Will antibiotic herbs kill good bacteria, too?

by | Nov 1, 2007 | Columns, Healing Lyme, interactions, The Basics | 0 comments

Dear Stephen,
I have lyme and babesia and have been on a pretty extensive regimen of both doxycycline and antibiotic herbs for over a month now, and I plan on continuing both at least for another month and a half, after which I might switch to just the antibiotic herbs, depending on how things are going. My main question is about antibiotic herbs and their range of antibiotic qualities—are they as hard on the good bacteria as the doxycycline is? I’ve been taking L. Acidophilus for a few weeks now and I’m wondering if I need to space my doses of Andrographis paniculata, Uncaria tomentosa, Polygonum cupsidatum, Smilax glabra, Eleuthero senticosus or Cryptolepis sanguinolenta—or any combination of those by more than an hour or so from the L. Acidophilus, or if spacing is necessary at all?

Also, I’ve been eating a lot of garlic (including raw, cooked and encapsulated) and thyme and and other such herbs that happen to have antibiotic qualities but might not do much for a broadly systemic infection like mine. Is it a good idea to discontinue the use of those herbs at least while I’m taking so many other antibiotics, or is acidophilus safe from garlic and thyme? I don’t think there’s much left of the lyme in my GI tract, and babesia is a protozoa, safe from direct harm from garlic and thyme. I don’t want to overwhelm what is probably mostly good bacteria in my GI tract with herbs that aren’t really going to make a significant impact on what’s really left of my infections. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


Stephen’s response:
Herbs are not nearly so hard on the GI tract as pharmaceuticals. The primary exception is grapefruit seed extract. However, some herbs in large doses can upset the ecological balance in the GI tract, though, again, not nearly so much as pharmaceuticals.

Cryptolepis may do so and I generally take probiotics separately from that herb. I do not think it a severe problem however and am not deeply worried about it. If you wish you can separate that herb from the probiotics, the others are fine along with it. The garlic and thyme should not prove a problem at all.
Stephen

Author

  • Stephen Harrod Buhner

    Stephen Harrod Buhner was an Earth poet and an award-winning author of twenty-four books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine including the acclaimed book Healing Lyme: Natural Healing & Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis & Its Co-infections.

    Stephen came from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, was his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911.

    Stephen’s work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman’s Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. Stephen lectured yearly throughout the United States on herbal medicine, the sacredness of plants, the intelligence of Nature, and the states of mind necessary for successful habitation of Earth.

    He was a tireless advocate for the reincorporation of the exploratory artist, independent scholar, amateur naturalist, and citizen scientist in American society – especially as a counterweight to the influence of corporate science and technology.

    View all posts

This protocol was incredible. After only a few weeks most of my symptoms were gone. After six months all my symptoms were gone… it has given me my life back.

– Amazon review by Joseph

Please note:

Stephen Buhner is no longer living and this Q + A column on Planet Thrive is closed to new questions. It will be kept on our website so readers can access vital information in the archives, communicate with each other in the comments section, and find herbs, books + lyme adjuncts in our directory. If you want to read more of Stephen’s writings, please see his website at: stephenharrodbuhner.com.



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