ANTI-BIOTIC HERBS
Anti-biotics are life-saving marvels of modern medicine, but
their overuse in both medical settings and in the treatment of farm animals has
helped develop antibiotic-resistant superbugs. If you have an irritating but mild upper
respiratory infection, ear infection or sinus infection, you just might be able
to cure it with these astounding plants.
Cryptolepis (Cryptolepis sanguinolenta)
Cryptolepis is one of the top five systemic herbal
antibiotics in the world. There are 20 to 30 species of the genus Cryptolepis.
Tests have found the plant to be a stronger antibacterial than the
pharmaceutical antibiotic chloramphenicol. The primary systemic antibacterial
among the genus is Cryptolepis sanguinolenta. Some sources say all the members
of this genus contain the antibacterial alkaloids cryptolepine, quinoline and
neocryptolepine. I have been unable to verify this by finding any in-depth
chemical analysis of the other species. Of the plants in the genus, C.
buchanani and C. obtusa have stimulated the most interest outside C.
sanguinolenta. Given the importance of C. sanguinolenta, in-depth chemical
research needs to be done on the entire genus.
Parts Used: The root
is usually the part used medicinally. The leaves can be used medicinally but
rarely are. The root of the plant is generally about the thickness of a pencil,
and has a light tannish color on the thin exterior bark and a brilliant yellow
on the interior. It’s pretty. The root is exceptionally bitter due to the many
alkaloids present.
Preparation and Dosage:
Cryptolepis can be prepared as a powder, capsules, tea or tincture. •
Powder: For bacterial infections of the skin and wound sepsis, liberally
sprinkle cryptolepis powder on the site of infection as frequently as needed.
• Tincture: 1:5 (ratio of plant material to alcohol/water
mix), 60 percent alcohol, 20 to 40 drops, up to four times daily
Resistant staph: In the treatment of severe systemic
staph infection, the usual dose is 1⁄2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon, three times
daily. (I prefer to not use dosages this high for more than 60 days. That is
usually sufficient.)
Malaria: 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon, three times
daily for five days, repeat in 14 days
• Tea: Use 1 tablespoon cryptolepis in 6 ounces of water to
make a strong infusion.
As a preventive: Drink 1 or 2 cups daily.In acute conditions: Drink up to 6 cups daily.
Note: While the herb will work if infused in cold water,
studies have found that the hot-water extraction is more effective. It is
nearly as strong as the alcohol tincture.
• Capsules:
As a preventive: Take 3 “00” capsules, two times daily.
In acute conditions: Take up to 20 capsules daily.
Side Effects and Contraindications: None noted. Considerable research has taken place to
determine the potential adverse reactions from using the plant, and none have
been found, either in human clinical use or with in vivo testing on mice, rats
and rabbits. The herb is taken as a regular tonic for years at a time in some
parts of Africa and India. One or two cups of the tea or two or three droppers
of the tincture (60 to 90 drops) a day are fine for extended, long-term use.
Researchers in some instances have noted that people taking
cryptolepis have elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and uric acid,
which return to normal after the herb is discontinued. There have been no
reported side effects from this. And though there is one report in the
literature of adverse effects of cryptolepis in mouse pregnancy. Nothing has been found in traditional use
that substantiates an extrapolation to humans nor any studies in the literature
that show negative effects in pregnancy in people.
Cryptolepine, a constituent of the plant, has been found to
be cytotoxic, which raises concerns in some people. A few points:
• Cryptolepine is an isolated constituent, and like most
isolated constituents that are made into pharmaceuticals, it produces side
effects that don’t appear when the whole herb is used. Cryptolepis itself has
not been found to be cytotoxic to people.
• The word cytotoxic, when used in reports, generally means
it kills cancer cells, and indeed, cryptolepine does.
Herb/Drug Interactions: None noted. However, cryptolepis has been used in
traditional medicine to help rectify
insomnia. One mouse study has supported that effect of the plant. There is
some potential for the plant to synergize with hypnosedatives or central
nervous system depressants. Caution should be exercised, although there have
been no reported adverse effects in these situations to date.
Artemisia (Artemisia annua)
There are around 400 Artemisias in the genus, but Artemisia
annua contains the most artemisinin—a potent antiparasitic—and this section
focuses on that species. Artemisinin is famous for its effectiveness in
treating malaria. All the plants in
the genus do have some antibacterial and antimicrobial actions; however, those
constituents are not nearly as systemic as those of cryptolepis. Artemesia
annua and its constituents are best thought of as systemic
antihematoparasiticals; that is, specific for killing blood parasites, rather than systemic antibacterials.
