Which incanus plants can be used as a biofilm buster?

by | Mar 23, 2012 | biofilm, Columns, Healing Lyme, Herbs, miscellaneous | 2 comments

Dear Stephen,
I want to grow my own rockrose for a biofilm busting tea, and have heard good things about Cistus incanus. But the only incanus large enough that I’ve been able to get locally is not cistus *incanus*, it is another cistus. Is the biofilm busting agent in Cistus incanus present in other cistus?
Stephen’s response:
I am not a big fan of the biofilm hysteria that is common among the lyme community right now. ALL bacteria form biofilms. It is just a grouping of bacteria together in one location and the formation of a kind of rigid structure, similar to coral formation in the oceans, that they use to protect themselves. This is just ONE of a great many mechanisms bacteria use to protect themselves from immune responses or antibacterial substances and so on. It is no more dangerous or important than the bacterial ability to use efflux pumps to remove antibacterial substances from their cells or to use the immune system itself to hide from assault. Most herbal medicines are effective against biofilm formations just as are most immune systems. A biofilm may slow down effectiveness of immune response or herbal antibacterials but it does not stop them. It is not the terminator of bacterial protection. Biofilms have been around for eons and plants and immune systems have developed mechanisms for dealing with them. I would not worry about them as of being of particular importance in becoming healthy. That said, many of the cistus genus can be used for medicines in the way you are speaking of. Most are antibacterial one way or another though their main strength is as antioxidants. You didn’t mention the species you can get locally so I can’t comment directly on it, however some of the species that are useful are: C. ladanifer, c. salvifolius, C. crispus, c. albidus – these are most similar to incanus. Still, c.populifolius, C. libanotis, C. clusii, C. laurifolius and C. monspeliensis will all work. Most of the species are probably useful.
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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2 Comments

  1. Jo Burnett

    On the 50th day of a Reboot Juice diet I dislodged a biofilm the size of a goose egg from my liver/gallbladder. It was accompanied by copious amounts of pure white foam. i was consuming large quantities of beet juices. It was a huge turning point in my recovery. I would highly recommend juicing for anyone who can afford it. I believe it saved my life.

  2. Nigel Broadbent

    Hi Jo, can you explain what you mean by dislodged a biofilm please? Forgive me for sounding stupid but is this something you would have coughed up, pooped out or would it require some sort of diagnostics laboratory test to show that it was no longer there. Is the biofilm still in your body floating around but no longer on your liver/gallbladder. Thank you for any additional input.

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