Why is astragalus contraindicated in chronic lyme?

by | Mar 5, 2011 | astragalus, Autoimmune Disease, chronic lyme, Columns, Healing Lyme, Herbs, Lyme & Co-Infections, Symptoms | 0 comments

Dear Stephen,
I have been bitten a number of times over the last ten years. What usually happens, is I use your protocol and it helps very much, but then I get bitten again and I have to up the dosage and start again. So, I probably have chronic lyme. I’m certainly not new to it. Anyway, you recommend astragalus for prevention. I’d love to take something for prevention, but you say not to take it if one has chronic lyme. Is this still true? And if so, why? What does it do that’s negative? Thanks so very, very much for your protocol, such a big help, Don’t know what I’d do without it.


Stephen’s response:
If you are not currently sick, you can certainly take astragalus. The reason for not recommending it is that astragalus raises the parts of the immune system that are overactivated in chronic lyme. Those parts of the immune system are highly effective against lyme early on and help prevent or reduce the disease but if they are low to begin with and you are infected the infection can spread more easily. After awhile the immune system does ratchet up those parts to attack the lyme bacteria but by then the spirochete has altered itself and is no longer very affected by them, those parts of the immune system then begin to cause some of the lyme symptoms people have making the disease a kind of autoimmune problem. My book Healing Lyme goes into this in a great amount of detail.
Stephen

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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