Ask the experts

Natural Health, Sept, 2007 by Rachel Dowd

Q: What is a neti pot, and can it help improve chronic bad breath?

A: A neti pot is a small container with a spout that distributes warm water mixed with salt into your nostrils. With regular use, it can help freshen your breath. Yogis and Ayurvedic practitioners have used nasal cleansing, known as neti, for thousands of years to help relieve sinus and nasal congestion, infections, postnasal drip, and headaches.

Usually made of ceramic, a typical neti pot holds 2/3 cup of water and 1/8 tablespoon of salt, tea, or an herbal-saline solution. Depending on your dosha (an Ayurvedic term that refers to your constitution), different salts and herbs can be added to the neti pot. (Determine your dosha by visiting the Ayurveda Holistic Community at ayurvedahc.com, the Chopra Center at chopra.com, or whats yourdosha.com.) To relieve congestion, if you're a vata dosha (slight frame, dry skin, nervous energy) or pitta dosha (medium build, fiery personality, energetic), you would add sea salt or grey salt; if you're a kapha dosha (big-boned, easygoing, methodical), you would add cinnamon and cloves.

To use the neti pot, place the spout in one nostril, tilt your head slightly to the opposite side, and gently pour the warm fluid so it runs in one nostril and out the other. Blow your nose to discharge any remaining liquid, then repeat on the other nostril. Start with a small quantity of water until you feel comfortable with the full dose. After flushing, sniff a few drops of nasya oil (a sesame-, olive-, or sunflower-based oil with low concentrations of eucalyptus, rose, or mint essential oils) to protect your nasal membranes.

--David Simon, M.D., medical director and cofounder of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing and author of The Ten Commitments: Translating Good Intentions into Great Choices

Q: I've read that hoodia is an effective herbal appetite suppressant. What is it, and does it work?

A: Hoodia (Hoodia gordonii) is a slow-growing succulent plant (not a cactus, as is often misreported), used traditionally as an appetite-suppressing survival food in the deserts of South Africa and Namibia. The current meteoric rise in popularity of hoodia as a weight-loss aid is based mainly on this traditional use, recent media reports, and conjecture.

While there has been some research on hoodia, to my knowledge there are no published human clinical trials demonstrating its appetite-suppressing effects. Without published data from clinical trials, the safety of hoodia must be evaluated based on its traditional use as well as any modern empirical data. In South Africa and Namibia, hoodia is not a staple in the diet; it has been used as a survival food and to suppress appetite during long treks in the desert. However, it appears to be relatively safe at this time.

The quality of hoodia supplements is still in question. It normally takes at least two to three years for hoodia plants to grow to an adequate size for harvest. But many herb-industry experts agree that the demand for hoodia has probably outpaced the ability of producers to supply it. The result, according to independent testing, has shown variations in potency and quality in supplements in which other ingredients appear to have been substituted for hoodia.

--Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the American Botanical Council and the editor of HerbalGram [much greater than]

Q: How can I minimize a scar naturally?

A: The best way to minimize or prevent scarring is to make sure the wound heals properly. If you get a cut, gash, or scrape, apply pressure to the area to stop the flow of blood, and wipe away any dirt or debris. Otherwise, the immune system will try to engulf the foreign particles, causing pus and slowing down the healing process. Rinse the cut with sterile salt water: Boil filtered or spring water, let it cool, and stir in one teaspoon of salt per pint of liquid. Finally, apply a poultice made from the herbs goldenseal (rich in antimicrobial berberine) and moist slippery-elm bark, a natural skin-healer. To make the poultice, mix a pinch of powdered goldenseal and bark with a few drops of aloe-leaf gel to make a thick paste. Spread enough of the paste to cover the surface of the wound. If the gash is open and deep, you may need stitches. Wounds left gaping have a tendency to fill with scar tissue.

After the cut is secure, apply an ointment that contains chamomile (like Dr. Burt's Herbal Defense Ointment; burtsbees.com) and take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day to speed the healing process. To reduce pain and lessen bruising, dissolve homeopathic arnica (12C to 30C) under your tongue several times a day. Take 500 to 1,000 mg of bromelain between meals to give your white blood cells healing enzymes. And to prevent infection, take 825 mg of antioxidant olive-leaf extract three times a day.

If a scar does form, apply onion-derived Mederma cream, available at drugstores. The allicin in onion is thought to lessen the raised appearance of scars and improve the organization of collagen fibers in your skin.