I think it's possible it is the cleanse. I have sometimes felt really bad on certain herbs. Even though it's natural, it might not be good for you. There might be some others who have more knowledge of specific herbs and what possible side effects may be. Also, with any cleanse, it always seems that one is stirring up all of that toxicity before eliminating it. Maybe that's just me, but it always feels that way to me. Much love.

I don't know much but I would agree, the very fact its a cleanse would mean getting rid of all the yukky stuff - so maybe its a case of you will feel better once this has gone x

I'm not familiar with all the particular ones in what you're taking, but I can tell you that just because it's natural doesn't mean it won't hurt you. I can't remember the exact herb involved, though I do know it was a common one, but my sister used a cream recommended to her and found out the hard way that she's allergic to it. It's just lucky that the supplement hadn't been recommended to her - had she swallowed any, she could have been in serious trouble.

Hi there.When you mentioned pain increase, I am presuming you were referring to the colon area? I just wanted to mention that Buckthorn, also known as Cascara Sagrada is a very strong herb which has a purgative laxative effect.I have taken it myself and it was too heavy for me.So it may be the cause of your increased pain.Also from my knowledge, , horehound is more commonly used as a lung herb and anexpectorant.It is also used for the treatment of parasites but there are much better herbs to eliminate parasites.Dandelion is mainly a liver support herb.Anyway just looking at the formula you are taking it doesn't really look like a very good one to me if you are wanting to increase the elimination from your colon.
Why not just use psyllium husk to start with.More simplified and less chance of any reactions.Also slippery elm powder for inflammation taken separately. Good luck.hugs

Hi!! Don't know about any of these herbs specifically, but I do know friends who have done cleanses and just simply gotten very sick. It could be one of the items you listed. It's really hard to tell. I've never done a cleanse, but my CFS doc. seems to avoid them.

Again, I know people who do them, and benefit, as well as people who get sick.

I do know that you want to watch out for licorice, as it can affect your blood pressure.

I hope you feel better quickly!!! xo

Darla is correct regarding the liquorice . It's great if you have low blood pressure as it raises it. However if your BP is high you can only have very limited amounts. It is very good though for adrenal fatigue as it increases the cortisol production.I was drinking liquorice root tea and it was helping with my fainting spells.However I was drinking quite a bit and my BP went through the roof.So it depends on the individual body and also the amounts consumed. Tastes good as a tea but not for me.xo

The pain is in arms and legs not stomach at all, the kind of pain I would get from overdoing things or alcohol for example, I really started taking it as a lot of people suggested it was good for stomach as I do get bloated etc
Still feeling bad today and haven't taken I'll guess I'll just try lots of water and hope tomorrow is a bit better :(

I've had bad reactions to herbs, and I mean really bad reactions. We are in a much more delicate state than well people. What is medicine for them can do harm to us because our bodies can't process the stuff. It might be that the mixture is causing a detox reaction and your body is dumping the toxins into the muscles as it can't cope with them all. Personally I think it's a lot of herbs to take at once. You could always stop the tablets until your body has caught up and then try taking one and see what happens.

I had a Chinese herbalist and later a Western style herbalist and neither really knew how to deal with someone with CFS. I ended up going from mild/moderate CFS to housebound after the Chinese herbs and I felt better later on when I stopped taking the other herbs.

I think our livers are already overwhelmed and that's part of the illness. I only started to get better when I stopped bombarding it with vitamins, minerals, herbs and Western medicine...but I do tend to go to extremes.

i use to take so many supplements but now i prefer the powdered protein/ veggie & fruit shakes. recommended by my nutritionist . if i dont take them daily . i feel like sludge...uggghhhhhh

These herbal formulas, like many prescription meds, are designed with an average person in mind. Our disrupted bodies are far from being average.

Herbs are safer than prescription drugs by far, but they can still have side effects...especially when taken in combination. I've tried sinus formulas and they made me very ill.

I think you would be better served by studying the individual herbs and taking them in smaller doses to see how your system handles them, before taking a "standard" dose of anything.

Even something as innocuous as chamomile tea can cause adverse reactions, because the fields get contaminated with ragweed...which gets harvested accidentally when the machines go through the field. Then some poor soul who's allergic to ragweed can't figure out why they get a stomachache from their chamomile tea.

If herbs are potent enough to help you, then they are potent enough to hurt you too. I think the way Westerners apply herbs are down right dangerous.

I do believe in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) though. Its application is to correct any imbalance, and it is very SPECIFIC to every individual. The herbal doctor must feel your pulse and look at all your symptoms in order to diagnose and prescribe. Each person's imbalance is very different. One just doesn't go to the health food store and pick up something off the shelf because someone said this herb is good for this or that.

Also, single herbs do not work. The ancient Chinese tried this a long time ago, and it just does not work. A formula is usually a mix of 10 to 15 herbs in a cocktail. Some are primary herbs; others are secondary herbs to guide the primary herbs to the intended targets; then the 3rd rank minor herbs temper any adverse side effects of the other herbs. All specific to YOU only.

