Teasel root tincture
Dear Stephen,
I was diagnosed with lyme disease 2 years ago by an alternative therapies doctor having spent the previous 5 years up and down at my local G.P. who didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on. I took a course of antibiotics (about 3 weeks) and was advised that I was cured albeit that my symptoms seemed to worsen. I am 100% certain that I still have this disease. But having had such a bad time with the antibiotics, I have decided to take a holistic approach. I’ve read your book with interest and Matthew Wood’s book as well. I am currently being treated by a great herbalist and am taking teasel root tincture. In the last week and a half, I’ve increased the dose from 1 drop 3x daily to now 10 drops 3x daily and can’t really see a great effect and haven’t herxed at all. I’ve read that teasel root tincture does not work for everyone and I’m wondering if that might be the case for me or whether it is too soon to tell. My symptoms are predominantly inflammation in the pelvic area and especially my pelvic bone with pain in my abdomen. I was originally bitten on the top of the leg and the inflammation seemed to travel from there to my pelvic area. I’ve also experienced problems with my periods lessening and shock-like pains in my head and neck. When I took the antibiotics I also experienced a lot of hair loss and extreme pain in my head but this seems to have lessened in the last 2 years. I’m from Scotland so unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be a lot of information on this disease or a lot of lyme literate doctors. Any assistance or advice would be much appreciated.
I was diagnosed with lyme disease 2 years ago by an alternative therapies doctor having spent the previous 5 years up and down at my local G.P. who didn’t seem to have a clue what was going on. I took a course of antibiotics (about 3 weeks) and was advised that I was cured albeit that my symptoms seemed to worsen. I am 100% certain that I still have this disease. But having had such a bad time with the antibiotics, I have decided to take a holistic approach. I’ve read your book with interest and Matthew Wood’s book as well. I am currently being treated by a great herbalist and am taking teasel root tincture. In the last week and a half, I’ve increased the dose from 1 drop 3x daily to now 10 drops 3x daily and can’t really see a great effect and haven’t herxed at all. I’ve read that teasel root tincture does not work for everyone and I’m wondering if that might be the case for me or whether it is too soon to tell. My symptoms are predominantly inflammation in the pelvic area and especially my pelvic bone with pain in my abdomen. I was originally bitten on the top of the leg and the inflammation seemed to travel from there to my pelvic area. I’ve also experienced problems with my periods lessening and shock-like pains in my head and neck. When I took the antibiotics I also experienced a lot of hair loss and extreme pain in my head but this seems to have lessened in the last 2 years. I’m from Scotland so unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be a lot of information on this disease or a lot of lyme literate doctors. Any assistance or advice would be much appreciated.
Stephen’s response:
I would urge you to try both Japanese knotweed and stephania as well as cat’s claw. Teasel root does generally help with arthritic inflammations; it sometimes helps those with the disease itself though from my experience this is pretty hit and miss. Some people do respond to low dose teasel tincture, many do not. I generally start people off at the 3 drop dosage but if after a week there is no improvement I up the dose and continue to do so for a month or so. My preferred dosages for most herbs are high and I think that up to 1 tsp of teasel 3x daily is fine for most people and often the higher dose is necessary. You might also have GI tract lyme in which case I would highly suggest the use of grapefruit seed extract for a week or two to see how you respond while at the same time taking something like Pepto Bismol as the lyme spirochetes are very sensitive to bismuth.
I would urge you to try both Japanese knotweed and stephania as well as cat’s claw. Teasel root does generally help with arthritic inflammations; it sometimes helps those with the disease itself though from my experience this is pretty hit and miss. Some people do respond to low dose teasel tincture, many do not. I generally start people off at the 3 drop dosage but if after a week there is no improvement I up the dose and continue to do so for a month or so. My preferred dosages for most herbs are high and I think that up to 1 tsp of teasel 3x daily is fine for most people and often the higher dose is necessary. You might also have GI tract lyme in which case I would highly suggest the use of grapefruit seed extract for a week or two to see how you respond while at the same time taking something like Pepto Bismol as the lyme spirochetes are very sensitive to bismuth.
Stephen
posted on October 7, 2011 in Herbs, teasel root
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Anna McCarthy
October 9, 2011 at 10:50 pm
However Pepto Bismol can cause deafness with repeated use, as it says on the package. My own mother went quite deaf with it and a good friend was doing Teitlebaum’s protocol and started going deaf when she read the package. I would like to do more but am now very leary….But thanks so much for all your good ideas.
Marie
February 11, 2013 at 11:00 pm
I’m not sure but I think the issue with Pepto Bismol is more in the additives and aluminum it contains and there are cleaner more pure forms of bismuth that could probably be used with less risks? I know Thorne formulas has one that contains Bismuth.
Michael
April 27, 2012 at 7:34 pm
Hi,
I’m interested in starting the teasel root tincture. I’ve had lymes for 1.5 years now and while I’ve responded well to antibiotics for short periods of time, I just can’t kick it. I’ve stopped antibiotics for the most part and I’ve been on the vitamin C/salt regimen for about 6 months and I really started to improve but as of late it seems to have become less effective.
1. What is the success rate of teasel root?
2. How long do I have to take it?
3. Are there any precautionary measures?
I saw lady barbaras YouTube vid and I’m willing to try anything at this point. I’ve all but given up on life and can’t count on any doctor. Please help me.
MF
Mom
August 19, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Dear Michael,
I’m so sorry you are struggling with this rotten, rotten disease. Don’t give up, honey. Don’t give up. Keep learning, studying, and believing you get get the help you need. The terrible thing about Lyme and its co-infections is everyone responds so differently.
The doctor I’m currently seeing is in the process of starting a clinical trial with Ozone therapy. This is quite exciting as it does not consist of antibiotics which we all know messes up our gut. Instead a portion of your blood is taken out, infused with pure oxygen (which kills the bad guys) and then is put back into your body. This helps your immune system to wake up and recognize the bad guys. I told the doc, “Count me in!”
Unfortunately, due to the political/medical climate of Lyme, we patients are struggling against a current that is much stronger than we are – especially when we are already weakened physically, mentally, and even spiritually.
FYI, while waiting weeks to be seen by a Lyme literate doc, I followed an herbal protocol from a friend who is a master herbalist. I went on a completely raw diet and downed 16 cloves of crushed garlic/day (depending on garlic, however, listen to your body some is much stronger than others, your body will tell you how much you can handle). Then I discovered virgin organic coconut oil which I would make a ball with the garlic and it helped the digestion much! It also has excellent antiviral/fungal/microbial properties. Then I began a parasite cleanse with bitter herbs (tinctures). I also took an herbal bowel mover to get the bad guys out of my colon. I would try to drink 2-4 Tbs of green drink/day as well – which had all manner of things in it including chlorella. All of my worst symptoms disappeared (heart flip/flops, encephalitis type pain, lightning flashes in my head). However I suspected the spirochetes were in hiding – and rightly so! As I started a pulse-type antibiotic therapy I herxed after the first dose, so I know they had to be lured out. All that to say that we need to constantly change up our regimen to hit them and catch them when they least expect it. They are smart little buzzards.
You can win this battle dearie. Don’t quit.
Love,
Mom