Most effective herbs for Lyme?

Buhner seems to have done the most credible and referenced work on this topic

the depth of research in his books is quite remarkable

he did originally advocate andrographis, cats claw and Japanese knotweed - but later dropped andrographis after poor results clinically

his second edition of Healing Lyme - is much updated and includes a number of additional herbs that can be added based on symptom picture - this helped me more than the original 3 herbs

i have tried cistus tea - i like the taste - drank it for 2+ years but haven't found it particularly useful on its own

i am not sold on byron whyte or any of the commercial formulas for that matter

Klinghardt makes me a little uneasy

i hope its of some help

Hi Emma,

Andrographis did not work for me either. When I tried to drop Abx and stay only on Buhners protocol, I had a relapse of symptoms two times, starting after few weeks. At the moment I keep taking cats claw & japanese knotweed together with some other herbs, such as chinese skullcup, cryptolepis. It seems to work somewhat. Best regards

emma blonde voyage said...
thanks Garzie!

I think I'm going to see what LLMD suggests, but probably go with cats claw & Japanese knotweed

So in the 2nd edition of the book he doesn't recommend andrographis anymore?

I'll get one of the books but it won't be in time for my app!

i don't recall if it was before the second book or after it - but from memory he stated that it had originally been included in the hope it would be anti-spirochaetal for lyme because there was some historic use of it for syphilis - but that clinically they didn't find it to help ( one of his partners was a practicing herbalist treating lyme patients )

this and the fact that around 1 in 100 people have a rather nasty allergic reaction to the herb that involved hives all over, that could take weeks to go away after discontinuing the herb, cased him to change his recommendation

the herb still has some uses - its a decent herb for reducing inflammation in the CNS and also increases bile flow from the liver.

Thanks rob that’s great to know! I’m going to start with cats claw then go from there. Thanks Garzie, Bhava and Sara for your input too, it was very helpful!

Emma, which herbs did your LLMD recommend at your appointment?

My LLMD recommended cats claw and resveratrol which I think is the same as Japanese knotweed?

Thank you Garzie, I will be aware of that when deciding which one to take!

If I’m starting with cats claw, is there a preference for whether the dried herb or tincture form is best?

On an interesting side note, I read a study that Resveratrol & the constituents of Japanese Knotweed are NOT
normally very well absorbed by the GI tract !?

Hello,
talking about Jap.Knotweed, can be directly consumed, fresh, like salad, or it has to be boiled for some minutes or it has to be made powdered? I have read all kinds of views and opinions. I guess, like with many other herbs, if it directly taken from fresh, growing bush it is supposed to have more active substances including resveratrol, no?
Secondly do you know if tincture of european walnut tree has the same or similiar effects as american black walnut?
Thank you, best regards

Bhava123 said...
…do you know if tincture of european walnut tree has the same or similiar effects as american black walnut?

According to Webmd.com: “Black walnuts have higher levels of antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and other health-promoting compounds than the more common English walnuts, making them useful in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.”