HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

alcohol tinctures liver

Support Forums
>
Lyme Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 6/15/2018 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
I am on a LOT of tinctures for lyme & co for over a year, & am starting to get concerned about all the alcohol I'm ingesting & how it must be affecting my liver. I understand you can put drops in warm water & let alcohol evaporate but that sounds like a lot of work & I don't even understand completely how to do that. Are there reputable tinctures that are made w/o alcohol? Are they just as effective? How are you addressing this issue? TIA
Posted 6/15/2018 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Hz,

Alcohol typically does a few things for tinctures 1-it is a preservative and a solvent (some herbs extract better in alcohol) and 2- it is absorbed into the bloodstream readily.

Have you had your liver enzymes tested? How much tinctures are you taking? I understand 30 drops here/there can add up but the amount definitely matters. I am certain you can cut some of the tinctures out and use pills instead but tinctures were my choice because of the ease of it. I don't really like glycerite tinctures but if you get it from a reputable company-they should be comparable.

Are you on liver support currently? That is something you can add in if you were concerned.

~beth
Posted 6/15/2018 4:00 PM (GMT 0)
I am currently on low doses of 24 different tinctures. I estimate at this time that is ~450 drops or so daily. I believe they all contain alcohol.

Liver support, daily:
milk thistle, capsule
burdock, capsule
turmeric, capsule
dandelion or parsley, rotated
andrographis
red sage
Chinese skullcap
eleuthero
schisandra
holy basil
cordyceps
lion's mane, rotated with reishi
Unless noted, all the above are tinctures, which contain alcohol.

I have not had liver enzymes tested in almost a year. Is there anything else I need to be aware of? I am self-treating, following Buhner's protocols for lyme & co.

I just noticed, Beth, that you've been well since 2014. Wonderful! Thanks for sticking around to help us who are healing.
Posted 6/15/2018 5:12 PM (GMT 0)
Wow 24 tinctures! That is a lot. I would definitely go through and see if you need to be on all of those. Ironically when I went off of everything I was not symptom free and I was thinking this does not make sense. But I listened to my drs, we added a few support things back in and that was it. Over a few months the last symptoms dropped off.

I guess a follow up question is can you get your bloodwork done? I personally still do not have health insurance and I order bloodwork myself through direct labs. If you haven't had bloodwork done in a year it might be worth looking into.

And thank you! Truth be told I've been quite neglectful as my life has come back but I've decided to back for an hour or so each day and help out where I can. Girlie has been amazing!
Posted 6/15/2018 6:24 PM (GMT 0)
Haven't had blood work done in over a year. Was waiting for our concierge program with our doctor to begin the end of June to get all kinds of tests scheduled & now it appears as he's run into some kind of problem & the office will be closed indefinitely. :/ So now I need to find another understanding doctor.

My understanding is that you should be on all the herbs that are needed all at the same time when dealing with lyme, bart, babesia, & mycoplasma. I was treating babesia for 6 weeks & have just removed from my protocol some of those herbs that should only be taken for 30-60 days. If I need to, I'll go back on them if symptoms flare up.

Yesterday I put lemon & rosemary essential oils on bottom of right foot in AM & PM, where liver vita flex point is (I think that's what you call it) to support liver detox. I think that caused too quick of a detox. Today I have been fuzzy-headed. Strong stuff!

Overall, tho, my treatment program has been helping a lot & I grateful to have learned about Buhner's books & protocol on this discussion forum. smile
Posted 6/15/2018 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think that is a significant amount of alcohol enough to cause damage. Granted I agree you wouldn't want to do that for a year but with liver support - I don't see a huge issue. I'm going to double check some of my droppers but I would guess at max that is 1/3 ounce.

Looking at what you are taking you could definitely switch to more capsules even though that is not fun. I remember sometimes swallowing 20-25 pills a day. Another option depending on solubility of your other tinctures, is to buy the bulk raw material and make your own tinctures that are combinations. Less alcohol but more herbs in one. Or tea - so there is no alcohol. Not all herbs would be suitable for this but it is another option.

Glad the protocol is working out for you Hz!
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply