with Stephen Harrod Buhner, master herbalist
I’ve been recently introduced to your writings on lyme, which have open my thoughts to other paths to healing other than antibiotics. So, thank you for your extensive research in dealing with such an intrusive organism, and giving patients other options to use for healing. My question is rather a follow-up to a similiar question posted awhile back, but with a different concern. The inability to sleep is a constant and dangerous symptom of this disease for many lyme patients. Many of us have tried various herbs, amino acid supplements, essential oils and even sleeping pills to shut down our brains and sleep. What can you suggest to those like myself where the problem lies in the brain function itself? For me, by the look of my SPECT scan, it seems like the hypothalmus area has been affected. My inability to sleep was quite sudden and out of the blue (a matter of about 3 weeks for total elimination of ability/function). Do you have any recommendations for patients like myself, who have tried everything and need to find a way to “re-set” our sleep function in the brain? Hard to heal when you can’t rest. Thank you so much for your help and advice.
Stephen’s response:
Sleep is a difficult problem. People with Lyme have reported the best results from the following:
1. Massage (best over time)
2. Melatonin LIQUID, 3-5 drops before bed
3. Benedryl
4. Marijuana an hour or two before bed. [Editor's note: Please check with your state or your physician to confirm whether medical marijuana is legal in your state.]
5. Bed by 9pm, no dinner later than 5pm and a small one at that. A modified liver mix (available from Dry Creek Herbs in California) that I developed for Hep C, taken just before bed around 9 pm will also help immensely over time. Tell them you want it without the strong liver herbs and they can make it that way, see my book on Hep C for more.
6. Eleutherococcus will help over time. Do not, however, take it anywhere near bed time as it can cause insomnia. It will help reduce stress levels and raise immune function and will facilitate sleep once the body is working better.
posted on January 18, 2007 | 653 views | tags: Borrelia burgdorferi, eleuthero, Healing Lyme, Hep C formula, insomnia, lyme disease, medical marijuana, melatonin
Andrographis
400 mg tablets: Nature's Way
<400 mg tablets: Paradise Herbs
400 mg tablets: Planetary Formulas Full Spectrum
Japanese Knotweed (Resveratrol)
Green Dragon Botanicals
100 mg tablets: Paradise Herbs
bulk, wildcrafted: Woodland Essence
bulk and Source Naturals 500 mg tablets: 1st Chinese Herbs [Editor's note: As of September 2011, we have received reports that some people have had bad reactions to Source Naturals brand Resveratrol but have done fine with Paradise herbs. Sometimes the brand makes all the difference.]
Cat's Claw (Uncaria tomentosa)
500 mg capsules: Raintree
bulk, sustainably harvested: Raintree
Cryptolepis
tincture: Woodland Essence
Eleuthero (Siberian Ginseng)
Herb Pharm tincture - alcohol-based
Herb Pharm tincture - glycerite (alcohol-free)
250 mg capsules: Nature's Way
Stephania Root
Caution: New research has shown stephania
unsafe for use in pregnancy.
1st Chinese Herbs
Woodland Essence
ARTICLES BY STEPHEN BUHNER
The Use of Apis and Bi-Edta in the Treatment of Lyme Disease
Some Arguments against the Standardization of Herbalists
Gaian Voices Interview with Stephen Harrod Buhner
Depth Diagnosis in the Practice of Sacred Plant Medicine
The Lost Language of Plants
The Health Benefits of Water Fasting
Herbelegy
The Fall of Gruit and the Rise of Brewer's Droop
Paradise Lost: Of Healing, the Sacred, and Beer
The Yeast of the Ancients
BOOKS BY STEPHEN BUHNER
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