Supplements on the go: what to pack in your first aid kit?

Can’t imagine your day without herbal tea, tincture, or a few swallowed capsules of dietary supplements? Then you must be wondering how to approach these rituals on holiday. Can you afford to leave them at home, or would you rather take them with you? Or pack something completely different from what you’re used to?

If we talk about medication, it’s clear: If someone is taking, for example, blood pressure medication or antidepressants, they have to continue, no matter where they are. But when it comes to dietary supplements, the answer to the question in the introduction is not at all clear. It depends on what herbs or nutrients you are taking, if you suffer from any acute health problems, if you usually have a problem when you travel that you don’t have to deal with at home (constipation, insomnia…), but also on your personal set-up.

For example, if you’re an anxious type who clings to your rituals, the change of scenery itself can be a mental strain. And just keeping up some of your rituals, which certainly includes taking supplements, can be a significant psychological boost.

What to leave out and what not to?

If you are taking vitamins, minerals, omega-3s and similar supplements and you are not suffering from an acute deficiency of any of these substances, you certainly don’t have to worry about going on holiday without them. While some of them may help you protect your skin from the sun, for example, nothing major will happen in a few days without them.

However, there are situations when travelling where the use of herbs and supplements may be more important than at home. For example, if you suffer from digestive problems, it is very common for them to worsen when travelling. The same goes for sleep problems – you’ll never sleep as well in someone else’s bed as you do in your own, especially when jet lag syndrome from crossing multiple time zones is added to the mix.

Unusual travel situations can also be a source of stress, and some people may even experience anxiety – for example, when travelling by plane. If you go on a more sporty holiday, you may be surprised by muscle and joint pain or excessive fatigue. This can be compounded, especially in more remote countries, by an attack from viruses or bacteria that our immune system has not yet got to grips with. And natural remedies can help us with all this.

How to travel with dietary supplements?

Before we get to the actual selection of accessories, here are a few more useful travel tips.

For travelling, it is advisable to choose either capsules or tinctures – they are easier to use than herbal infusions or decoctions. If you are taking one or two supplements, it is not a problem to take the whole pack. If you want to take more supplements on holiday, you can use a pill organiser to stack individual doses of the respective combinations. You can also use small zip lock bags.

There are no major restrictions on travelling abroad, even when travelling by air. Just check if you are travelling outside the EU to see if any of the substances contained are banned in your destination country. You can take supplements in capsules and tablets on the plane without restrictions, even in your hand luggage. In theory, they can also be in the medicine organiser, but it is better to keep them in their original packaging. Tinctures are subject to a restriction on the amount of liquids carried in hand luggage.

Before you go

It is advisable to start working two to four weeks before your departure to make sure you spend your holiday in good health.

Before you go on holiday, it’s a good idea to work on your immunity and overall resilience. When travelling, the body is always exposed to increased demands that can compromise the effectiveness of our immunity. It is therefore advisable to take dietary supplements in advance that act as immunostimulants, such as valerian, astaxanthin or curcumin.

Thorough care of the gut microbiome is also important. It is very easy to upset its balance on holiday – infections of the digestive tract can contribute to this, as can cooking with semi-finished products, insufficient fibre consumption or excessive alcohol. It is therefore a good idea to ensure that he is in the best possible condition when he leaves, especially by eating a good diet with plenty of soluble and insoluble fibre. Beverages with chicory, which is rich in the soluble fibre inulin, are very suitable.

Probiotics can also help. Probiotics containing lactobacilli are a safe bet. But if you have little time before you leave, choose preparations containing the yeast Saccharomyces Boulardi, which colonises the digestive tract very quickly.

If you are travelling by plane and are afraid of flying, start taking passionflower (500 mg of extract or 20 drops of tincture per day) 2 weeks before departure, taking the last dose 90 minutes before boarding. The active ingredients of this herb are able to bind to the GABA receptors in our brain, and thus relieve anxiety very effectively. Moreover, compared to anti-anxiety drugs, passionflower has no negative side effects. In fact, it has been shown in research to work for situation-specific anxiety – it even worked for fear of the dentist!

What to pack with you?

In the following lines, you will find tips on herbs and nutrients that may come in handy when travelling. This doesn’t mean you have to take them all with you, but rather choose according to the ailments that most often affect you when you travel.

