This herb can be used to manage respiratory distress associated with viral and bacterial infections; What this common medication depletes.
Keep this herb on hand if you are at greater risk of respiratory distress from the flu, bronchitis and othre viral infections. This common medication and nutrient depletion.
Herbal Support For Respiratory Illness
Lomatium is an herb you probably are not familiar with when you think of herbs for cold and flu support. Do not confuse it with Lobelia, another lung-supportive herb. Lomatium, like many other herbs such as oregano oil or allicin (from garlic), may have antimicrobial properties and protect against viruses, fungi, and bacteria.
I say “may have” because much of the information about Lomatium is anecdotal and based on its use with Native Americans. Most herbs have little research behind them. Research requires funding, and most funding goes to pharmaceutical research, not herbs that may be useful and possibly replace a medication.
But there is much we can learn from people who have used herbs as medicine for centuries and have passed down the information from one generation to the next.
Native Americans used Lomatium root (lomatium dissectum) to manage respiratory infections. While many other plants get all the attention regarding colds and viral infections, Lomatium is often overlooked even though it is a potent remedy.
Lomatium can help protect you from viruses and bacteria and can also help eliminate them when you are sick. But its potential star power comes from supporting lung health from the viruses and bacteria that affect the respiratory tract.
The compounds found in Lomatium help thin out and remove mucus and shorten the illness duration. The oleo-resins found in Lomatium are responsible for the expectorant benefits.
However, there is one report where a person may have gotten a measles-like rash from Lomatium. I provided the link below to this article. The medical professionals assumed that it was from this herb and primarily from its resins. It is possible, but I am skeptical about this without more detailed information. The rash resolved on its own within several days.
When I had covid or some other virus early 2022, I developed the same type of rash as shown in the pictures in the link below. My rash was only on my legs and by the fourth day it was completely gone. Based on my readings, this rash was uncommon but was seen in some covid patients. Hence, this women in the article below was sick and could the rash stem from the immune response to the virus and not from the herb at all?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5962321/
For this reason, some herbal companies sell the product as resin-free. Mountain Rose Herbs sells one that is not resin-free. Since the resins may offer lung support, the Mountain Rose product may be the better choice.
But because the herb has not been well studied, proceed slowly. Discuss its use with your health provider, who knows your medications and supplements. There are no known drug-herb interactions, but that is because Lomatium has not been well-studied. Avoid during pregnancy since its contraindications are unknown.
It is native to my part of Colorado, so I hope to locate it in my area. Are you familiar with this plant? Have you used Lomatium? If so, share your experience!
This link below has more photos and shows where Lomatium grows in the U.S.
https://www.swcoloradowildflowers.com/Yellow%20Enlarged%20Photo%20Pages/lomatium.htm
Lomatium is in the parsley family as you can see by the leaves
Sources
https://froemkelab.med.nyu.edu/surgery/content?ChunkIID=111704
https://mountainroseherbs.com/lomatium-extract
Statins and Nutrient Depletion
If you take a statin, ask your prescribing doctor how long the drug will extend your lifespan. If you still want to take the medication after that, ask what nutrients this drug depletes.
In case your medical professional does not know, this drug will deplete vitamin K2 in addition to depleting ubiquinol. Nautral ubiquinol production declines with age and after age 40 CoQ10 had a difficult time converting to the active form (ubiquinol). Vitamin K1 and K2 are important for cardiovascular health. If taking a statin you may need to supplement with vitamin K2 in addition to food sources (i.e.: grassfed butter, natto, egg yolk). Vitamin K1 is primarily from plant sources.