Sarsaparilla herx

by | Aug 5, 2008 | Columns, Healing Lyme, Herbs, sarsaparilla | 0 comments

Dear Stephen,
I just started sarsaparilla today (i’m incorporating some of your protocol into my herbal Dr. Klinghardt-oriented regimen) and for five or six hours afterward was miserable with one of the worst herxes I’ve experienced thus far. I took one measly sarsaparilla capsule (425 mg), and it was the only thing different about my protocol today, the only thing I can think of that could’ve caused the reaction.

I understand from reading your book and from others’ experiences with this herb that usually it works as a herx reliever, so I was quite bewildered by my body’s response (I’m very sensitive and tend to react strongly to everything, by the way, even in small doses). But then I reread the smilax section in Healing Lyme, in which you mention that sarsaparilla is a potent anti-spirochetal herb that crosses the blood-brain barrier, and that before the advent of antibiotics it was used to treat syphilis.

I’m not sure how an herb can be both a spirochete-killer AND a herx-reliever, but it seems in my case it’s the former. Does this sound crazy to you? I haven’t really heard of anyone having a difficult time with smilax, but after rereading your explanation and researching it further, I don’t think my reaction sounds completely implausible. Just wondering what your thoughts are. (Oh, and my ART practitioner suggested I cut back the dosage to 1/4 of 1 capsule (!!) and slowly work up from there.) Much thanks.


Stephen’s response:
A few people have told me they respond negatively to smilax, though this is the strongest response I have heard of. I think you may be right in your case. I don’t generally think that smilax is all that good as an antispirochetal but it seems that it is a strong one for you. Using a lower dose or cutting back entirely sounds right to me.
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.



You May Also Like …

Natural solutions for PMS

Natural solutions for PMS

Dear Susun, Is there something natural that would help with severe pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)? I’m completely done with trying antidepressants. But I still suffer and could really use some help.

read more
Adhesions

Adhesions

Dear Susun, Have you ever worked with adhesions? I have them all throughout my abdominal/pelvic area, esophagus, diaphragm, ribs, and lungs.

read more

0 Comments

empowering the environmental illness community