Herbs Supporting Treatment of Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is a chronic tick-borne disease that can affect all tissues and organs of the human body. Lyme disease is caused by spirochetes of the genus Borrelia, the most common are: Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzalii.
Lyme disease can cause a number of symptoms, such as:
- moving pain in joints, muscles and tendons,
- wandering erythema,
- disorders of the autonomic nervous system,
- polyneuropathies,
- neck stiffness
- numbness in the limbs
- trembling limbs,
- seizures
- paralysis of the facial muscles,
- ear noise,
- enlarged lymph nodes,
- sensitivity to light,
- confusion or difficulty thinking, mental fog
- short memory disorders,
- blackout, bewilderment,
- getting lost, loosing the way,
- mood swings, irritation,
- depression,
- eye problems - the image is blurred or with spots,
- feeling of pressure in the eye,
- headaches,
- sleep disturbance,
- tiredness,
- disturbance of the heart rhythm,
- flu symptoms,
- fever,
- pain in the chest
- weight loss or gain
- stomach and intestinal pain,
- the sensitivity of the bladder or its dysfunction,
- irregular menstruation
- chronic dermis atrophy
- and many others.
Herbs have turned out to be a very good alternative for many people suffering from Lyme disease. Treatment with herbs is often used in parallel with drug treatment. Many people also choose to use herbs after antibiotic treatment is finished, and for some, herbs have become the main pillar of the natural treatment of Lyme disease.
Herbal Protocols Supporting Natural Treatment of Lyme Disease
Of the natural treatments for Lyme disease, the best known herbal protocols are the Buhner protocol and the Cowden protocol. The approach of Buhner, Cowden or other prominent practitioners breaks the standard thinking about the treatment of Lyme disease. According to them, the use of only the antibacterial effect is insufficient. We cannot forget about strengthening the immune system, which as a result of Lyme disease infection is not only weakened, but also remodeled in a very specific way to fit the needs of bacteria. We cannot forget the cytokines induced during Borrelia infection, the protection of the endothelium, and the protection of the structures and cells that are infected by the bacteria. You should not only kill Lyme disease spirochetes, but also create such unfavorable conditions in the body that they cannot multiply, obtain food and conduct aggressive expansion through our body. Treatment of Lyme disease with herbs enables a multidirectional approach and has amazing results, provided that it is properly carried out.
Stephen Harrod Buhner is an outstanding American herbalist and author of many books and publications. Buhner has developed a protocol for the natural treatment of Lyme disease and tick-borne disease that relies on clinically tested herbs. In the latest update of his natural Lyme treatment protocol, Buhner took into account all the above-described aspects and selected a very effective set of herbs that comprehensively work on various mechanisms of Lyme spirochete infection. However, you must remember that herbal Lyme treatment cannot be based on single herbs. Herbs work synergistically with each other and properly selected herbal combinations, developed by phytotherapists specializing in this field, can bring a measurable effect in the context of the natural treatment of Lyme disease with herbs.
The main herbs in the Buhner Protocol are:
- Andrographis paniculata
- Japanese knotweed (Latin Polygonum cuspidatum)
- Cat's claw (Cat's Claw, Vilcacora, Latin Uncaria tomentosa)
- Salvia miltiorrhiza (Red Sage)
- Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis)
- Collagen
- Selenium
Buhner also selected herbs for many of the symptoms associated with Lyme disease. These include:
- Gou teng (Latin Uncaria rhynchophylla) for neurological symptoms
- Stephania for a problem with the eyes
- Teasel root for joint problem
- Double-necked hawthorn for heart problems
- Gotu kola for memory problems
- Siberian ginseng for fatigue and weakness
- New Jersey Tea (Red root, Latin Ceanothus americanus ) for lazy lymph
- Milk thistle for liver problems
- Pine pollen for libido problems
These are just a few of Buhner's many proposals. The use of herbs and the precisely described Buhner protocol is available in his book, Stephen Harrod Buhner, "The Natural Treatment of Lyme Disease and its Co-infections - Chlamydiosis and Spotted Fever Rickettsial."
The Cowden Protocol is a herbal Lyme treatment protocol developed by Dr. W. Lee Cowden recommended for people in the early and late stages of Lyme disease, as well as for minimizing the symptoms associated with Lyme disease. The Cowden protocol is also used for other tick-borne co-infections. The Cowden protocol uses 14 different Nutramedix products, including 7 herbs known as Microbial Defense, which exhibit antibacterial activity. It is based on ready-made sets of products composed of packages dedicated to each month of therapy.
The Cowden Protocol includes: Banderol, Burbur-pinella, Cumanda, Enula, Houttuynia, Magnesium malate, Mora, Parsley, Samento, Sealantro, Serrapeptase, Sparga, Stevia and Takuna.
You have to remember that everyone has Lyme disease individually. The type of accompanying symptoms, the severity of symptoms, a set of co-infections that synergize with each other, age, condition of the immune system, all these factors create an individual clinical picture of each patient with Lyme disease. Before starting the use of herbs for Lyme disease, read the guidelines of the Herbal Protocol of your choice and the contraindications.
In the treatment of Lyme disease, it is also very important to maintain a functioning immune system. A strong immune system is extremely important in the fight against Lyme disease and other infections. It is a natural weapon that nature has equipped us with. Be sure to take care of your immune system both during Lyme disease treatment and afterwards. By using herbal therapies throughout the fight against Lyme disease, you not only fight bacteria, but also rebuild and regulate your immune system.
Can microorganisms trigger herbal resistance ?
Antibiotic resistance among bacteria has become a real problem of our time. Bacteria can develop resistance to a single chemical compound that is a drug component. This has become a source of problems in treating many bacterial infections, including Lyme disease.
The advantage of natural therapies for the treatment of Lyme disease is the fact that bacteria are not able to become resistant to natural products. Herbs have certain attributes that chemical pharmaceuticals do not.
1. The chemical structure of herbs is more complex and therefore too complex for any resistance of bacteria to the herb to exist. Instead of a single chemical, plants contain hundreds or thousands of different compounds.
2. Plants have developed sophisticated responses to bacterial invasion over millions of years - complex chemicals in plants work in complex synergy with each other and nature has designed them to deactivate and destroy invasive pathogens through many different mechanisms.
3. When used properly, herbal remedies have very few side effects in humans, unlike many chemical medications.
Thanks to the comprehensive action of herbs on the numerous mechanisms of Lyme spirochete infection, the treatment of Lyme disease with herbs is becoming more and more popular.