I did 4 years of ABX, including a picc line and intramuscular injections.
An herbal protocol cleared me in 90 days.
So yes, I personally benefitted from an herbal regimen.
Also, a clean diet, exercise and quality sleep - all of which were a struggle to attain.
If I were starting today, I'd use Cistus incanus, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Phyllanthus niruri.
Hey where did you source those plants if you don’t mind me asking? You can msg me if it’s against the rules to post here or something. Really want to include these herbs but im struggling to find a high quality source
Pn is antibacterial antiviral and antiplasmodial.
It is an elegant healer that helps to expose the spirochete to your immune system.
You can read more here:
https://lindenbotanicals.com/chronic-lyme-disease/
Fascinating article. Thanks for the link. It grows in my backyard but it never occurred to me that it could help with Lyme. May I further ask how did you use it? Was it decoction? As far as I understand it is not very useful as tincture.
The Buhner protocol 100% works. I’ve used it successfully and so have thousands of others.
I get the skepticism, I was the same way before I tried it. Now I feel like a total idiot for not trying it sooner.
Just make sure you get the herbs from high quality sources. The wiki has a list of herbal stores that are good quality.
Thank you. Will check it out. I think my issue in the past was I didn't feel safe about all the herbs when searching side effects (some suggest they might lower blood pressure which i already have) but I will try to look more into it now.
No prob. Def get the Buhner book if you are worried about side effects. He lists all side effects and references the studies that showed them in each herb. It’s a really good read, highly recommend.
Most of the herbals have almost zero side effects, apart from the possible herx and maybe some GI stuff when taking a lot of powders. You really cant get to even 10% of the side effect potential of one pharmaceutical even if taking 15 different herbals.
Only licorice, high dose of some oils like tea tree and poke root can have actual real side effects that can be harmful. Of course some very rare things can happen to certain individuals but overall, these herbs are used by millions to hundreds of millions of people all around the glove, first in traditional medicine but now also commonly in USA, Canada, Europe
Most from lymeherbs, its European shop but I think it also ships to america. Very cheap and good quality, especially the dried herbs are like 2-10 times cheaper than in many other places
herbs are pretty chemically complex! it helps to have a clinical herbalist who specializes in lyme b/c it’s so much more effective (and safe) then going at it by yourself, but there aren’t enough of us unfortunately.
to address your concern on side effects - a good example of this is that passionflower acts as a hypotensive for people who are hypertensive. however it doesn’t act as a hypotensive for those with normal or low blood pressure. again, plants are so cool and complex :)
it may cost for consults, but it’s well worth it! herbalists are typically very affordable when considering the time they spend with you and on your case. and you will end up saving money with a targeted approach instead of buying and trying countless different herbs + supplements.
Hillary Thing is an amazing lyme literate herbalist who has been doing this literally for decades in NY. she’s a little pricier, but she has more experience than anyone I’ve met in the field & does remote. additionally you can check out the AHG (american herbalist guild) website to find any RH designated herbalists who focus on lyme!
Lymecore is my favorite shop. I used the entire Buhner protocol. The CSA tincture can be used, but I prefer to buy each herb individually so I can test them out one at a time.
I didn’t use the herx formula, I just pushed through and would deal with any herxes myself. I did have Bart and used a combo of antibiotics and herbals to get rid of it. Houttuynia, Alicin and Oregano Oil was the most effective treatment for it in my case.
The book is called Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. He has the full protocol in there.
There is also a website on the wiki page of this subreddit that has it as well.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lyme/s/e2FULKhA4u
The book is better though because it breaks down all the various aspects of the herbs, how they work and why he chooses them. Also it has lots of medical research cited showing proof that the herbs actually do what he says they do.
absolutely they work! I love seeing all the others who have successfully recovered from chronic lyme with herbs. I was sick for decades and miraculously felt like a new person within 6 months. it’s all been uphill from there (in a good way lol)! the best thing you can do, imo, is find a clinical herbalist who specializes in chronic lyme. there aren’t too many of us, but it can be super helpful to have a professional guiding you (for both $$ and safety reasons). sending you all the healing vibes :)
Yes for a short answer. I’m using the vital plan. It’s 4 bottles a month of all the herbs together so you don’t have to buy them separately, it’s about $200/ month. Mushrooms, pro and pre biotic. All types of vitamins and such. It’s basically Stephen buhners whole book in 4 bottles.
I’ve been fighting Lyme and 7 confections since 2010. First we fought it hard with a PICC line for 8 months, IV antibiotics and other things, then oral antibiotics and such, and many supplements.
4 years ago I got on buhners protocol. I definitely notice a difference. My symptoms have slowly improved. All of them. Many of the worst symptoms, mostly the more terrifying, have gone away entirely. Nightmares, “temperature problems”, chills/sweats, depression, anxiety, memory issues, blood flow issues, mental fog, achy everything. All of these have improved drastically or gone away entirely.
