Cervical Dysplasia

My neighbor Nancy had cervical dysplasia more than once. When her doctor first noticed irregularities on her cervix, he conducted a series of laboratory tests that led him to conclude that her dysplasia was at "stage three"—not a good sign, considering that stage four is cancer. The treatment he used was to freeze the problem cells. Three years later, Nancy was again diagnosed as having cervical dysplasia. This time, she chose a particularly vigorous herbal therapy, as her doctor now said that the most effective treatment would be surgery.

With only one month to turn around her dysplasia, Nancy was committed to healing herself. She placed castor oil packs over her abdomen, sat in sitz baths filled with a strong tea of sage, eucalyptus and comfrey leaf tea and used a tampon soaked in a strong solution of calendula tea. She faithfully did each of these treatments at least once a day, more often when she could manage it (and got lots of reading done at the same time!).

When Nancy told me the results of her next test, I was as impressed as she was with the herbs. The baffled doctor found far fewer signs of dysplasia and, although he was apprehensive about discussing herbs, sent her home to "continue doing whatever you are doing." The next three times she was tested, she came up completely clean; so she stopped taking the herbs. That was years ago, and following her doctor's advice, she continues to get tested regularly—at least twice a year. She also follows her herbalist's advice to keep estrogen down to normal levels and her immunity up. She does not expect the dysplasia to return, but if it ever does, she knows what she will do.

Cervical dysplasia can be caused, or at least promoted, by the same virus responsible for genital warts (human papillomavirus) and possibly by those viruses that cause herpes (herpes simplex types 1 and 2), although not all women with warts or herpes necessarily develop dysplasia. Another contributing factor is excessive amounts of the more carcinogenic form of estrogen that is manufactured by the body. In addition, women whose mothers took a synthetic estrogen called diethylstilbestrol (DES) in the 1940s and 1950s to prevent miscarriage were overexposed to estrogen and often develop dysplasia. (Unfortunately, until 1979, much of the meat sold in the United States also contained small amounts of DES.) The American Cancer Society also lists estrogen-based birth control pills, multiple sexual partner and smoking as risk factors for dysplasia. Researchers have reported that smoking even two or three cigarettes a day seems to concentrate carcinogens in the cervix.

You can treat the problem cells and at the same time stimulate your immune system with a tea or tincture of echinacea, calendula and false indigo, an immune system herb with properties similar to echinacea. While most people may not think of calendula (which is known to gardeners as pot marigold) as more than a pretty garden flower, it is a potent immunity builder that seems to have a special affinity for healing the cervix.

Among the most important herbs for treating gynecological problems are the berries from vitex, an attractive tree from the Mediterranean. Vitex is one of the few herbs known to balance a woman's hormones, and so has become invaluable for many different formulas. To help keep excessive estrogen in line, you should also take herbs that are good for the liver, such as burdock.

You can also put herbs directly on your cervix—as Nancy did—by using vaginal suppositories or a tampon soak of goldenseal, calendula and tea tree. Tea tree suppositories are also available in natural food stores.

I know quite a few women who have conquered cervical dysplasia using herbal teas, tinctures and suppositories alone, but you can speed along the process by also taking herbal sitz baths and applying castor oil packs. These techniques are explained in "Endometriosis" in chapter 60. These treatments require a little extra time, but the end results are worth it.

Folic acid, which is not an herb per se but is found in green, leafy vegetables, can also play a role in treating cervical dysplasia. Many women with cervical dysplasia have a folic acid deficiency, especially if they take birth control pills. According to one study of women on the Pill, three weeks of folic acid supplements reversed the risk of cervical cancer for a significant number of women. Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D., and Michael T. Murray, N.D., authors of A Textbook of Natural Medicine, a natural healing reference commonly used by naturopathic doctors and medical doctors who use natural methods, suggest that women who have cervical dysplasia take 2 milligrams of folic acid a day for three months, then reduce the dose to 0.5 milligram a day. Along with your herbal therapy, vitamins A, C and the B-complex can be extremely helpful.

While Nancy's story attests to the power of herbs, do not get discouraged if you try them and you do not experience Nancy's success. Herbs sometimes work quickly, sometimes not. Another friend of mine, Dora, was given three weeks to self-treat cervical dysplasia that had nearly reached stage four. She was diligent about taking sitz baths and applying castor oil packs and taking an herbal tincture similar to the tea recipe given below. She even made her own herbal suppositories. Three weeks later, Dora's test results did not look any better, and her doctor advised removing the cells right away.

At least Dora knew that she had done what she could in that short amount of time. She also felt that the herbs prepared her body better for the doctor's procedure. (She also decided to quit smoking.) Even if you decide on medical treatments, you can do as Dora did and take these herbs once a day for one week every month to prevent the dysplasia from returning.

Cervical Dysplasia Tea

2 teaspoons vitex berries

1 teaspoon each burdock root and false indigo root

½ teaspoon each calendula flowers and echinacea root

5 cups water

Bring herbs and water to a boil in an uncovered pot, then simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover pot and let steep for 20 minutes. Strain out herbs. This can also be taken as a tincture or in pill form.

Tampon Soak

1 heaping teaspoon dried calendula flowers

½ teaspoon goldenseal rhizome powder

1 cup water

5 drops tea tree essential oil

Put herbs and water in a pot, place on stove and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let steep for about 30 minutes. Strain and add essential oil. Soak tampon in mixture, stirring well to distribute the oil. (Be sure to use a tampon that comes enclosed in a cylinder inserter or the soaking will expand it too much.)