A fever is not an unpleasant symptoms of illness. It is a strategic curative strategy carefully honed over millennia of evolution. 

If your go-to response when you have a fever is to take a Panadol, you should really get to know a few diaphoretic herbs. These are your best assets in a fever.

They work like this:

• Supporting the onset on fever, essentially ‘speeding up’ the process
• Relaxing the blood vessels at the periphery, helping the fever to carry heat from the centre to the extremities
• Increasing activity of sweat glands
• Relaxing the nervous system to minimise harm

The result is that your fever peaks and breaks more smoothly and quickly, with a lower chance of harm.

There are two types of diaphoretics.

Warming diaphoretics like cinnamon and ginger are indicated when the patient feels cold (chills etc).

Cooling diaphoretics like yarrow and elderflower are perfect if the patient feels hot and clammy.

Personally, I always use yarrow (The Master of The Blood – ensures heat is evenly distributed with good circulation and doesn’t get ‘trapped’) and then add ginger if I feel cold, or add elderflower if I feel hot.

Each of these herbs is a treasure trove of specific indications and masterful actions – but there is a time for thinking of herbs primarily in terms of their clinical action and a fever is one of them. 

In addition to bringing in these powerful herbal allies, other ways to support a fever are to:

• FAST – fever naturally reduces the appetite so go with the flow and live on herbal teas, broths and water.
• REST – absolute total rest as fever weakens muscles. You have my full permission to go to bed. Try not to even read or watch TV – listen to an audio book instead. Nap as often as you can.
• WARMTH – help your body do what it is trying to do by using a heat pack, rugging up and staying away from wind.
• COOL WATER – if your head aches, then try a cool wet cloth on your head or wrists.
• MONITOR – especially when it comes to babies and children, track how high their fever is going, and make sure your thermometer is a good one. Rectal temperature is definitely the most accurate (yep, up the bum).