People's Pharmacy

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Echinacea Strikes Out As Cold Cure

Posting Date: 08/08/2005

Q. How does red tea (rooibos) compare with green and black tea for health attributes?

A. Rooibos, or ?red bush? tea, is a South African beverage from the leaves of the shrub Aspalathus linearis. Unlike green or black tea (both made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis), rooibos has no caffeine or other stimulants. It has antioxidant flavonoids, though not as much as either green or black tea.

Some animal research indicates that it may protect against cellular mutations triggered by chemicals or radiation. It is premature to assume that drinking rooibos would offer such health advantages, but it does appear to be safe.

Q. I had to laugh when I saw your article on curing hiccups with a spoonful of sugar. You said it was originally published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1971.

I had my first child in November, 1947. I brought him home when he was three days old and he immediately started hiccupping. I couldn?t figure out how to stop them. My dad came into the kitchen and told me to put a tiny bit of sugar on the end of a spoon and give it to the baby. It worked!

I wonder where he heard that? From his mom, no doubt.

A. Thanks for the history lesson. Home remedies are often passed down from generation to generation.

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In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.org. Their newest book is The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (St. Martin's Press).