Don't ignore garlic: Here are some herbs to help you manage ARV's side effects

Garlic and cloves                        Photo:Courtesy

For one with HIV, taking antiretrovirals is a matter of life and death.

While this therapy is key to slowing down disease progression and improving the life span and quality of life of HIV infected persons, it does take a toll on one’s health due to side effects it causes. Due to this, careful management of the side effects needs to be observed in order to forestall further deterioration of one’s health status.

One can do so using different strategies.

For example, nausea can be managed by taking the medication with food. Anorexia and vomiting can be tackled by eating small frequent meals while diarrhoea can be managed by drinking plenty of fluids and increasing nutrient intake to make up for nutrient loss.

There are also a number of readily available herbs and spices that can also help keep these side effects in check.

Nausea: Common herbs for use when you have nausea include cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and peppermint. The good news is that these herbs can be added to different kinds of foods including tea, soups and broths and pastry as well.

Anorexia and vomiting: Indulge yourself with ginger, cloves and chamomile which can be put in tea then use coriander to spice up your stews and soups for a refreshing boost in appetite.

Diarrhoea, throat and thrush infections: These can be tackled by anti-bacterials like garlic, ginger, eucalyptus and rosemary. These also aid in digestion and thus other issues like constipation and stomach upsets will also be kept at bay.