment is also actively practiced. For example, for an enema for a child, folk healers recommend using not plain boiled water, but a warm chamomile decoction.

Based on flowers, grass, leaves and roots of various plants, you can prepare drinks with diaphoretic and antipyretic properties. The most popular drink in this regard is tea with raspberry jam (1 tbsp per glass of warm boiled water), which, due to its pleasant taste and aroma, is a favorite medicine for adults and children. If you do not have ready-made jam, you can pour boiling water over dried fruits for 20 minutes, then drink the drink little by little for half an hour.

Raspberry twigs or shoots have an even stronger effect on temperature. They need to be brewed with boiling water, kept at a low boil for 1-2 minutes, and infused for 30-40 minutes. For 1.5 glasses of water, take approximately 1 tbsp. of chopped shoots. Drink the prepared mixture in 2 doses. You need to make 2-3 such portions per day of treatment.

Instead of raspberry shoots, you can use blackcurrant leaves (1 tbsp. of dry crushed raw material per 0.5 l of water, boil for 5 minutes, then take 1.5 tbsp. at intervals of 1 hour).

If you have willow bark at home, you can use it too (1 tbsp. per 1 cup of water, boil for 2-3 minutes and leave for 1.5-2 hours). The willow decoction should be drunk warm in 1 dose several times a day. To enhance the therapeutic effect, it is recommended to add a spoonful of natural bee honey to the drink (if there is no allergy to bee products).

Linden tea also has a good diaphoretic effect, which is useful for lowering body temperature. It is best prepared by infusion (for 1 liter of boiling water, take 100 g of dry inflorescences, infuse for 2-2.5 hours). You can drink the decoction without restrictions, like regular tea. It is also advisable to flavor it with honey.

A decoction of burdock root is also used as a diaphoretic, effective in combating heat and fever (2 tablespoons of crushed raw material per 0.5 liters of water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 2-2.5 hours). It should be taken before meals 3-4 times a day, ½ cup.

Almost every home has a supply of sage. Take 2 tablespoons of dry herb per 1 liter of boiling water and leave to infuse. After a few minutes, add chopped garlic (6 small or 4 medium cloves). When the infusion is no longer hot, take half a lemon, squeeze the juice out of it and pour it into the medicinal composition. Add the remaining zest there, which contains even more ascorbic acid than the pulp of the lemon. The entire infusion should be drunk within a couple of hours. However, this treatment is not suitable for children and expectant mothers.

Elderberry will also be very useful for fighting a temperature of 38-38.5-39-39.5. Pour 3-4 tablespoons of plant flowers with a glass of boiling water and leave in a warm place for a quarter of an hour. Drink the drink little by little at a time. The recipe, suitable for patients of any age, can be diversified by combining the beneficial properties of elderberry and mint. In this case, it is recommended to take 2 tablespoons of herbs.

Chamomile infusion (1-2 tablespoons per glass of boiling water) is also suitable for treating children. It does not have a pronounced antipyretic effect, but as an antiseptic it helps fight the infection that causes hyperthermia and inflammation.

Usually, when you have a fever, you don’t want to eat, but drinks, fruits and berries with a high vitamin content will come in handy, because they contain everything necessary to maintain the body’s strength and normalize body temperature.

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Homeopathy for hyperthermia

It should be said that folk methods of treating high temperature are quite effective if the thermometer is within 38-38.5-39 degrees, but at a temperature of 39-39.5 degrees and above, they do not always give the expected effect. It is clear that a rapid decrease in temperature is considered undesirable, because it will be stress for the body (ideally, it should decrease by half a degree every hour). But the lack of effect is also not an indicator of the effectiveness of the treatment, and a temperature above the critical one is very dangerous for a person, especially if it is a child or an elderly person with a heart condition.

What to do if folk methods do not give results, and there is no desire to stuff your body with chemicals? The best solution is to seek help from homeopathy. Such drugs contain only natural substances in dosages that are absolutely safe for the body. In addition, they do not just reduce the temperature, but affect the cause of its appearance.

What medications do homeopaths recommend for hyperthermia:

• Belladonna. It is usually prescribed for fevers caused by sore throats and ear diseases, when the patient's forehead is hot and the extremities are cool.
• Hina. This drug is relevant for regular temperature fluctuations (for example, it rises in the evening and falls in the morning).
• Aconite. This medicine is relevant if the increase in temperature is caused not by illness, but by nervous tension, a stressful situation, etc. (against this background, the temperature often rises in small children during the first days of their stay in kindergarten).
• Pulsatilla. This medicine is prescribed when the thermometer shows 37.5 degrees and above, if the temperature negatively affects the patient's mood and well-being.
• Ferrum phosphoricum is not prescribed for high temperatures, but the drug is very useful as a preventative measure at an early stage of the disease. This drug is suitable in the absence of obvious symptoms of the disease, when only a gradual increase in temperature is noted.

