Dear Stephen,
Are the essential oils of tea tree and of Cistus creticus useful in lyme disease? I’ve heard that the essential oil of Cistus creticus inhibits the growth of borrelia – is that true?
Stephen’s response:
The problem with these oils is not whether they work or not but whether they can get to the organisms to affect them. They are not very systemic, that is, they do not get spread around the body very well and the borrelia tend to inhabit hard-to-reach places which is why I generally suggest knotweed as it is an exceptionally systemic herb. And yes, cistus will inhibit borellia but so will about a hundred other things. Most of these tests occur in vitro, that is in test tubes, which is why, when they are given to people, many of them are not effective.
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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Essential oils can very well pass through the skin and act systemically throught the whole body, where the spirochetes are.
I know somebody, who healed fully with essential oils (Citrus sinensis, Oreganum vulgare, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Cistus creticus, usw.), which she applied externally, but this take a very long time ( 2 years).
Essential oils act not only antibacterial, but also antibiofilm and anti-quorum sensing. They act so probably better than antibiotics or they may act synergetically with antibiotics.