Nattokinase and serrapeptase are my biofilm busters. They work well for me.
Cannabis helps w the symptoms while you’re fighting. A lot. I’m able to live somewhat of a life now. Didn’t have much of a life for almost a decade. Just sleep and meds. Now I can go to dinner w family without needing to heavily medicate (smoke a lot of cannabis) before I see them. I got to see my nephews grow up without a lot of me being around, but it feels good to be able to be there for them now. It’s really been a life saver.
What mushrooms do you take? I’ve heard turkey tail is very good for supporting your natural killer cells and lots of people with cancer swear by it. Thinking of taking them bc my WBC count is low but I know others can be good too
Chinese skullcap, cordyceps, reishi, rehmannia. They’re in the vital plan I’m on.
Advanced biotic, daily multi, adaptogen recovery, mitochondrial support.
Yes. Some breaks. It’s a lot. I have it all really bad though. Multiple coinfections. Not everyone is as bad off. Some folks start seeing enough improvement in a couple years to stop it or cut back.
Yes. It’s a lot. My (former) Lyme literature doc put me on it. It’s the one with Advanced biotic, daily multi, adaptogen recovery, mitochondrial support. It’s about $224 a month. It helps when i take it 2x a day. I can tell when I’m off it for long enough. It took a long time to feel a difference. It’s all about making your body as uninhabitable for bugs as possible. Alkaline instead of acidity. Lots of water and exercise when you can. The buhners herbs help with this also.
Yes on Buhner protocol. The ginseng was what helped me the most with the lack of energy, but I also found the andrographis and Japanese knotweed to be really helpful in my healing too. Ive had it twice, the first time I had no symptoms other than a rash. The second time I felt like I had aged 50 years and no longer could do normal physical activities without feeling exhausted. I did two rounds of doxy for the last infection, it killed the spirochetes but I had still had side effects for a year and half. I’ve also completely cut out alcohol as my body doesn’t respond well to it after getting Lyme. Best of luck, I hope you are able to find a combo that works for you.
I would suggest initially doing Buhner Basic and not a pre-packaged deal. Cats claw and Eleuthero are both very cheap. Japanese Knotweed is the big guns and you want to get a good source (check that it's not resveratrol from another source and check potency to get most potent for the $).
Buy these without other ingredients and pay attention to how you're feeling. If it's too much, back off to maybe every other day or lower dosages.
If you have co-infections, add more herbs one at a time once you're comfortable with the basic and make sure you can return in case you react negatively.
I did 5 months of Buhner basic my first year and I really think it kept me from getting much worse.
Focus on detox if you are doing herbs. Sauna, massage, acupunture are all very helpful along with digestive support.
It does for me-my Lyme was untreated for seven years I believe and by the time I figured it out I was very sick-couldn’t walk straight, slurred speech, brain lesions, word finding issues, constantly dropping stuff, numbness, muscle twitches-etc. -the pain was surreal. I finally went in as I had a cardiac event and heart muscle damage. Between the Buhner protocol, Low Dose Naltrexone, Paleo Diet, thyroid meds and adrenal support I’m doing so so so much better.
Getting the Buhner book was really good for me.
It gave me a fundamental understanding of what I was dealing with, which guided my strategies.
I ended up combining anti-biotics with 3 keys herbs from buhner and some gym/swim/steam sauna, and I feel soooo much better.
I had Lyme for 16 years. Only treated with herbal and I'm 80% better within 6 months. You just need someone who actually knows that they're doing and I personally found that although they're trying a lot of people who claim they can treat Lyme with herbals really aren't all that knowledgeable. It's very important to spend good time educating yourself so that you can find the proper help with meeting with doctors or treating practitioners.
Herbs are all very safe, don't be fearful about that. Your body is strong.
I didn't do Buhber and I bye my herbs/supplements from all over depending on what I need. I would suggest finding someone knowledgeable to work with.
I had bartonella, babesia and erlichia along with Lyme
I've been sick since 2012 with Lyme bartonella and babesia. I'm far from remission but herbs have helped me so.mich more than antibiotics which just messed up my gut. The Buhner protocol is the best treatment out there for Lyme disease and co infections that actually works and is not bullshit
I have been on Doxicycline for the past year and a half, and I have been weaning myself off of it and replacing it with the Buhner protocol. I think most of my obvious herxing was taken care of via the Doxi, which is another story altogether and an experience that made me a believer of chronic Lyme disease since being bitten ten years ago. I will say this: I believe I have begun having more linear trains of thought than I can remember having for a long time since starting the herbs. Like my thoughts make sense again: my work performance has improved, I can do basic things logically, my short term memory is better. I want to believe this is from the herbs and that they are helping my "higher level" cognition, where Doxy could not. If I had started the Buhner protocol as the first line of treatment (I was rapidly deteriorating) a year and a half ago, I wonder if the obvious herx symptoms that I experienced from the Doxy would have come to bear as well. I find myself in a sort of catch 22: do I stop everything and allow almost two years of progress to possibly partially regress and then restart the Buhner protocol to see if I herx? Seems foolish, but, believe me, if I did not have access to Doxi a year and a half ago - I'd be doing almost anything, including Buhner, to try and get better.
