Tinctures arrived today + starting first ever protocol

Hi guys, well they came and now I have everything I need to get started.

Tomorrow I will start as follows (thanks Traveler for these tips) listed in this thread:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3791769

1) polygonum cuspidatum 1:3 25% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by:
2) Uncaria tomentosa & uncaria rhynchophylla 1:3 25% - 2 drops of each (for five days), followed by:
3)andrographis paniculata 1:3 45% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by:
4) pueria lobata (kudzu) - 1:5 25% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by:
5) selenium 200mcg (daily - continued indefinitely)
6) 'specific protocol' for lichen sclerosus. I will be adding and listing each herb in due course.

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Eventually, according to Buhner, the objective is to consume these 1tsp at a time 3x daily and increase beyond that if necessary.

I will likely make a spread sheet with dates to keep check of myself.

I will be adding the tinctures to fruit smoothies or plain water in the morning. I will not be adding heat (i.e. adding them to hot drinks or teas). In the book it states not to do this as it can destroy some of the chemical constituents.

When I get to consuming them 3x daily it will be 9am, 12pm & 3pm servings.

If anyone has any comments to make I will listen.

Lastly, a question : do I need to keep the tinctures refrigerated?

Thanks guys.

No, you do not need to keep the tinctures refrigerated. Just be sure to keep them away from light (particularly sunlight), and heat and they will last for a few years, actually. They are preserved in alcohol.


Do be sure that you don't start everything all at once. Start with one herb and start off slowly (1- 2 drops) and hold that dose for at least 3 - 5 days. If you are not having any reaction, then you can either raise the dose, or add in another herb (not both though) at low doses - wait at last 3 - 5 days and if there is no reaction, add in more drops or another herb and so on.

You can herx at any point in this process. Herxing is an increase in current symptoms or new symptoms showing up. Do watch for an allergic reaction, as that can happen as well, but it's not likely other than with andrographis - Buhner goes into this in his 2nd edition of "Healing Lyme".

Best of luck!! Be sure to ask questions!!

Thanks guys.

Am I ok doing light exercise; running & weights?

Way to go Munkra!

Hi everyone, so 4 days in I've upped the dosage to 1 tsp and I'm now a few drops into the second tsp serving at 12pm.

My only reaction to taking to this so far as been a massive boost in energy and a marked reduction in dehydration. One of my many symptoms is exfoliative chelitis on my lips (this is where the lips become so dry they crack and sometimes bleed a little). This is one of my longest standing symptoms (had it since I was 14 or so years old). It means I need to keep drinking huge amounts of water, but they nevertheless dry out and peel anyway. Well the past 4 days I've noticed somewhat of a calmness of the lips and I hope to think the polygonum is responsible. They are much smoother now and stay hydrated. I can lick them and they stay slippery without soaking up the water like before. I'm really encouraged by this. I'm also sleeping more comfortably than ever before.

So I'm going to keep upping the dosage but my question is at what point do I change over to the dry herb? If I continue on upping the dosage I will be out of tincture within 2 weeks.

I am starting the second herb Uncaria tomentosa tomorrow at 2 drops at 9am.

Thanks guys for the kind comments

Post Edited (Munkra) : 2/25/2017 8:57:47 AM (GMT-7)

I have found that the herbs do reduce my symptoms. I'm not sure if they're just masking symptoms and as soon as I stop using them, the symptoms will come back, or if they're actually resolving the problems in the body. I guess time will tell.

I know you asked Munkra - but I will also let you know where I've purchased the tinctures. I chose to buy ones from Buhner's list of recommended sources. (But not everyone does)

- Woodland Essence

www.woodlandessence.com


Sage Woman Herbs

www.sagewomanherbs.com

Girlie said...
Why are you switching to dry herb? For cost reasons?

Hi Girlie, yeah I wanted to get started on the dry herb due to cost unless I order a much larger version of the tincture. What do you think I should do ?

Thanks everyone for the kind comments.

