Dear Stephen,
I was treating for lyme and co-infections with antibiotics and herbs when my liver enzymes came back elevated. I have been trying to bring down the enzymes by ceasing the toxic antibiotic I was taking for bartonella, and adding yellow dock, dandelion, milk thistle, castor oil packs, coffee enemas, and other liver support, but my enzyme numbers have plateaued and won’t budge.
I also read that boneset has some suspicion of liver toxicity, yet it seems to be the only herb that effectively treats my bartonella. I take red root, along with your core lyme herbs, but boneset seems to be more effective against bartonella symptoms. Do you see liver problems with boneset? What herbs would you add for bartonella that are more gentle on the liver?
Also, is it true that putting tinctures in boiling water eliminates the alcohol? What else do you recommend for liver support?
Stephen’s response:
I don’t feel boneset is contraindicated for the liver, at all. I used it extensively in liver problems of my own and never had a concern or any side effects from it. The best thing to use for elevated liver enzymes is 1200 mg of STANDARDIZED milk thistle seed daily, NOT regular milk thistle. You can also add in fresh beet juice and a lot of artichoke hearts. I have had the best success from these. And yes, if you put the herbs in boiling water the alcohol does steam off.
Stephen
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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.
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