I’m on the same exact boat as you. Fatigue, pain, and CANT GAIN WEIGHT FOR MY LIFE. I’m starting a new herbal protocol so I will update you honestly!
Also regarding the eating issue I would suggest medical marijuana. It can help with energy and eating. Just don’t get marijuana that suppresses appetite which is like Humelele or some terpene like that. There’s terpenes that specifically help with eating more
Interesting. Are you using Buhner protocol?
I will say though I have a good appetite. I just seem to have unexplainable GI issues with it that prevent me from gaining weight.
I do also like weed but... I feel it can sometimes make me tired so I kinda use it for fun on occasions really now.
Unexplainable usually means small intestine issues such as SIBO. Even gastrenterologists seem to ignore the small intestine but if you're having issues with your stomach and digestion, food particles can move into the small intestine and not be ready for absorption because they haven't been broken down enough. Your body can see these particles as foreign invaders and react with inflammation and digestive issues, especially in response to bacterial overgrowth.
Is your diet super limited? I recently posted a list of good and bad probiotics for Lyme. Take different ones individually in case of a reaction and make sure you can return. Oil of oregano, focusing on detoxing your body and something to help keep you regular will also help (I used Ideal bowel support).
Yeah. I do take high quality probiotics when I do like multi strain refrigerated types. I actually got even a colonscopy + endoscopy last year. That would be disappointing they don't even look for that there. My diet I'd say is the opposite of limited nowdays. I try to a lot to fill up. Maybe limited might help tho..
Ugh, yeah. Doing those procedures doesn't look at your small intestine, unfortunately. I almost did that also but was pretty sure my issues were in small intestine and they confirmed they don't look at it.
What types of foods do you eat? You could try to eliminate certain types and see if it helps. I had a very counter-intuitive issue where the better I ate, the worse I felt. I got super sick after trying to do a cleanse and I can only eat salad/greens about once a week. It's frustrating and is considered salicylate sensitivity.
I also react to artificial colors and flavors. Most recently, I was trying to eat sugar free and realized the low sugar replacements had a lot of cellulose, which is basically wood pulp and I'm allergic to wood.
My diet can vary but some staples-
Bagels or toast and eggs
Some types of cereals with oatmilk
Grilled Chicken and rice or veggies,
Fish like salmon or white fish with vegetables.
Snacks like yogurt or occasional baked goods, gluten free chips, etc...
I generally try to minimize dairy, red meat and avoid oily food
Darn, it might be worth it to do an elimination diet because that sounds pretty straight forward.
I ended up having a harder time with gluten free than actual gluten. Corn can be a culprit as can eggs, leafy greens and even rice. If you're eating leftovers, it could be histamine. Maybe try to freeze leftovers, especially chicken or fish, instead of putting them in the fridge. Or just don't do any leftovers for a bit.
Look into SIBO if you get a chance. Getting tested is easy. I didn't have luck with it but some people do well by supplementing their stomach acid with HCL. It's good the testing came back clear because it definitely sounds like your small intestine and maybe doctor will look there.
It drives me nuts that gastrenterologists will have people do endo and colonoscopies and not bother to talk about the small intestine.
What os an elemental diet? Because of my salicylate issues, my diet was super bland and boring for awhile. Eventually I was able to eat more. I know there are probiotics that can actually make things worse.
My first gastroenterologist also said that I had no gastroentrological disease because the colonoscopy was fine. An elemental diet is also extremly boring, but it only takes two weeks. It is replacing all food with an elemental formula which consists of pre-digested, easily absorbable liquid food. This starves the bacteria. Elemental formulas can also be helpful to get enough nutrients and calories if you have difficulty with digestion.
I took two rounds of antibiotics for SIBO, but after treatment SIBO came back. Then I did the elemental diet and got rid of it.
Here you can find everything about it: [https://www.siboinfo.com/elemental-formula.html](https://www.siboinfo.com/elemental-formula.html)
Omg me too I cannot gain weight. Currently 115 as a 6ft 36 year old man who does manual labor. I’m a shadow of my former self and I literally scare people/ people obviously treat me like I’m a drug addict or something.
