For information about Candidiasis, please refer to this article.
Candida esophagitis is an infection in the esophagus caused by Candida yeast. It usually occurs in people with depressed immune systems, diabetes, cancer and antibiotic use. It has symptoms that include inflammation of the esophagus with painful swallowing.
Western Treatment
Common practice among Western medicine is to prescribe anti-fungal drugs such as Nizoral. Surgery is sometimes required to improve the condition of the esophagus .
A TCM Approach
Herbal treatment can be used by combining Pau D’Arco tea, Biocidin and the following herbal mixture:
- Phellodendron cortex
- Codonopsis root
- White Atractylodes
- Anemarrhena root
- Plantago seed
- Pulsatilla root
- Capillaris herb
- Cnidium seed
- Houttuynia herb
- Dioscorea root
- Licorice root
- Cardamon fruit
A Case Study
A 38-year-old male developed Candida esophagitis and thrush while undergoing chemotherapy causing difficulty swallowing. He was taking Nizoral as treatment. A Traditional Chinese diagnosis revealed that he had a heavy yellow tongue coating and his pulse was sinking and rapid. I recommended Pau D’Arco tea (8 cups per day), Biocidin (3 drops in water, gargled before each meal), and the herbal mixture listed above. After one week, the thrush was significantly reduced and he was able to swallow more easily. His tongue coating was no longer as thick.