These drugs, which should be prescribed by an experienced homeopathic doctor, are suitable for treating adults and children, since they have virtually no contraindications and side effects, except for individual intolerance to the components. The doctor prescribes the dosage of the drugs individually.

Homeopathic granules are intended for resorption. They are placed under the tongue, where they should completely dissolve. It is difficult for a child under 3 years old to fulfill this requirement, so for such children the granules are dissolved in water. The above-mentioned preparations are usually given to children from 3 years old 1 granule three times a day at intervals of 2 to 4 hours. Children under 3 years old should take 1 teaspoon of the diluted preparation (1 granule per ½ glass of water) with the same frequency of administration and interval. If the temperature does not decrease during the day or drops and then begins to rise again, the prescription is changed.

The above mentioned products are sold in specialized homeopathic pharmacies, where a homeopathic doctor often works. But some homeopathic products can also be purchased in a regular pharmacy. At the same time, we do not always pay attention to the fact that the product prescribed by a therapist or pediatrician is homeopathic.

This is exactly the kind of drug that is often prescribed by doctors - rectal suppositories "Viburcol". This complex drug, which contains 6 single-component homeopathic remedies, is prescribed for temperatures associated with acute infectious diseases of the ENT organs and genitourinary system, stress and nervous tension, convulsive syndrome (for example, febrile seizures in children), during teething in babies, etc.

In acute diseases and high temperatures in adults, suppositories are used one at a time at intervals of 20 minutes during the first 2 hours. Then they switch to treatment 2-3 times a day.

For children under 6 months, use ½ suppository 4 times a day. When acute symptoms of the disease subside, switch to twice-daily use of the drug. For the treatment of newborns up to 1 month, use ¼ suppository 4-6 times a day.

The drug is relatively safe, so treatment with it can last up to 2 weeks if necessary. Although in most cases, 3-5 days are usually enough to normalize the temperature.

This drug is a lifesaver for pregnant women, who find it very difficult to choose a safe drug for both the mother and the baby in her womb. The only contraindication to the use of Viburkol can be hypersensitivity to its components, and the drug rarely has side effects (most often these are mild allergic reactions).

If a child has a temperature of 38-38.5-39-39.5 due to teething, the 3-component homeopathic solution "Dantinorm Baby" will help relieve the fever and pain. The drug is taken orally between feedings, 1 dose 2-3 times a day for a course of 3 days.

A popular homeopathic remedy is also considered to be Aflubin drops, which are prescribed for the treatment of infectious diseases of the upper respiratory tract, occurring against the background of inflammation, intoxication of the body, fever, and rheumatoid joint diseases (analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect).

The medicine should be taken half an hour before or an hour after meals. Patients over 1 year old take the medicine in its pure form, while for babies it is better to dilute it in water or milk (breast milk is better) in the amount of 1 tbsp.

For treating infants, 1 drop of the five-component preparation is sufficient. Children over one year old should take 5 drops of the solution per dose, and patients over 12 years old – 10 drops. The frequency of taking the medicine is determined by the doctor. Usually from 3 to 8 times a day.

In case of respiratory diseases, treatment is continued for 3-10 days, and in case of rheumatic pathologies it can last for a month.

The drug has no contraindications other than hypersensitivity to its components, and side effects are limited to increased salivation (rare).

Another popular remedy for fever associated with respiratory infections is Oscillococcinum. This is a single-component homeopathic remedy in the form of granules placed in a tube designed for 1 dose.

The drug is taken a quarter of an hour before meals or an hour after. The dose is poured under the tongue and held until completely dissolved. At the onset of the disease, the medicine is taken at intervals of 6 hours, and then switched to twice a day (morning and evening).

For infants, the dose of the drug is diluted in water and given with a spoon or a bottle with a nipple is used.

The drug rarely causes allergic reactions, and its contraindications include hypersensitivity to the components and glucose metabolism disorders (the drug contains sugar).

"Engistol" is another homeopathic remedy for the treatment of acute respiratory infections accompanied by fever and headaches. It is available as lozenges.

A single dose for children and adults is 1 tablet, which should be placed under the tongue and held until it completely dissolves. For small children, the tablet is dissolved in a tablespoon of water (it must first be crushed into powder). A single dose will depend on the age of the small patient: up to one year it is 1 teaspoon, up to 6 years - 2 teaspoons, up to 12 years - 3 teaspoons. Teenagers over 12 years old take tablets according to the adult dosage.

For acute symptoms, a single dose should be taken at quarter-hour intervals for the first two hours, then switch to three doses per day. Treatment is continued for 2-4 weeks.

Contraindications and side effects of the drug are limited to hypersensitivity to the components of the drug and the allergic reactions that arise as a result.

The described homeopathic remedies can be given to children from birth. They are not prohibited during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Therefore, it is better to have such medicines in the home medicine cabinet if there is a child or expectant mother in the house.

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