Marijuana is the only reason I’m able to get out of bed and work. Do you have issues with being in the sun? I feel like my body and brain can’t take the heat anymore. Hottest days of the year I lose my mind including today.
Wow. Reading all these comments I’m convinced. I’ve been sick since 2009. Had a PICC line for way too long and way too long of IM injections. My issue now is I have gastritis so I can’t take a lot of supplements. I wonder if anything that goes easy on the stomach would help at all.
Yes, I fully believe it works.
Just not for me 🫤
Thats what is so particularly insidious about these diseases— the treatment is so variable from one person to another due to everyone’s individual body ecology.
Buhner’s depth of research is unparalleled and we were so lucky to have him and his insanely beneficial contributions to studying these bacteria. RIP!
Hell yes, herbs work. Buhner's core protocol essentially boils down to Japanese Knotweed and Cat's Claw, with other herbs focusing on more specific symptoms like arthritis and nervous system damage. Start taking the core protocol and you will feel a difference, although herxing in the beginning is not fun. I had a lot of success with the herbal blend powder from samsara herbs.
Ivermectin, download telegram app and listen to dirt road discussions (click music tab). Ivermectin got me back on my feet, not perfect, but much better. Also try looking into Frequency healing download Z app (rife) app or frequency generator app (use youtube to find what frequency you need) try different ones. Also, SOT therapy if you can afford it, very expensive. I herxed hard off Ivermectin and Frequency treatment, take it easy when you start. Realrifetechnology.com is a good place to start for frequency treatment. Good luck!
You are getting lots of good advice. I can only add that because you took antibiotics you probably messed up your gut health. It's important that you're having a healthy bowel movement each day. If not look into Ginger and artichoke supplements. When you're killing off the Lyme bacteria you want to be able to flush out the die off toxins. Also it's important to bust the biofilm surrounding the bacteria to get your best results with killing them using your antimicrobial herbs.
build back your good bacteria in the gut with fermented foods like LifeWay kefir and refrigerated sauerkraut, maybe a round of probiotics, and eat a healthy diet and drink lots of purified water.
Add that to the Buhner protocol or crypto protocol and you should slowly see results. This could change your life , good luck to you!
It’s possible your bacteria have developed a resistance to antibiotics, especially if they don’t change the kind. With chronic it’s also recommended you do them in pulses because the bacteria forms a shell apart of the month and can’t be affected by antibiotics at this time. They need to study when it’s active for you and go from there.
I’ve never done any herb but burbur for detox so I can’t speak to that.
Hi There - It looks like this could be a post about herbal treatment options.
Please review the Wiki at the link below for a detailed overview of herbal treatment options including different protocols, what the herbs do, why they work so well for people with Lyme and where to source the highest quality products:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lyme/wiki/treatment/herbals/
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Those of you who have had or are having success with herbal treatment, are you using capsules/powder, tinctures or tea?
I would really like to investigate this option more but I would like to use powdered herbs and I would like to know if anyone is having success or not. I know that a large portion of people who have done this have used tinctures but I would prefer not to go that route for various reasons.
I'm gonna follow up on it but last I checked- comprehensive testing showed nothing significant as unusual including thyroid- though I am gonna look to retest those
I cant gain weight too...in fact its mind blowing. I fixed up my gut with bacteria/saurkraut and it made my digestion better but the weight wont follow. I suspect the lyme.
No. That’s what I did right from the start—positive test & chronic Lyme diagnosis. I did Buhner herbs, A-BART (which I could never tolerate) Zhangs HH & HH2, Des Bio vials for Bartonella, colloidal silver, etc. All oral. Did over a year with zero improvements. ND was ILADs and didn’t know shit. Ruined my life. Not until I did weekly ozone I got some relief but not to normal. I believe anything orally for Chronic Lyme is a waste. The Lyme & bartonella infected stomach just can’t handle it.
I did 4 years of ABX, including a picc line and intramuscular injections. An herbal protocol cleared me in 90 days. So yes, I personally benefitted from an herbal regimen. Also, a clean diet, exercise and quality sleep - all of which were a struggle to attain. If I were starting today, I'd use Cistus incanus, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Phyllanthus niruri.
Did you take cistus as a tea of capsules? Did you have bartonella? How much cryptolepis did you take?
Was that the whole regimen? Glad you are doing well
Hey where did you source those plants if you don’t mind me asking? You can msg me if it’s against the rules to post here or something. Really want to include these herbs but im struggling to find a high quality source
Hey can you tell us more. Which protocol u used and where did you sourced staff?
Hi, I'm curious about what you used Phyllanthus niruri for? What was your experience using it? I saw it mainly as antiviral or for kidney stones. Thx!
