Submitted by Jeanette Barcus, Certified Natural Health Consultant

If you have ever had croup, a gripping charlie-horse leg cramp, asthma-like congestion or a tension headache you will appreciate this herb.

Lobelia (lo-bee-lee-uh) is a funny sounding herb that grows well in the wild in the United States from the mid-east coast to Nebraska. It was considered a valuable cure-all by respected herbalists, Samuel Thompson and John Christopher, who usually coupled it with capsicum herb or peppermint to moderate its relaxing effects.

Lobelia’s many helpful properties include: antispasmodic (relaxes muscles and blood vessels), antiviral (works against viruses), analgesic (pain relieving), anti-asthmatic (helps with asthma-like symptoms), expectorant (helps expel mucous congestion), and sedative (promotes calm and relaxed feelings, and reduces irritability).

Lobelia has been used to help stop smoking because the chemical lobeline it contains satisfies the body’s cry for nicotine without the negative effects while calming the nerves,

Lobelia can be applied topically to help relax muscles and to help bring boils and abscesses on the skin to a head. One favorite use is to apply liquid lobelia directly to a cramping muscle for quick relief. The liquid may also be applied to the chest to help relax tightness from congestion.

Small frequent doses have been given to induce vomiting as an emergency measure during an asthma attack. Although this use isn’t pleasant, it is reported to be very effective as the vomiting brings up the choking mucus, thus relieving the congestion.

Lobelia is considered the “thinking” herb, as it tends to act through the best channels in the body for each individual. One person may need it to push toxins to the skin for elimination. Another person may be better off if the lobelia stimulates the colon or the kidneys to move toxins out. Although it doesn’t sound at all scientific, whichever way is the best for the individual taking it, that is the way it is reported to work.

There has been some controversy surrounding this valuable herb. Many herbs, like lobelia, have a build-in safety mechanism. If you get too much you will have undesirable side-effects that quickly go away when you stop ingesting the herb. For lobelia, if you get too much, it will induce vomiting. In some situations it is good to induce vomiting. When that is the case, lobelia works well and any excess lobelia is expelled at that time.

Lobelia is most safely used from commercial preparations as some who have made their own preparations suffered from overdose.

This information is for educational use and not intended to diagnose or prescribe or replace the advise of a health professional. (References:Today’s Herbal Health by Louise Tenney)