Travel Essentials

Katie Noble, SPCNM Graduate Practitioner 2019

A good friend is heading off to Bali and it prompted me to re-visit the best natural remedies and travel first aid kit options for a jaunt away to the tropics.

Activated Charcoal: Great with any kind of gastric upset. Charcoal has long been used to absorb toxins in the body and if you have a history of catching lots of tummy bugs then having charcoal on hand can be a good idea. It can help with indigestion, gas, bloating and diarrhoea caused by food poisoning. It can also be used topically on mosquito bites just open a capsule and mix into a paste and apply to the bites – although take care with white sheets!

Active Elements 7.1: Take one of these at the first sign of a sore throat or a cold. You can take one every ½ hour until symptoms subside up to 6 per day. It can relieve congestion & fever in minor infection such as colds, flu, upper respiratory tract infections, glue ear, tonsillitis and hayfever and can relieve pain, heat, irritation and swelling of localized infections.

Good Health Viralex Attack: A fast acting immune defense formula with olive leaf, pelargonium and zinc.

Herbal Healing Cream: Weleda Hypercal is an anti-inflammatory, natural pain relieving and wound healing cream with Hypericum and Calendula which is really soothing on painful cuts. Kiwiherb Calendula is another great choice for use on abrasions, minor cuts, wounds and burns.

Probiotics: It’s a good idea to travel with probiotics to correct the digestive microbiome in case of a stomach bug. Ask for one that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Rescue Remedy: Great in times of shock, trauma or emotional stress and really good for those who are not so comfortable flying or adapting to new places.

Homeopathic Remedies: So easy to use when travelling. My Remedy sell small travel kits of selected remedies www.myremedy.co.nz, or you can buy them as individual remedies from www.simillimum.co.nz, depending on what your needs are. Here are some great remedies suggestions for travel:

Aconite: For nipping colds in the bud and for a runny nose. Also good for bad news or anxiety. Fear of flying or big crowds
Apis Mel: Nature’s antihistamine. Great for bites and stings
Arnica: No 1 remedy for accidents, shock, physical exhaustion. Can be used in jetlag and with sore muscles
Arsenicum Album: Food poisoning, anxiety about health, sunburn and fever
Belladonna: Acute remedy for high fevers, sunstroke, sunburn, air sickness
Bryonia: Migraine, dry painful coughs
Gelsemium: Flu remedy, sore muscles, physical exhaustion and headache. Good for fear of flying and stage fright
Nux Vomica: Hangover and vertigo from overindulgence, haemorrhoids, and a stomach that is sensitive to pressure
Pulsillita: Great hormonal remedy for PMS. Good for car or motion sickness; for a person who feels better when they go into fresh air. Ear pain and congestion

Some other essential first aid basics:

Non-stick dressing pads, paraffin gauze, steristrips, medical tape and plasters that are big enough for elbows and knees are also helpful
D3 sports tape in case of an injury that needs support
Small pair of scissors
Tweezers
Couple of single use saline rinse packs
Panadol or Nurofen

Having a kit with these essentials has you covered for most minor events while travelling, but of course anything more serious use your travel insurance and get to the doctor!

References

Active Elements. (2016). A to Z: A practical guide to mineral element therapy. Victoria, Australia: Active Elements Pty Ltd.

Huizen, J. (2018). What are the benefits of activated charcoal?. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322609.php

My Remedy. (2019). Feeling poorly homeopathic kit. Retrieved from: https://myremedy.co.nz/shop/feeling-poorly-kit-homeopathy-kit/

Simillimum. (2019). Single remedies. Retrieved from https://www.simillimum.co.nz/index.php/homeopathy/single-remedies.html