Just joined-Who has "recovered" using Buhner's protocol?

I just joined because I'd like to know if anyone has recovered or greatly improved using Buhner's protocol for Babesia, Bartonella or Lyme. There are lots of discussions that are so encouraging, but can anyone say with some certainty that they have, in fact, recovered or at least can function at near normal level? If there is a poll or study I would be interested in reading it. If there isn't a poll, should we do one?
Background: I've had babesia and EBV for about 9 yrs. I probably have bartonella as well (some tests have shown this) I have consistently tested negative for Lyme, altho I wonder about the accuracy of the tests. I did see a LLD in California, who has been excellent, but we are not getting anywhere. The new Abx for babesia made me really sick so I stopped. I will be seeing a person trained in Chinese medicine next week. He has had some success with tick borne infections and will be using herbs. I have Buhner's book but haven't been able to organize myself to actually do it.
Which is why I'm asking this question. Has anyone actually recovered using Buhner's (or a similar) protocol??

I havent recovered but I have greatly, GREATLY improved in a very short period of time using 3 of Buhner's herbs for Lyme (cat's claw, andrographis, and Japanese knotweed) in combination with teasel root and doxycycline.

As someone who has had suspected Lyme since 2015, I was always very skeptical of any type of herbal treatment. I didnt feel it would be 'scentific' enough to have any real impact on my disease or my symptoms. Frankly i thought it was a bunch of treehugger new age hippie mumbo jumbo.

I remember thinking if people arent getting better using thousands of dollars of IV antibiotics, than how could a $20 herbal tincture do any good.

Then I bought and read Buhner's book (not just the protocol section but the whole book) and saw how much scientific efficacy he had sourced to support the use of the herbs he recommends and how he outlines their specific biological mechanisms for reducing symptoms of lyme. (It essentially boils down to inflammatory pathways in the body and brain that are mediated by these herbs.) He has some very good recommendations outside of just his core protocol for specific herbs to address nearly every individual symptom of Lyme.

Buhner's strategy is to reduce the cascade of inflammation and support the immune system, and I can tell you first hand his methods work. He also talks about herbs for killing the bacteria itself, although this isnt the main focus of his treatment. He says his protocol was designed to be used in conjunction with antibiotics but is also effective for people who can no longer tolerate antibiotic or simply want a different method.

You wont find very many scientific surveys confirming Buhner's herbs for Lyme. Most people with Lyme will never try any type of herbal treatment. It's kind of a secret hiding in plain sight. Buhner very emphatically and flatly states that his methods 'simply work' and he's right. They do. But remember these arent really Buhner's herbs. He just researched them, compiled them, and began using them to treat Lyme patients in his practice and saw a lot of success with his patients. These are herbs that have thousands of years of human use. Many of them arouse from Traditional chinese medicine, so it turns out a lot of the information about them was never really written in English. Buhner has compiled one of most complete and comprehensive studies of herbal medicine ever written in english in modern times. He really bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and modern science. I think you will find some relief using the Chinese medicine practitioner as these treatments also address inflammation, which again if we can oversimplify a bit here, is the main immediate cause of most lyme symptoms in one way or another. One of the great things about Buhner's protocol is that it can be used in conjunction with many other herbs, conventional antibiotics and TCM as well.

So to answer your question more specifically, yes I can say specifically and emphatically that I have returned to as close as i have been to myself in the past 4 years using Buhner's herbs. For me the improvement was almost miraculous and very fast. (I go into A LOT of detail about this in a VERY LONG post I made here yesterday you can read clicking my username if you wish. about halfway down I outline all the specific symptom improvements I have experienced using nothing but Buhner herbs, doxy and a few other supplements IN JUST 4 WEEKS.)

Not only have I made enormous strides in my physical and mental symptoms using Buhner's methods in a very short period of time, but it has also given me a great deal of confidence that I can recover completely and I am more motivated and excited about treatment than I have been since i got sick 4 years ago. When you make an impact on this disease and begin to experience real tangible results, its something you can't really put into words. You have to experience it personally. It instills a great deal of confidence and optimism. My biggest regret is that I didnt start sooner.