So I double checked the cost and for the polygonum it is approximately £30 for 1 litre, whereas the 100ml tincture I bought is £7. 1 tsp is approximately 5ml x 9 (max dose) So 1000/45ml = 22.22 days worth of tincture in 1 litre of tincture.

1tbsp = 3 tsp

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Small update

I am almost at 1/2 tsp of tomentosa as of today.

I am well into 3 1/2 tsps of polygonum (I actually stopped loading for a few days so the dose stayed at 3 x 1tsp). Got a bit worried about how quickly I was getting through it. I plan to increase to 1tsp 6times a day or I may double up each dose; so 2tsp 3 times a day OR do 2 tbsp (tablespoon) twice a day. It'll probably be the tablespoons for conveniance. The stuff does not taste bad in plain water.

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I've decided to pre-plan future dosages to avoid risk of running out.

Here are what the eventual max dosages look like:

1) polygonum cuspidatum 1:3 25% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by: (1 tbsp 3x daily eventual max/maintenance dose)
2) Uncaria tomentosa & uncaria rhynchophylla 1:3 25% - 2 drops of each (for five days), followed by: (1/2 tsp 4x daily for tomentosa & 1tsp 6x daily for rhynchophylla) eventual max/maintenance dose
3)andrographis paniculata 1:3 45% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by: (1/2 tsp 4x daily eventual max/maintenance dose )
4) pueria lobata (kudzu) - 1:5 25% - 2 drops (for five days), followed by: (1/2 tsp 4x daily eventual max/maintenance dose )
5) selenium 200mcg (daily - continued indefinitely)
6) 'specific protocol' for lichen sclerosus. I will be adding and listing each herb in due course.

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I made the mistake of buying the andrographis as a tincture. Hole in my research here. Should have purchased the capsules or powder form.


I'm now exercising routinely and joined a gym yesterday. No let up in my energy levels. Taking on 3 days of work over the weekend. Feel absolutely great.

Post Edited (Munkra) : 3/2/2017 2:05:15 PM (GMT-7)

I suppose you are right. I'm trying to save on the shipping but in fairness the cost is negligible but not over a long time frame.

The cost of polygonum cuspitdatum to buy the dried herb is £25 for 1kg. They also stock a concentrated powder form which is £100 for 1kg. Its difficult for me to know how many portions this would make without knowing the weight of the herbs. I may purchase a small amount of the dried herb and grind it up using a pestle and mortar and see how I respond to it.

Quick question : increasing the amount of tincture I take will increase the amount of ethanol I take, do I run the risk of getting drunk?

Munkra said...
I suppose you are right. I'm trying to save on the shipping but in fairness the cost is negligible but not over a long time frame.

The cost of polygonum cuspitdatum to buy the dried herb is £25 for 1kg. They also stock a concentrated powder form which is £100 for 1kg. Its difficult for me to know how many portions this would make without knowing the weight of the herbs. I may purchase a small amount of the dried herb and grind it up using a pestle and mortar and see how I respond to it.

Quick question : increasing the amount of tincture I take will increase the amount of ethanol I take, do I run the risk of getting drunk?

It's still a relatively small amount of alcohol...so no you won't get drunk.
I put my tinctures in very warm water and let them sit for a bit (5 minutes) - to allow the alcohol to dissipate.
But, I'm not sure if it did anything. Mixed information (online) about it. It may have worked a bit?

Traveler said...
No, that's misinformation on the internet, Girlie. Adding hot water won't dissipate the alcohol - it can change the way the herbs respond though. Sometimes it can increase it's effectiveness, make it act sooner/stronger/ or can decrease it's effectiveness.

Unless we are doing the full protocol on full doses, the amount of alcohol is minimal. Remember, we are taking drops and teaspoons of these tinctures - not even a shot glass worth.

For those that are allergic to alcohol though, there are tinctures made with glycerin.

Thanks, Traveler....I thought that might be the case.

I think it would have to be boiling temperatures to get rid of the alcohol...which would ruin the herbs.