Parts Used: The
aerial parts, including the flowers, which have the highest artemisinin
content.
The whole herb has a broader range of actions than the
isolated constituent artemisinin. Because the studies are few and plant
preparation differs from study to study, the outcomes in the antibacterial
studies are contradictory. They do find a range of antibacterial activity
across the artemisias—bearing out traditional uses of the genus—but the studies
tend to vary on which bacteria the species are active against, leading to
confusion. There is a tendency to extrapolate clinical use of the plant based
on in vitro antibacterial studies, but that is a mistake, as it is with
numerous other plants.
The traditional use of Artemisia annua, which gives a very
good indication of its range of medicinal activity, has been primarily:
Reducing fever—the plant stimulates sweating
Topical use—it’s useful for infected wounds and skin
infections
GI tract problems and infections
Female reproductive issues—primarily as an
emmenagogue
Liver problems
As a steam inhalant
for respiratory issues—using the essential oil
Parasitic diseases of the blood and liver
Preparation and Dosage:
The effective dosage for malaria
is 500 to 1,000 mg on the first day and 500 mg daily thereafter for two to four
more days. This will completely clear the malarial parasite from the blood.
However, at 400 mg for five days, the recrudescence rate is 39 percent. Dosage
at 800 mg drops the rate nearer to 3 percent. Chinese dosage runs from 500 mg
to 1,600 mg for three days, repeated in two weeks (to treat newly hatching
parasites). I do think there is some evidential support for 800 to 1,200 mg for
five to seven days, repeated for another five to seven days in two weeks. The
relapse rate is definitely smaller at the higher dose.
There are several things to keep in mind when preparing the
whole herb for use:
• The fresh plant is the strongest.
• Whether fresh or dried, the plant should never be boiled.
• Fat helps extraction of the active constituents.
• The plant, while still potent for blood parasites, loses a
lot of its antioxidant activities if dried.
• Dosage and length of use are crucial.
Traditional Chinese texts, thousands of years old, recommend
preparation of the fresh herb, infused in room-temperature water, then pounded
and wrung out to extract the plant juice as well. Examination has indeed shown
that this produces the most potent infusions. Many of the constituents in
artemisia are not very water soluble, including the artemisinin. However, they
are highly soluble in fats and alcohol. The herb is very effective if used
properly. The dose can be increased to fairly high doses, as it is a very safe
herb.
Remember: The reason this herb was discovered was that in
the region of China where it is used there were few or no incidences of
malaria. The secret is in the dose, as with all medications.
Side Effects and Contraindications: About 25 percent of people using Artemsia annua as an
antimalarial report a mild nausea, which does not progress to vomiting. It may
also cause occasional dizziness, tinnitus, pruritus and mild abdominal pain.
Artemisinin itself can cause gastrointestinal upset, loss of appetite, nausea,
cramping, diarrhea and vomiting. About 4 percent of people who take it
experience these symptoms, usually in a more severe form than that experienced
from ingesting the herbal infusion. Very high doses (5,000 mg per day of
artemisinin for three days) have caused liver inflammation, which corrects upon
stopping the supplement. Artemisinin has a slightly chronotropic effect on the
heart. (It causes mild hypotension.) This has not been, apparently, a problem
in users.
Both the herb and the constituent should be used with
caution in pregnancy, especially in the first trimester. In vivo studies have
found a number of adverse effects in rats and mice if the herb is used in the
first trimester. However, one clinical trial with 16 patients in the first trimester
of pregnancy taking the herb found the miscarriage rate to be the same as that
for the general population.
Herb/Drug Interactions: Artemesia annua contains synergists that make its compounds
more active against microbial organisms. In this instance, chryosospenol-D and
chrysophlenetin, two flavonols in the plant, have been found to potentiate the
activity of berberine and norfloxacin against resistant staph. Artemisinin does
induce certain liver enzymes and may interact with drugs such as omeprazole.
