Home Remedies and Herbs for Beriberi

Beriberi is a rare disease that occurs due to a thiamine deficiency. Thiamine is also known as vitamin B1. A thiamine deficiency is very rare in developed nations because most foods are enriched with vitamins. Beriberi is usually common in people who abuse alcohol, because excessive alcohol intake leads to poor nutrition. Without proper nutrition, the body cannot properly absorb thiamine.¹ There are two types of beriberi disease:¹

• Wet Beriberi: When the condition affects the cardiovascular system.
• Dry Beriberi, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome: When the condition affects the nervous system.

What Causes Beriberi?

Beriberi is caused by a thiamine deficiency. Being deficient in thiamine has a number of causes including:^{1 2 3}

• Poor Diet: People who subsist on high-carbohydrate diets do not get the appropriate intake of thiamine, which can lead to a severe thiamine deficiency. This is more common in developing nations.
• Genetics: Some evidence shows that beriberi disease can be passed down through family members. In these rare cases, people slowly lose the ability to absorb thiamine over time, which leads to a deficiency.
• Excessive Alcohol Consumption: People who consume excessive amounts of alcohol, such as those with alcoholism, often do not receive proper nutrition. Most alcoholics who also have a thiamine deficiency, have reported that they skip many meals, which is believed to contribute to developing beriberi.
• Increased Demand: Pregnant woman, people who exercise frequently, or anyone with a fever, need an increase in thiamine intake. Without meeting this increased demand by adding more thiamine to the diet, these people can experience beriberi symptoms.

Thiamine is essential to certain body functions. Without enough thiamine, the body will start to undergo severe and harmful changes.

Beriberi Symptoms

Thiamine is responsible for a number of physiological functions, including:³

• Metabolizing food for energy
• Maintaining proper heart function
• Maintaining proper nerve function

Without enough thiamine, the body will start to experience beriberi symptoms of either wet or dry beriberi. Dry beriberi symptoms affect neurological function and include:^{1 2 3}

• Difficulty walking
• Loss of feeling in hands and feet
• Paralysis in lower legs
• Mental confusion, irritability and depression
• Difficulty speaking
• Sudden eye movements
• Muscle pain and weakness
• Tingling
• Fatigue
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Rapid weight loss

Wet beriberi symptoms affect cardiovascular function and include:^{1 2 3}

• Increased heart rate
• Waking up at night short of breath
• Swelling in lower legs
• Shortness of breath with activity
• Enlarged heart

You can treat this disorder through beriberi natural remedies that boost thiamine intake and reduce symptoms.

References

1. http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/ency/articles/beriberi
2. http://www.msdmanuals.com/professional/nutritional-disorders/vitamin-deficiency,-dependency,-and-toxicity/thiamin
3. https://draxe.com/thiamine-deficiency/