Autism

Autism is an acute developmental disorder of the brain and the nervous system that appears in early childhood and young adult stages. It is manifested by a crippling condition that causes serious impairment of social interaction and communication, as well as a number of unusual behaviors. It is assumed that as many as 2 million Americans, including children and adults, may have symptoms of autism. There are currently no medical and diagnostic tests which can diagnose and detect autism. While there are many different viewpoints about the best mode of treatment for curing autism, most medical experts agree that the earlier treatment regime begins the better and beneficial the chances are that the child will be assisted.

There is no established cure for autism; this implies that there are not many drugs and medications available right now to cure this symptom. This is probably very true in all methods of medical practices including herbal therapy. Apart from many prescription drugs, there are a number of herbal drugs that can provide some sort of relief to the intensity of the problem.

Here are some of the suggested herbal drugs and medications to treat cases of mild autism. But, you may need to contact your personal physician before using any of these herbs.

Green tea extracts, Vitamin B complex derived from herbal sources like vegetables and fruits, flax seed oil and germanium oil are known to have been used by Chinese pharmacopeias to treat mild cases of autism, though the research results have not been very satisfactory.

Chinese herbal drug therapy recommends using several essential oils like Frankincense, Lavender, and Myrrh, either as an inhaling therapy or as oral therapy at very low dosages. Traditional Chinese Medicine also recommends the following herbal concoction to cure serious cases of autism (Shang Xianmin, et al., Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology Clinical Experiences, 1990 New World Press, Beijing.):

• 10 gm each of ginseng, ophiopogon and acorus,
• 6 gm each of tang-kuei and polygala,
• 5 gm of frankincense,
• 3 gm of cinidium
• 1.5 gm of cinnabar

This herbal mixture is known to provide the autistic patient mental equilibrium along with peace and bliss.

Another formula suggests ((Xu Xiangcai, et al., English-Chinese Encyclopedia of Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1990, Higher Education Press, Beijing.) using an herbal mixture made out of:

• 12 grams each of pseudostellaria and astragalus,
• 9 grams each of hoelen, atractylodes, tang-kuei, polygala, acorus, and schizandra,
• 15 grams of wheat,
• 6 grams of licorice,
• 10 pieces of jujube. 

Though finding a cure seems to be a bit difficult at this stage, you can make an effort to introduce foods that are rich in a series of vitamin B components. Consuming vegetables and fruits that are rich in these vitamins may provide some sort of relief from the ordeal.