The Berberine Herbs
GOLDENSEAL (Hydrastis canadensis)
OREGON GRAPE (Berberis aquifolium)
BARBERRY (B. vulgaris)
CHINESE GOLDTHREAD (Coptis chinensis)
AMUR CORK TREE (Phellodendron amurense)
Most berberine-containing plants can be used interchangeably
in the treatment of resistant bacterial
and fungal infections of the GI tract and skin. Berberine-containing plants
grow nearly every place on Earth. Phellodendron amurense, Hydrastis canadensis,
Berberis aquifolium, B. vulgaris and Coptis chinensis are only a few of the
species used medicinally.
Parts used: Bark,
root bark, stems, roots, leaves, resin
Preparation and Dosage:
The alkaloids in the berberine plants, including berberine, are not very
water soluble. (So if you see a study showing an aqueous extract of a berberine
plant to be ineffective as an antimicrobial, you now know why.) Tinctures need
to use higher alcohol content (generally 1:5, 70 percent alcohol, 30 percent
water), and the water needs to be acidic, with a pH between 1 and 6. Add 1
tablespoon of vinegar to the tincture if your water is alkaline (hard) or if
you don’t know.
The berberine plants may be used as a powder for topical
applications, as a wash, as a tincture or in capsules.
Powdered herb: Apply to cuts, scrapes or infected
wounds
Tincture: Dried bark of phellodendron: 1:5, 70
percent alcohol, 20 to 50 drops, up to four times daily (the taste is exceptionally
strong). In acute dysenteric/diarrheal conditions, take 1 teaspoon to 1
tablespoon morning and evening until symptoms subside. Improvement should be
seen within 2 days; usually there will be some improvement within 8 hours.
Note: The berberine plants are only about 50 percent active
against cholera in clinical trials, as compared with enterotoxogenic E. coli,
which they completely inhibit. However, if you combine the berberine plants
with the root of any geranium species, the bark of pomegranate or the peel of
the fruit, or the leaf or bark of guava, the cholera organism will be
completely inhibited.
As a wash: Add 1 ounce tincture to 2 pints water and
wash the affected area morning and evening—especially good for helping acne and
infected wounds.
Capsules: For non-acute conditions, take 1 or 2 “00”
capsules up to 4 times daily. In acute dysenteric/diarrheal conditions: Take up
to 25 “00” capsules daily for up to 10 days.
Side Effects and Contraindications: Caution is advised in pregnancy. There is a
tendency, because of the berberines’ poor absorption across the intestinal
mucosa, to increase the dose to try to get more alkaloids into the bloodstream.
This is a very bad idea. Abdominal cramping, nervous tremors and, most
importantly, excessive drying of the mucous membranes will occur at high doses.
Do not attempt to use these herbs as systemic.
Herb/Drug Interactions:
The berberines are synergistic (or additive) with a number of
pharmaceuticals such as fluconazole, ampicillin and oxacillin. Repeated use of
berberine may reduce the GI tract absorption of permeability glycoprotein
(P-gp) substrates including chemotherapeutic agents such as daunomycin.
Berberine intake will increase absorption of cyclosporine A if it’s taken after
long-term berberine use: One study showed that 3 mg/kg of berberine in six
human volunteers taken twice daily for 10 days increased the bioavailability of
cyclosporine A by 19 percent. A randomized, clinical trial of 52 renal
transplant patients for three months found that constant berberine intake
significantly increased the amount of cyclosporine A in blood plasma.
Honey
Any organic wildflower honey can be used in the treatment of
antibiotic-resistant skin and wound infections. There is some evidence that
large-scale agricultural honeys and single-plant honeys are less potent than
wildflower honeys. Manuka honey from New Zealand, produced mainly from the
flowers of Leptospermum scoparium, is very potent, and you’ll see it for sale
all over the Internet at indecent prices. But any wildflower honey will do. The
more plants the bees collect nectar from, the more potent it will be. If it’s
organic, it will be relatively free of agrochemical pollutants—also important.
Preparation and Dosage:
Honey can be applied directly to wounds or used internally for immune
stimulation, overall health improvement, and treatment of colds, flus and
respiratory infections.
• Direct Application: For burns, wounds (infected or not)
ulcerations and bedsores, use direct application at full strength, covered by
sterile bandage, changed once or twice daily.
• For impetigo or seborrheic dermatitis: Dilute honey enough
to use as a wash, then use twice daily.
Internal use
Preventive: Take 1 tablespoon, alone or in tea, 3
times a day.
Acute conditions: Take 1 tablespoon honey each hour,
or 1 tablespoon in tea 6 to 10 times daily.
