Dear Stephen,
The assisting nurse for my colonoscopy today asked my M.D. why my colon was black. He said it’s
melanosis coli, a benign condition. He asked if I took herbs. I’ve been on the lyme protocol for about 6 months. Five years ago, my colon was pink. I’m wondering why he guessed herbs, since after reading about it, it’s usually caused by excessive use of laxatives. Even though this is a benign condition it concerns me, I’m wondering if the herbs did cause it. I’ve never taken a laxative. What I’ve read says that laxatives should be stopped because the colon loses the sensation of stimulation for bowel movements and potassium deficiency can result, too. Do the protocol herbs I’m taking have the same effect as laxatives? I
have been having firmer BMs since on the herbs. Even though this is considered benign, it bothers me that my colon is no longer pink. He said it won’t return to normal color. Have you ever heard of this happening due to herbs?
Stephen’s response:
I have never heard of this occurring from the use of herbal medicines.
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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Japanese Knotweed does, in fact, cause melanosis coli. This conditions results from deposition of lipofuscin, which occurs in a number of plants including senna and knotweed.