If your visiting a hot, tropical climate you run the risk of developing some form of gastrointestinal illness.  This can be caused by bacteria, viruses or parasites.  Some of the buglike culpirits are salmonella, shigella, E Coli, staphylococci, campylobacter jejuni, hepatitis A and cryptosporidiosis.  The biggest danger is ingesting infected food or water.  Icecream is a no no; watch out for cocktails served in reused coconut shells, ice, raw seafood and buying food from street stalls.  A moment of carelessness can completely ruin your holiday and leave you spending most of your time in the hotel loo.

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and nausea.  An acute bout should be over within a couple of days but you might not be that lucky.

There are remedies that can help if you do get caught out:

Astragalus has strong anti-viral and anti-microbial qualities.   It supports the immune system and encourages the proliferation of antibodies in the blood.

Picrorrhiza is an Ayurvedic herb.  It stimulates a healthy digestive tract and is anti-malarial.  It supports the livers and immune system and aids B and T cell production.

Goldenseal is a natural stomach antibiotic which can be administered to decrease adhesive e coli and ramps up the immune system.  Berberine contained in both Barberry and Goldenseal increases the function of macrophages that are responsible for eating up viruses and bad bacteria.