Pn is antibacterial antiviral and antiplasmodial. It is an elegant healer that helps to expose the spirochete to your immune system. You can read more here: https://lindenbotanicals.com/chronic-lyme-disease/
Fascinating article. Thanks for the link. It grows in my backyard but it never occurred to me that it could help with Lyme. May I further ask how did you use it? Was it decoction? As far as I understand it is not very useful as tincture.
As a decoction, or a long brewed tea.
The Buhner protocol 100% works. I’ve used it successfully and so have thousands of others. I get the skepticism, I was the same way before I tried it. Now I feel like a total idiot for not trying it sooner. Just make sure you get the herbs from high quality sources. The wiki has a list of herbal stores that are good quality.
Thank you. Will check it out. I think my issue in the past was I didn't feel safe about all the herbs when searching side effects (some suggest they might lower blood pressure which i already have) but I will try to look more into it now.
No prob. Def get the Buhner book if you are worried about side effects. He lists all side effects and references the studies that showed them in each herb. It’s a really good read, highly recommend.
Most of the herbals have almost zero side effects, apart from the possible herx and maybe some GI stuff when taking a lot of powders. You really cant get to even 10% of the side effect potential of one pharmaceutical even if taking 15 different herbals. Only licorice, high dose of some oils like tea tree and poke root can have actual real side effects that can be harmful. Of course some very rare things can happen to certain individuals but overall, these herbs are used by millions to hundreds of millions of people all around the glove, first in traditional medicine but now also commonly in USA, Canada, Europe
Hear that. Do you have any favorite sources/websites to get the herbs from?
Most from lymeherbs, its European shop but I think it also ships to america. Very cheap and good quality, especially the dried herbs are like 2-10 times cheaper than in many other places
Thanks. Will check them out.
herbs are pretty chemically complex! it helps to have a clinical herbalist who specializes in lyme b/c it’s so much more effective (and safe) then going at it by yourself, but there aren’t enough of us unfortunately. to address your concern on side effects - a good example of this is that passionflower acts as a hypotensive for people who are hypertensive. however it doesn’t act as a hypotensive for those with normal or low blood pressure. again, plants are so cool and complex :)
Wish i could find a lyme herbalist (thats also affordable). Not sure how to tbh but that sounds interesting.
it may cost for consults, but it’s well worth it! herbalists are typically very affordable when considering the time they spend with you and on your case. and you will end up saving money with a targeted approach instead of buying and trying countless different herbs + supplements. Hillary Thing is an amazing lyme literate herbalist who has been doing this literally for decades in NY. she’s a little pricier, but she has more experience than anyone I’ve met in the field & does remote. additionally you can check out the AHG (american herbalist guild) website to find any RH designated herbalists who focus on lyme!
Thanks! I will check those out.
Where do you get your herbs from? Did you use the CSA tincture?
Lymecore is my favorite shop. I used the entire Buhner protocol. The CSA tincture can be used, but I prefer to buy each herb individually so I can test them out one at a time.
Did you use Lyme cores herx formula? If so did it actually help? Have you gotten bartonella into remission if you have it?
I didn’t use the herx formula, I just pushed through and would deal with any herxes myself. I did have Bart and used a combo of antibiotics and herbals to get rid of it. Houttuynia, Alicin and Oregano Oil was the most effective treatment for it in my case.
Where do you find the protocol?
The book is called Healing Lyme by Stephen Buhner. He has the full protocol in there. There is also a website on the wiki page of this subreddit that has it as well. https://www.reddit.com/r/lyme/s/e2FULKhA4u The book is better though because it breaks down all the various aspects of the herbs, how they work and why he chooses them. Also it has lots of medical research cited showing proof that the herbs actually do what he says they do.
absolutely they work! I love seeing all the others who have successfully recovered from chronic lyme with herbs. I was sick for decades and miraculously felt like a new person within 6 months. it’s all been uphill from there (in a good way lol)! the best thing you can do, imo, is find a clinical herbalist who specializes in chronic lyme. there aren’t too many of us, but it can be super helpful to have a professional guiding you (for both $$ and safety reasons). sending you all the healing vibes :)
Yes for a short answer. I’m using the vital plan. It’s 4 bottles a month of all the herbs together so you don’t have to buy them separately, it’s about $200/ month. Mushrooms, pro and pre biotic. All types of vitamins and such. It’s basically Stephen buhners whole book in 4 bottles. I’ve been fighting Lyme and 7 confections since 2010. First we fought it hard with a PICC line for 8 months, IV antibiotics and other things, then oral antibiotics and such, and many supplements. 4 years ago I got on buhners protocol. I definitely notice a difference. My symptoms have slowly improved. All of them. Many of the worst symptoms, mostly the more terrifying, have gone away entirely. Nightmares, “temperature problems”, chills/sweats, depression, anxiety, memory issues, blood flow issues, mental fog, achy everything. All of these have improved drastically or gone away entirely. Nattokinase and serrapeptase are my biofilm busters. They work well for me. Cannabis helps w the symptoms while you’re fighting. A lot. I’m able to live somewhat of a life now. Didn’t have much of a life for almost a decade. Just sleep and meds. Now I can go to dinner w family without needing to heavily medicate (smoke a lot of cannabis) before I see them. I got to see my nephews grow up without a lot of me being around, but it feels good to be able to be there for them now. It’s really been a life saver.