I scanned this message board for years and have read of many users here experiencing a lot of success using Buhner's protocols. (Most of them dont post anymore. Why? it may sound harsh, but they are out living life again instead of searching for answers on this message board) I always just dismissed them. I should have listened. I wanted more science to prove it, but the best proof is personal experience.

I can give you my strongest personal anecdotal recommendation for Buhner's methods, for what thats worth. They are the real deal. There's a lot of hype about different treatment approaches, and its hard to sort through it all sometimes, but theres actually a good reason Buhner gets so much hype. His methods flat out WORK. I am personally all in, and am looking forward to combining more herbs (as well as antibiotics) and I am 100% confident in more progress and success, simply because of the enormous, near miraculous turnaround i have already experienced in such a short time.

For me the idea of using unfimiliar herbs I cant pronounce and trying to incorporate them in my daily routine seemed so daunting, and I felt I couldnt understand it or do it. It has been so unbelievably easy. it doesnt take a lot of organization really. Its not NEARLY as hard as I thought it might be.

I simply take the tinctures twice a day. Afternoon and late night, dropperfulls, and mix them with pomgranite juice. (this is a tip Buhner recommends to increase absorbtion.)

In a week or 2 I will begin dosing 3x a day.

One thing I will STRONGLY recommend is to always buy the tinctures in GLYCERITE form.

Alcohol based tinctures are extremely harsh and i find them unpaletable. I have used Glycerite tinctures throughout, and I always wondered why so many people complained of the taste and the harshness of the tinctures. Then I tried my first alcohol based tincture and saw exactly what they meant. The glycerites are 100x smoother and easier to take. They also retain more of the natural herb flavor, and as a plus some scientific studies have shown that herbs in their glycerite form are more effective in attacking lyme than alcohol forms. One thing to remember in using glycerites is that unlike alcohol based tinctures, you should store glycerites in the refrigerator and use within 90 days of opening.

There are 3 companies that I have found that offer Buhner's herbs in glycerite form.
1)Woodland Essense
2)Hawaii Pharm
3) Crescent Moon Herbals

I have found Crescent Moon Herbals has the best prices, and high quality products. I use them a lot. They have a store on e-bay.

So its very simple. Just order these things on amazon or ebay.
1) Japanese Knotweed Glycerite
2) Cats claw Glycerite
3) Andrographis- (You can get this in tincture form, but buhner says pills work just as good. I use a brand called planetary herbals. very inexpensive.)
4) I also added Teasel root glycerite (although Buhner doesnt specifically recommend this, it has been shown to attack lyme in vitro)

Start with about 5 or 6 drops of japanese knotweed in tea or juice. Do this twice a day. Then add the andro, and then the cats claw, then the teasel (if you wish)

Start moving up a couple drops a day.

I was able to move up very quickly on my dosages with out any noticeable herxing. Within two weeks I already was up to 2 full droppers of knotweed, 1 dropper full of teasel and 1 dropper full of cat's claw. I then take 400 mg of planetary herbals andrographis twice a day.

Its really that simple. As long as you have two times in the day where you can drink some tea or juice, you have a dosing window. You work from that framework and move up. Its much easier and more intuitive than it sounds. But again I cant stress the glycerites enough. Alcohol based tinctures can completely turn you off of herbals.

I believe very strongly that if you combine just these 3 or 4 herbs with other chinese herbs like gou-teng and bai-hu-tang, you will have noticeable improvement.

Logmoss,

I am very surprised you got much results with glycerin tinctures. They are not nearly as potent as alcohol extractions and require a higher dose to be effective.

Some of the herbs such as Japanese knotweed and cat’s claw can be taken in powder or capsule form, which I do. I use the powders for those. The powder is the most cost effective form and works well. I do recommend using Buhner’s recommended sources for the herbs, as he has direct knowledge of their quality and potency.

Lyra6,

I understand how overwhelming it can be starting out. I think it took me 2 months from the time I decided to use his protocols and ordered the books to order the herbs.

I started out with Japanese knotweed, cat’s claw, Chinese skullcap/danshen combo, and Gou-teng. Later, I added most of the bartonella protocol and then kudzu root and bidens pilosa.

