What is a Diaphoretic?

This is an action that produces or promotes sweating. This has the value of helping to skin eliminate waste from the body. The skin is one of the major ways in which the body ensures a clean and harmonious inner environment. With diaphoretics we can help this vital function. Some of these remedies produce an actual and observable sweat, while others just aid the sub-sensible sweating that goes on all the time. Traditionally they have been used in increase sweating during fevers in the belief that this will help the body throw off the problem.

How Diaphoretics Work

Many of these remedies will cause the dilation of surface capillaries, thus helping poor circulation. It is thought that the stimulation of sweat glands occurs because the vessels in the area are dilated. This cannot explain all that is seen to occur but goes part of the way. The deeper value of these remedies comes from the way they can support the work of the kidney by increasing cleansing through the skin. Thus they have a role in holistic treatment of kidney problems but also any broadly based approach to health.

Herbal Examples:

• Eupatorium perfoliatum (Boneset)
• Capsicum minimum (Cayenne)
• Sambucus niger (Elderberry & flower)
• Zingiber officinalis (Ginger)
• Achillea millefolium  (Yarrow)
• Nepeta cataria (Catnip)

• Adapted from David Hoffman’s ‘The Herbal Handbook: A User’s Guide to Medical Herbalism”.