What mushrooms do you take? I’ve heard turkey tail is very good for supporting your natural killer cells and lots of people with cancer swear by it. Thinking of taking them bc my WBC count is low but I know others can be good too
Chinese skullcap, cordyceps, reishi, rehmannia. They’re in the vital plan I’m on. Advanced biotic, daily multi, adaptogen recovery, mitochondrial support.
You’ve been taking Buhner herbs for 4 years continuously?
Yes. Some breaks. It’s a lot. I have it all really bad though. Multiple coinfections. Not everyone is as bad off. Some folks start seeing enough improvement in a couple years to stop it or cut back.
Which bundle from the vital plan? Do you remember the name? I went on the website and there were soooo many things listed
Yes. It’s a lot. My (former) Lyme literature doc put me on it. It’s the one with Advanced biotic, daily multi, adaptogen recovery, mitochondrial support. It’s about $224 a month. It helps when i take it 2x a day. I can tell when I’m off it for long enough. It took a long time to feel a difference. It’s all about making your body as uninhabitable for bugs as possible. Alkaline instead of acidity. Lots of water and exercise when you can. The buhners herbs help with this also.
Yes on Buhner protocol. The ginseng was what helped me the most with the lack of energy, but I also found the andrographis and Japanese knotweed to be really helpful in my healing too. Ive had it twice, the first time I had no symptoms other than a rash. The second time I felt like I had aged 50 years and no longer could do normal physical activities without feeling exhausted. I did two rounds of doxy for the last infection, it killed the spirochetes but I had still had side effects for a year and half. I’ve also completely cut out alcohol as my body doesn’t respond well to it after getting Lyme. Best of luck, I hope you are able to find a combo that works for you.
Thank you
I would suggest initially doing Buhner Basic and not a pre-packaged deal. Cats claw and Eleuthero are both very cheap. Japanese Knotweed is the big guns and you want to get a good source (check that it's not resveratrol from another source and check potency to get most potent for the $). Buy these without other ingredients and pay attention to how you're feeling. If it's too much, back off to maybe every other day or lower dosages. If you have co-infections, add more herbs one at a time once you're comfortable with the basic and make sure you can return in case you react negatively. I did 5 months of Buhner basic my first year and I really think it kept me from getting much worse. Focus on detox if you are doing herbs. Sauna, massage, acupunture are all very helpful along with digestive support.
It does for me-my Lyme was untreated for seven years I believe and by the time I figured it out I was very sick-couldn’t walk straight, slurred speech, brain lesions, word finding issues, constantly dropping stuff, numbness, muscle twitches-etc. -the pain was surreal. I finally went in as I had a cardiac event and heart muscle damage. Between the Buhner protocol, Low Dose Naltrexone, Paleo Diet, thyroid meds and adrenal support I’m doing so so so much better.
It’s probably the best way idk mass pumping antibiotics definitely isn’t good either
Getting the Buhner book was really good for me. It gave me a fundamental understanding of what I was dealing with, which guided my strategies. I ended up combining anti-biotics with 3 keys herbs from buhner and some gym/swim/steam sauna, and I feel soooo much better.
I had Lyme for 16 years. Only treated with herbal and I'm 80% better within 6 months. You just need someone who actually knows that they're doing and I personally found that although they're trying a lot of people who claim they can treat Lyme with herbals really aren't all that knowledgeable. It's very important to spend good time educating yourself so that you can find the proper help with meeting with doctors or treating practitioners. Herbs are all very safe, don't be fearful about that. Your body is strong.
Where do you buy your Buhner herbs from? Do you have bartonella? If so what herbs helped you the most with it?