Knitting passion fruit

Not only does this herb have a very strong ability to relieve anxiety (see above), but it is also a great insomnia remedy, making it easier to fall asleep and improving the overall quality of sleep. For this purpose, it should be combined with hops or valerian – in studies, these combinations have shown similar effectiveness to synthetic insomnia drugs.

Passionflower can also effectively relieve all types of pain because it binds to opioid receptors in the brain in addition to GABA receptors. It is also appreciated by women who may find traveling uncomfortable due to premenstrual syndrome or menstrual cramps – both of which can be greatly helped.

Hop rotary

It is another very effective natural remedy for insomnia and irritation, and like passionflower, it can also relieve cramps. Its antimicrobial effect is also quite pronounced, where it can effectively destroy, for example, streptococci, staphylococci, and even the causative agents of tuberculosis. In addition, it kills yeasts and moulds, including Candida albicans. It is also suitable for aiding digestion.

Ginger

It is a traditional helper against nausea and vomiting. It also supports immunity and has quite strong direct antimicrobial effects – it kills a number of bacteria (including E. coli and the causative agents of typhoid fever or tuberculosis), viruses (e.g. influenza, covida, HPV viruses or rhinoviruses causing rhinitis) and is also effective against yeasts. This, and its ability to affect intestinal peristalsis and water retention in the intestines, also makes it a very effective weapon against diarrhea. It also reduces inflammation and pain of various origins, including migraine.

Propolis

This bee product is worth having with you in both capsule and tincture form. It has significant antimicrobial effects, both when used internally and when treating various injuries. It not only disinfects, but also significantly promotes the healing process. When used internally, it promotes immunity, is anti-inflammatory and is quite effective in reducing pain. It also reduces the release of histamine, which is practical if you suffer from allergies on holiday.

Bromelain

A mixture of pineapple enzymes is a great addition to the medicine cabinet for various acute ailments. It is very effective in speeding up the healing of injuries, whether they are abrasions, cuts, burns, bruises or various sprains, strained muscles and ligaments and other sports injuries. In addition, in these cases, it also relieves swelling and soreness. It also has a positive effect on digestion, being one of the best natural aids to fight constipation.

Rhodiola (pink stonecrop)

Are you going on a sportier holiday and expecting a much heavier workload than you are used to at home? Then it is definitely worth packing rhodiola. It is a very powerful adaptogen, which improves the body’s response to stress – not only mental, but also physical stress. It promotes the growth of physical performance, especially in people who are new to exercise, and also reduces the level of fatigue after exercise. Moreover, the onset of its effects is relatively fast.

Rosemary

This Mediterranean herb is distinguished by its anti-inflammatory action, thanks to which it can very effectively relieve pain – it is very effective for joint pain and migraine. It also significantly stimulates immunity and acts against many bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts. It also brings relief from asthma and psychological problems, promotes skin protection from UV rays and improves sleep quality. It also alleviates the symptoms of allergies, but for this purpose it must be taken at least 14 days before departure.

Carotenoids

Are you going to the sea or the mountains where you expect high intensity sunlight? Carotenoids can be a great help here. And it’s not just the best-known beta-carotene. Lutein and zeaxanthin, for example, are excellent choices as they are very powerful antioxidants that provide effective UV protection. They protect not only our skin but also the retina.

Another option is astaxanthin, which is also a very powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory effects and a high ability to protect the skin from UV radiation. In addition, it effectively stimulates immunity, supports the balance of the gut microbiome and athletic performance.

Tryptophan

Melatonin is often recommended for sleep problems, especially when crossing multiple time zones, but taking any hormones always carries some risks. A possible alternative is the amino acid tryptophan, from which melatonin is made in the brain. As a result, its use promotes falling asleep and improves the quality of sleep (higher doses are taken 45 minutes before going to bed). In addition, tryptophan also produces serotonin in the brain, which helps to relieve depression and anxiety.

Probiotics

You can continue taking probiotics while on holiday to mitigate its impact on the balance of your gut microbiome. They are also sometimes recommended as a means of reducing the duration of acute diarrhoea, but only some research has confirmed this ability.