Some time ago, I went to the TCM doctor for my cfs. He gave me a cocktail of raw herbs (not pills or powders). I boiled it and drank it hoping that within a few days I would feel more energetic, but I really did not know what to expect. Then within 30 minutes, I felt my chest opened up and my breathing became so easy and effortless. It's as if the easier breathing brought on extra oxygen and the oxygen or whatever was giving me strength. (Chi!) It was already close to midnight, yet I felt I could go clean the kitchen! I then worried that I wouldn't be able to go to sleep, but I did not get insomnia despite the infusion of energy. This energy lasted a whole month.

Now the side effects: my mouth became dry and developed a few cankers sores. It's a sign that the herbs were too "rich". See, I am very sensitive--one tiny thing can push me to imbalance on the other side. I went back to the doc to tweek the formula. (It was the "Relaxed Wonderer" formula as basis, by the way.) He could easily tweek the formula because the cocktail is a combo of individual raw herbs which he could add or subtract or substitute, not pills or powders. He tweeked it 6 times. He still hasn't gotten it perfect, but I have improved substantially since that time.

BTW, one is not supposed to keep taking an herb (formula). The dosage is one to three times. Then one must STOP. By the 3rd time, either the patient is back in balance or the herb is not working. Once a patient is back in balance, continuing the herb would push him over to the other side (imbalance again). ( For example, when a course of chemo is given to a cancer patient, he must stop when it is over; he does not keep taking it because a little chemo is good, so more must be better.)

Don't know where you're getting your info, Achybones, but it's out of synch with many thousands of pages of herbal lore written by qualified herbalists both here in the US and in Europe. In Germany herbal medications are regulated by the government and they have a fine track record of safety and proven effectiveness.

Herbal remedies have been attacked by doctors and pharma companies for years and years as being ineffective and dangerous. Both claims are completely false. Adverse reactions to herbs are very rare, and deaths almost non-existent. Prescription drugs, on the other hand, cause thousands of patient deaths each year here in the US alone. And the doctors who write the prescriptions often know almost nothing about the drugs they recommend. I've asked doctors about very well-known side effects of commonly prescribed drugs and they had no idea what I was talking about.

The claim that herbs are ineffective is just ludicrous. Side by side comparisons of ginger for motion sickness vs Dramamine have shown ginger to be more effective. The use of cranberry juice for UTI's has also been proven to be more effective than prescription remedies.

The main drawback of herbal remedies is the fact that the pharma companies can't make big profits off them, and doctors don't get kickbacks when they prescribe them. So the buzz about herbal remedies is negative...but consider the source of all this bad press.

I have several standard herbal guides and there's nothing in those books that says herbal remedies only work in combinations. And that's definitely not been my experience in using herbs and recommending them to people for decades.

RichieD,

You missed my point. I am saying herbs do work, when applied the right way.

I am talking about Traditional CHINESE Medicine. You are talking about the way Europeans and Americans are applying and testing the herbs. They are totally different approaches.

Ginger does work for motion sickness. Just like Tylenol would stop a headache. But for some illnesses that are much more complicated and chronic, a single herb won't do the job. A single herb would mitigate a SYMPTOM, but would not get to the root of the problem.

There is also the SYNERGETIC properties of the herbs when used together.

Also, the herb taken in raw form is different than distilling out a single property of the herb into a pill form. For example: Maranol is derived from Marijuana; but taking a Maranol pill (used to increase appetite) would not give the same effect as taking (smoking/ingesting) the plant form (to kill pain).

I take your point, Achy. The practice of "testing" herbs for effectiveness by distilling and isolating the allegedly active ingredient is more of a trick than a fair test. The drug companies and their stooges in Washington are desperate to stop herbal medicine. They want us to have no alternative to their high-priced and sometimes dangerous concoctions.

Thankfully herbal medicine users have important friends in Congress, or they would have banned herbs years ago.

I"ve heard good things and bad things about Traditional Chinese Medicine...I don't know much about it. It greatly troubles me that there are hundreds of "tiger farms" in China now where tiger cubs are raised inhumanely and slaughtered so their bones can be used in potions. And we all know what is happening with the world's rhinos, due to a belief that their horns can be made into an aphrodisiac.

You have gotten very good responses. Just to know, you can take
Aloe Vera Gel or Aloe in a bottle as a juice by itself. It says on my
bottle "can help sooth your upset stomach, mucous membranes and
other internal tissues." That is from the Whole Foods 365 brand in
the gel form. It definitely works well for me.
Some of these colon cleanses have products which they
want you to take for a certain number of days. Certain times of
the day. I have done a Candida Cleanse for instance that worked
well. Like Aussi says, you are no doubt stirring up toxins in your
system. That's the purpose, to get rid of the toxins. However,
some of us with compromised immune systems may have problems eliminating toxins due to various imbalances. That means
they can stay in our systems and just circulate around causing headaches and skin rashes and all sorts of things. This may or may not be happening with you. Also, some of these herbs can be very harsh. Overall, I find it's good to work with a naturopath if you
have one who may know about these things. If nothing else, I would talk to someone in the supplement department at a local health food store. Start slow and maybe just use one or two herbs that you are familiar with.