Cold and flu tea: 2 tablespoons ginger juice, juice
of 1⁄4 lime, pinch cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon honey, hot water.
Side Effects and Contraindications: • External use: None. • Internal use: Mild to severe anaphylaxis in rare instances
for those with allergic reaction to bee stings.
Choosing Honey: Honey
is a potent antibacterial—when it’s filled with plant pollen. Unfortunately,
much of the honey in U.S. grocery stores has had its pollen removed—a process
that makes it impossible to track the honey’s source, and enables manufacturers
to sell illegal honey tainted with antibiotics and heavy metals.
Juniper
There are more than 50 species in the Juniperus genus; all
of them can be used similarly. Alcohol extracts of juniper show activity
against 57 strains of 24 bacterias, among them Bacillus, Enterobacter and
Staphylococcus. They also have been shown to inhibit 11 Candida species. Junipers are also active against various
cancer cell lines, SARS coronavirus and Herpes simplex 1.
Parts used: Usually
the berries and needles, but the bark, wood and root are all active.
Preparation and Dosage:
The constituents in the junipers are readily soluble in alcohol but vary
in water depending on what part of the plant you’re using. The berries must be
tinctured in alcohol or eaten whole to be effective. The needles will work to
some extent in water (but are better in alcohol—the monoterpenes just aren’t
that water soluble, as numerous studies have found), the bark not so well.
Use the berries for urinary tract infections; the berries or
needles for upper respiratory or GI tract infections; the heartwood, roots,
bark, berries or needles for skin infections and infectious dysentery; the
essential oil for airborne and upper respiratory infections.
• Tincture: Berries, 1:5, 75 percent alcohol, 5 to 20 drops,
up to three times daily
• Infusion: Chopped or powdered needles prepared as a
standard infusion, covered 4 to 6 ounces, three to six times daily.
• Decoction: A strong decoction of the herb has been
traditionally used in many cultures to sterilize brewing equipment, cooking
utensils, surgical instruments, hands, counters, etc. The decoction is also
effective as a wound wash to either prevent or cure infection. Use 1 ounce herb
per quart of water, boil 30 minutes, then turn off the heat and let steep
overnight.
• Berries: In whole form, for gastric problems, eat 1 to 5
berries per day for two weeks.
• Powder: Add any part of the plant to wound powders or use
alone to prevent or cure infection in wounds.
• Steam: Any part of the plant, but usually the needles or
berries. Use in sauna directly on the stones or boil 4 ounces of needles in 1
gallon of water, pour the resultant tea on the stones, and inhale the steam. Or
just inhale the steam as it boils.
• Essential oil: For sinus and upper respiratory infections,
8 to 10 drops in water in a 1-ounce nasal spray bottle, four to six times a
day; shake well before use. Or use the essential oil in a diffuser for helping
prevent and cure upper respiratory infections. Moderate amounts can be mixed
with water for a steam inhalant for upper respiratory infections.
Side Effects and Contraindications: There has been a long-standing assertion in
scores of herbals that the use of this plant may cause kidney irritation and
that it is highly contraindicated in kidney disease (guilty of this myself). I
have used the plant for more than two decades and have never seen any problems.
The phytomedicalist Kerry Bone and others have tracked back the emergence of
this belief; it began in the latter part of the 19th century, apparently from
the administration of large doses of the essential oil to animals. Recent
studies with rats have found, contrary to popular belief, a kidney-protective
effect from the plant. This bears out the long use by the Eclectics of the
berries in the treatment of active kidney disease and inflammation.
The only side effect seen was a mild diarrhea when the
essential oil (15 drops in one ounce of olive oil) was used to treat an ear
infection. The mix was applied three times daily with a cotton swab. The
diarrhea stopped with discontinuation of the herb.
The essential oil is not for internal use other than as a
steam inhalant or for aromatherapy. Neither the plant itself nor the berry
appears to produce any side effects. Caution should probably be exercised by
diabetics in any long-term use of the plant, as it affects blood glucose levels
and may alter insulin requirements. It should probably not be used long-term
with pharmaceutical diuretics. However, almost no one uses the plant long-term
for healing; usually it is a short-course herb for urinary tract infection.
This information is adapted from Herbal Antibiotics by
Stephen Harrod Buhner, which ncludes extensive information on these and many
other plants.