You can get the skullcap and danshen separately, which I did later and dropped the danshen altogether for a while. Start with a low dose like 1/8 of Buhner’s starting doses. You can start with one herb at a time and wait a few days to a week to add the next one. That way you can see how you respond to each herb.

If you want to do tinctures, you can go ahead and order the first group I mentioned from Woodland Essence and get started. If you want powders, you can find Japanese knotweed and cat’s claw from 1st Chinese.

I don’t think you will regret it.

I will say that I did not notice any improvement until months later after I added houttuynia and Sida acuta.

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 5/19/2019 6:43:54 PM (GMT-6)

Thank you to all who have replied-this is really good information and I'm feeling hopeful that I won't spend the rest of my life on the couch.....

Hi, and welcome! You have heard some good advice here, so I'll be brief.

I don't think I have heard of anyone recovering from doing just one thing. People who recover with Buhner (or Beyond Balance, or pharmaceuticals, or rife, or Byron White, etc.) generally do a lot of things to support their bodies. Countless supplements and lifestyle modifications and detoxification methods are discussed here that people find essential. Lyme and co-infections spiral into lots of complex conditions, sensitivities, and dysfunctions that often don't go away just because microbes are addressed, so we have to treat ourselves with the whole body and all its systems in mind. You might not have meant JUST Buhner, but I wanted to point out that even when following a protocol, each individual will have other things they need to address in addition (nutrient deficiencies, mold, environmental toxicity, impaired detoxification, autoimmune conditions, adrenal imbalance, neurological issues, anxiety, etc.) or no protocol will work.

All of that said, I definitely know of people who have recovered using herbal protocols as their only antimicrobial treatment.

You mentioned treating with Chinese medicine, which is a fairly comprehensive approach usually - diet, movement, attitude, breath, herbs, acupuncture, etc. when practiced traditionally, in my understanding. Many people have full recoveries this way - with either classical or traditional Chinese medicine. Your practitioner might ask that you not try to add other protocols simultaneously.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

logmoss82

Thank you so much for the information you shared. I was treating with an LLMD until a few months ago. We were tapering off prescriptions to go herbal but then the medical board is now going after her. So I am back to looking at herbals and which protocol is most affordable & manageable. Too complex and I'll struggle to organize. I am looking into the Buhners, Rawls & Chinese herbal routes. Thinking Buhners especially now that you've shared what you've experienced. Still, I would like to find someone in or not crazy far from NC to help treat or at least guide me along the way. Anyway thanks again for sharing!

Thanks, Girlie! Got your email as well regarding my request. So thanks on both accounts!

No today.... LOL. Oh wait that was someone else that sent me names! Lyme brain!!!! LOL.

Nooo Just Me LOL!!!!!

I've been on the Buhner's babesia protocol for a bit over 2 months, with the exception of cryptolepis tincture which arrived about 2 weeks ago. Prior to that I had cryptolepis capusles but they are about 2 yrs old so I don't know if they're still potent enough.
From rereading some of Buhner's posts it seems cryptolepis is central to getting well so I need to give this one more time.
I'm also taking ashwaganda, artemisa annua, bidens pilosa, japanese knotweed, red sage, elutheroccous, milk thistle (all in tincture except one is glycerite) and sida acuta in capsules (also 2 yrs old)
How long did all of you use the herbs until you improved? Are we talking months or years? I don't want to quit too early-but also want to change things if I'm not improving.
I seem to be getting worse in the past month-falling asleep at inopportune times and having a much harder time breathing and walking up steps.
Can any of you say about how long you were on these herbs until you felt improvement?

I achieved what I would call "remission" after 10 or so months on the Buhner protocol, followed by a transition to a keto diet and (inadvertent) removal from a house that was almost certainly moldy. Unfortunately, after several months of excellent health, I suffered a relapse (after returning to the old house) and am now back on the protocol.

At this point I'm not confident that the herbs will ever provide a "cure," but they do certainly help to control the symptoms. This time around, I'm planning to try disulfiram after aggressive treatment for parasites and (depending on what ERMI testing shows) mold exposure.