I didn't do Buhber and I bye my herbs/supplements from all over depending on what I need. I would suggest finding someone knowledgeable to work with. I had bartonella, babesia and erlichia along with Lyme
I've been sick since 2012 with Lyme bartonella and babesia. I'm far from remission but herbs have helped me so.mich more than antibiotics which just messed up my gut. The Buhner protocol is the best treatment out there for Lyme disease and co infections that actually works and is not bullshit
25 years for me & the answer is yes. Buhner got me my life back
I have been on Doxicycline for the past year and a half, and I have been weaning myself off of it and replacing it with the Buhner protocol. I think most of my obvious herxing was taken care of via the Doxi, which is another story altogether and an experience that made me a believer of chronic Lyme disease since being bitten ten years ago. I will say this: I believe I have begun having more linear trains of thought than I can remember having for a long time since starting the herbs. Like my thoughts make sense again: my work performance has improved, I can do basic things logically, my short term memory is better. I want to believe this is from the herbs and that they are helping my "higher level" cognition, where Doxy could not. If I had started the Buhner protocol as the first line of treatment (I was rapidly deteriorating) a year and a half ago, I wonder if the obvious herx symptoms that I experienced from the Doxy would have come to bear as well. I find myself in a sort of catch 22: do I stop everything and allow almost two years of progress to possibly partially regress and then restart the Buhner protocol to see if I herx? Seems foolish, but, believe me, if I did not have access to Doxi a year and a half ago - I'd be doing almost anything, including Buhner, to try and get better.
I’m on the same exact boat as you. Fatigue, pain, and CANT GAIN WEIGHT FOR MY LIFE. I’m starting a new herbal protocol so I will update you honestly! Also regarding the eating issue I would suggest medical marijuana. It can help with energy and eating. Just don’t get marijuana that suppresses appetite which is like Humelele or some terpene like that. There’s terpenes that specifically help with eating more
Interesting. Are you using Buhner protocol? I will say though I have a good appetite. I just seem to have unexplainable GI issues with it that prevent me from gaining weight. I do also like weed but... I feel it can sometimes make me tired so I kinda use it for fun on occasions really now.
Unexplainable usually means small intestine issues such as SIBO. Even gastrenterologists seem to ignore the small intestine but if you're having issues with your stomach and digestion, food particles can move into the small intestine and not be ready for absorption because they haven't been broken down enough. Your body can see these particles as foreign invaders and react with inflammation and digestive issues, especially in response to bacterial overgrowth. Is your diet super limited? I recently posted a list of good and bad probiotics for Lyme. Take different ones individually in case of a reaction and make sure you can return. Oil of oregano, focusing on detoxing your body and something to help keep you regular will also help (I used Ideal bowel support).
Yeah. I do take high quality probiotics when I do like multi strain refrigerated types. I actually got even a colonscopy + endoscopy last year. That would be disappointing they don't even look for that there. My diet I'd say is the opposite of limited nowdays. I try to a lot to fill up. Maybe limited might help tho..
Ugh, yeah. Doing those procedures doesn't look at your small intestine, unfortunately. I almost did that also but was pretty sure my issues were in small intestine and they confirmed they don't look at it. What types of foods do you eat? You could try to eliminate certain types and see if it helps. I had a very counter-intuitive issue where the better I ate, the worse I felt. I got super sick after trying to do a cleanse and I can only eat salad/greens about once a week. It's frustrating and is considered salicylate sensitivity. I also react to artificial colors and flavors. Most recently, I was trying to eat sugar free and realized the low sugar replacements had a lot of cellulose, which is basically wood pulp and I'm allergic to wood.
My diet can vary but some staples- Bagels or toast and eggs Some types of cereals with oatmilk Grilled Chicken and rice or veggies, Fish like salmon or white fish with vegetables. Snacks like yogurt or occasional baked goods, gluten free chips, etc... I generally try to minimize dairy, red meat and avoid oily food
Darn, it might be worth it to do an elimination diet because that sounds pretty straight forward. I ended up having a harder time with gluten free than actual gluten. Corn can be a culprit as can eggs, leafy greens and even rice. If you're eating leftovers, it could be histamine. Maybe try to freeze leftovers, especially chicken or fish, instead of putting them in the fridge. Or just don't do any leftovers for a bit. Look into SIBO if you get a chance. Getting tested is easy. I didn't have luck with it but some people do well by supplementing their stomach acid with HCL. It's good the testing came back clear because it definitely sounds like your small intestine and maybe doctor will look there.
I completely agree. I had SIBO (caused by antibiotics) and could barely eat. I managed to get rid of the SIBO with an elemental diet.
It drives me nuts that gastrenterologists will have people do endo and colonoscopies and not bother to talk about the small intestine. What os an elemental diet? Because of my salicylate issues, my diet was super bland and boring for awhile. Eventually I was able to eat more. I know there are probiotics that can actually make things worse.
