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Horopito for persistent candida
I use bioyoghurts and stick to a low sugar diet to keep a persistent thrush infection under control but I am travelling to Kenya in the autumn and am concerned about the heat and my diet. Is there anything I can take which will help keep it in check?
One of the more impressive New Zealand herbs I have come across on my travels is a plant called Horopito Pseudowintera colorata, which has potent anti-fungal properties thanks to the fact that it produces these chemicals in its leaves to ward off fungi and other predators.
The great thing about supplements sourced from that part of the world, of course, is that they are almost beyond organic thanks to the fact it is so far away from everywhere else; plus New Zealand has a fantastic background in agricultural science so the makers can show us how their 2000-plus unique plants work and why. Tie this in with the Maori tradition of herbal healing and no wonder we all want to know more.
The company that has harnessed the anti-candida power of horopito to produce a range which includes a vaginal cream, a herbal tea and capsules, is Forest Herbs. In independent clinical trials carried out by the Pavlodar City Center for Clinical Immunology and Reproduction in that country, 88% of the women using horopito cream for vaginal candidiasis said their condition improved significantly. The women, who were all aged between 20 and 40, applied the cream two or three times daily. In the UK, this cream is only available on prescription from a qualified herbalists.
Horopito also features in the excellent Kiwiherb range of herbal tinctures, formulated by British-trained Medical Herbalist and phytopharmacologist, Phil Rammussen. You can use this to help alleviate skin rashes, including warts.
*If you cannot find it at your local healthstore, the Kiwiherb ranges are now available by mail order from the Nutricentre. Call 0800-587 2290 for details.