Astragalus.....reaction ....good or bad ...??

I recognize that astragalus is recommended by Buhner for new tick bites and he recommends against treating with it for chronic lyme.
He also says that at times it is worthwhile to experiment with herbs.
So.....yesterday and the day before I tried utilizing astragalus in my daily protocol.... I must admit I seemed to have had aggravated symptoms, especially in the way of joint pain and tinnitus.

I'm trying to decipher whether or not that was an indication that I should or shouldn't continue taking it....

Buhner says (to paraphrase) that it can ramp up the immune response and that the auto-immune issues many of us face are amplified. So the discomfort is from the bodies negative response and not from a herx ( or toxicity die-off) .

My feeling is that I should not continue with the astragalus....
Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with it ??

Thanks

RB

My dosage may have been a bit aggressive but I have honestly been able to take significant amounts of herbals without having anything uncomfortable happen. (Which I see as a negative thing) .

My dilemna with the astragalus is that Buhner specifically recommends against it. My understanding of Buhner's explanation is :
An auto-immune response is your bodies immune system being "over-reactive" and thus causing your body harm in an on-going way. For example.....rheumatoid arthritis.
When your immune system is doing it's job appropriately in conjunction with abx or herbals the net result is a bacterial "die-off".
When the "die-off" is high we experience a herx. And within reason we consider a herx a good sign.

So... Being able to recognize a positive productive herx versus a negative auto-immune response is probably a tough call.
They are so similar in nature.

I am curious as to whether Buhner has any more to say about this conflict in any other publications.

Post Edited (B777) : 9/25/2015 9:23:23 AM (GMT-6)

I do understand what Buhner says about astragalus as I read up on it as much as I could before I started it. I wasn't infected at the time I started it, so I don't consider my experience in starting it valid in this conversation.

But I do know that anything, no matter what it is, that raises the immune function has the potential to make us herx. It only makes sense, since once the immune system gets enough of a boost (different level for each of us), it will definitely go to work and start attacking the bacteria that we have, which causes the herx. In the case of astragalus, it's not the herb itself that causes the herx, it's the boost that the immune function gets from using the astragalus because it specifically increases the function of the parts of the immune system that fight Lyme.

Whether or not to continue to use it has to be up to you and how you feel about your symptoms though, as no one here can honestly tell you that it's okay to go ahead and use it even though you are having increased joint pain and other symptoms. I'm only trying to help you sort it all out.

Can I ask why you chose to try it since you are treating chronic Lyme?

Thank you Traveler and jrpsf.....

I tried the astragalus after reading a Buhner interview and he said something about exploring what works for you. I believe that I also read someone else on the forum mention that they felt there was a benefit for chronic lyme. Another factor for me was that I recently finished a month of the Cowden protocol at full dosage and had never felt like I had anything I could call a herx. So... Just trying to find what does and doesn't work for me.

Also....the yeast connection is interesting. I have wondered if that may be one of my issues. For a long while I battled an extremely itchy rash on my knees and elbows that cleared with antibiotics.

Post Edited (B777) : 9/26/2015 9:49:09 AM (GMT-6)