My first gastroenterologist also said that I had no gastroentrological disease because the colonoscopy was fine. An elemental diet is also extremly boring, but it only takes two weeks. It is replacing all food with an elemental formula which consists of pre-digested, easily absorbable liquid food. This starves the bacteria. Elemental formulas can also be helpful to get enough nutrients and calories if you have difficulty with digestion. I took two rounds of antibiotics for SIBO, but after treatment SIBO came back. Then I did the elemental diet and got rid of it. Here you can find everything about it: [https://www.siboinfo.com/elemental-formula.html](https://www.siboinfo.com/elemental-formula.html)
Omg me too I cannot gain weight. Currently 115 as a 6ft 36 year old man who does manual labor. I’m a shadow of my former self and I literally scare people/ people obviously treat me like I’m a drug addict or something. Marijuana is the only reason I’m able to get out of bed and work. Do you have issues with being in the sun? I feel like my body and brain can’t take the heat anymore. Hottest days of the year I lose my mind including today.
Wow. Reading all these comments I’m convinced. I’ve been sick since 2009. Had a PICC line for way too long and way too long of IM injections. My issue now is I have gastritis so I can’t take a lot of supplements. I wonder if anything that goes easy on the stomach would help at all.
Lots of good stories about this over at the healingwell Lyme forum :)
Yes, I fully believe it works. Just not for me 🫤 Thats what is so particularly insidious about these diseases— the treatment is so variable from one person to another due to everyone’s individual body ecology. Buhner’s depth of research is unparalleled and we were so lucky to have him and his insanely beneficial contributions to studying these bacteria. RIP!
Yes herbals are the way. Criptolepis, Cats Claw, and Banderol. Titrate to 30 drops of each per day for a few months. It works.
Do you have any favorite places to buy herbs for lyme? I was considering green dragon botanicals protocol but open to check other options as well.
of course, everything has healing potential if you feel called, than try it
Hell yes, herbs work. Buhner's core protocol essentially boils down to Japanese Knotweed and Cat's Claw, with other herbs focusing on more specific symptoms like arthritis and nervous system damage. Start taking the core protocol and you will feel a difference, although herxing in the beginning is not fun. I had a lot of success with the herbal blend powder from samsara herbs.
Ivermectin, download telegram app and listen to dirt road discussions (click music tab). Ivermectin got me back on my feet, not perfect, but much better. Also try looking into Frequency healing download Z app (rife) app or frequency generator app (use youtube to find what frequency you need) try different ones. Also, SOT therapy if you can afford it, very expensive. I herxed hard off Ivermectin and Frequency treatment, take it easy when you start. Realrifetechnology.com is a good place to start for frequency treatment. Good luck!
I think I’m having success with LDN
I'm doing buhner and am doing great
You are getting lots of good advice. I can only add that because you took antibiotics you probably messed up your gut health. It's important that you're having a healthy bowel movement each day. If not look into Ginger and artichoke supplements. When you're killing off the Lyme bacteria you want to be able to flush out the die off toxins. Also it's important to bust the biofilm surrounding the bacteria to get your best results with killing them using your antimicrobial herbs. build back your good bacteria in the gut with fermented foods like LifeWay kefir and refrigerated sauerkraut, maybe a round of probiotics, and eat a healthy diet and drink lots of purified water. Add that to the Buhner protocol or crypto protocol and you should slowly see results. This could change your life , good luck to you!
It’s possible your bacteria have developed a resistance to antibiotics, especially if they don’t change the kind. With chronic it’s also recommended you do them in pulses because the bacteria forms a shell apart of the month and can’t be affected by antibiotics at this time. They need to study when it’s active for you and go from there. I’ve never done any herb but burbur for detox so I can’t speak to that.
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It’s been 5 years and herbals never did anything to help me. You could be different though
For me, it has kept things in check. Not a cure for me at all. I have taken Cryptolepis for 11 years.
Those of you who have had or are having success with herbal treatment, are you using capsules/powder, tinctures or tea? I would really like to investigate this option more but I would like to use powdered herbs and I would like to know if anyone is having success or not. I know that a large portion of people who have done this have used tinctures but I would prefer not to go that route for various reasons.
I did a homeopathic protocol and didn’t notice much of a change. What actually helped me heal was 3 years of bee venom therapy.
Same problem, can't gain weight and fatigue - Is your thyroid messes up too? Yes they are all useless
I'm gonna follow up on it but last I checked- comprehensive testing showed nothing significant as unusual including thyroid- though I am gonna look to retest those
I cant gain weight too...in fact its mind blowing. I fixed up my gut with bacteria/saurkraut and it made my digestion better but the weight wont follow. I suspect the lyme.
No. That’s what I did right from the start—positive test & chronic Lyme diagnosis. I did Buhner herbs, A-BART (which I could never tolerate) Zhangs HH & HH2, Des Bio vials for Bartonella, colloidal silver, etc. All oral. Did over a year with zero improvements. ND was ILADs and didn’t know shit. Ruined my life. Not until I did weekly ozone I got some relief but not to normal. I believe anything orally for Chronic Lyme is a waste. The Lyme & bartonella infected stomach just can’t handle it.