6

Natural Antibiotics

18 Remedy Profiles

What we call “natural antibiotics” are products of the plant world. They are produced not by germs but by medicinal plants. As we have discussed, the term antibiotic, in its broadest sense, means “a substance capable of killing pathological germs or curbing their growth.” The adjective natural denotes the fact that these plant-sourced antibiotics are among the remedies at the disposal of holistic natural medicine and are used in accordance with the precepts of that approach. Because, if you really think about it, standard antibiotics are also natural (with the exception of those of the second and third generations) insofar as they are produced by players in the natural world: germs!

Natural antibiotics are chemical substances produced by plants ranging from the most common weeds of our local surroundings to exotic, rare species. Several hundred plants possess antibiotic properties, so our reserve of these remedies is quite extensive. People have been benefiting from their healing properties for thousands of years.

Natural antibiotics have a twofold action: a direct effect against the germ and an indirect effect by means of making the terrain inhospitable to the germ.

A plant’s direct action comes from the toxicity and caustic nature of the antibiotic substances that make contact with the germs. They have a variety of effects:

While these actions are specifically against bacteria, the same kind of defensive processes are also active against fungi and protozoans.

The indirect action of natural antibiotics (which conventional antibiotics do not possess) on the terrain is equally dangerous for germs. Although they are not attacked directly, germs still suffer serious damage because, by altering the characteristics of the terrain, natural antibiotics make it unfit for their survival. This process is similar to the one that takes place when a human being is placed in an oxygen-poor environment. He will wither and eventually die there without having been attacked, simply because the living conditions are not suitable for sustaining human life.

The quality of the body’s cellular terrain is all the better when it is not suffering a deficiency of minerals, trace elements, vitamins, and so on, and when it contains few toxins, poisons, and metabolic wastes. A healthy terrain is naturally germ resistant because it offers living conditions that are unsuitable for the germ’s survival. As it happens, natural antibiotics also work to fill deficiencies and eliminate toxins from the terrain.

Natural antibiotics primarily correct deficiencies of minerals and trace elements, which produces positive changes in the terrain’s composition. Furthermore, because natural antibiotics are especially rich in trace elements, they vigorously reignite catalytic activity—that is, biochemical reactions stimulated by enzymes—because catalytic activity only takes place in the presence of trace elements. As a result, cells under attack by germs are greatly strengthened in their defensive actions and resistance.

In addition to their disinfectant action on the terrain, natural antibiotics also have a purifying and detoxifying effect. The toxins stagnating in the terrain are eliminated and expelled from the body. This cleansing removes the metabolic wastes that germs feed on. As a net effect, a natural antibiotic’s disinfectant action severely challenges germs’ ability to survive and multiply, while at the same time boosting the vitality of the body’s cells.

One way to define the quality of a terrain is to use LouisClaude Vincent’s bioelectronics studies to measure three electrochemical factors in the body: the terrain’s oxidoreduction ability (the ability to stabilize and eliminate oxygen), its resistivity (its ability to conduct electrical currents), and its pH (its degree of alkalinity or acidity). Without going into the details, these factors are, chemically speaking, dependent on the capability of the terrain’s molecular composition to exchange electrons. As it turns out, even extremely small alterations in these exchanges can quickly transform a terrain that is accommodating of germs to one that is hostile to them. A change in the terrain’s pH of just a tenth of a pH unit (e.g., from 6.5 to 6.4) can effect such a transformation. Such variations are easy to achieve with natural antibiotics, which possess a great capacity for giving or capturing electrons. Here again, microbial expansion—and thus the infection—can be hampered by simple changes in the environment.

Natural antibiotics also demonstrate an indirect action against germs at the level of certain physiological functions. Some natural antibiotics, for example, stimulate the mucous glands of the respiratory and digestive tracts, which release mucins that contain enzymes that destroy germs through lysis. These antibiotics therefore do not act directly on the germ but stimulate another defensive agent to go into action. A similar effect takes place on the immune system, which is spurred to produce more phagocytes, lymphocytes, antibodies, and so on.

In sum, natural antibiotics combine direct and indirect actions against germs, while conventional antibiotics employ only direct actions against them.

While both kinds of antibiotics share points in common—a more or less powerful effect depending on the germ, a narrow or broad spectrum of action, and the ability to attack protozoans, bacteria, and fungi—the comparison stops there. Natural antibiotics possess, in fact, other characteristics that distinguish them fundamentally from conventional antibiotics.

The majority of natural antibiotics are, for example, antivirals, which is never the case with conventional antibiotics. Moreover, their antiviral properties are often quite powerful. They offer an effective and nontoxic treatment against numerous illnesses (flu, shingles, etc.) that are untreatable by conventional antibiotics. This is all the more valuable because, outside of natural antibiotics, the number of existing antivirals is quite limited.

The other advantage, mentioned earlier, is that natural antibiotics do not encourage germs to develop resistance to them. What are the reasons for this?

Another difference is that the side effects that are so common with conventional antibiotic therapy—diarrhea, bloating, digestive disorders—do not manifest with natural antibiotics because they do not throw the intestinal flora out of balance. To the contrary, they support a healthy microbial balance by killing the virulent germs. If they do happen to trigger such symptoms, it would only be due to the laxative effect of certain plants.

I have divided the natural antibiotics I have chosen to introduce in this book into three groups. The plants in the first group have been extracted as essential oils (EO). In the second group, they have been prepared in the form of mother tinctures (MT). The third group offers a range of different preparations.

I present here only a limited number of natural antibiotics. My purpose is not to provide an exhaustive listing but to introduce the reader to the world of natural antibiotics and make him or her familiar with their use.

For each natural antibiotic, I will explain what it is, what it looks like, what its habitat is, which kinds of germs (protozoans, bacteria, fungi, viruses) it works best on, and the way to generally use it (specific examples are provided in chapter 7).

A good way to get to know them is to buy several—those that you are most likely to need, depending on the state of your health—and to begin using them. With practice, you will gain a more extensive knowledge of them, a knowledge that can then be extended to other natural antibiotics.

Here, now, are the eighteen natural antibiotics I have chosen to introduce to you.

THE ESSENTIAL OILS

Essential oils are the volatile aromatic oils that give plants their characteristic odors and contain their medicinal constituents. They are extracted from plants by distillation or expression. These oils are contained in the tiny droplets of aromatic substances that are released by crushing mint or thyme leaves, for example.

According to biologists, essential oils contain more compounds than all the chemists in the world could synthesize by working for one thousand years. Among these compounds are terpenes, phenols, aldehydes, and alcohols with antibiotic properties. They are among the most powerful of natural antibiotics.

Essential oils can be taken orally, as an ointment on the skin, or by suffumigation—that is, using fumes (from steams, vapors, smoke, etc.). Their distribution power in the tissues is enormous. Several minutes after they have been spread on the skin, they will have entered the bloodstream. Twenty minutes to two hours later, they are in the lungs, being exhaled with every breath.

Because essential oils are extremely concentrated—it requires pounds of plants to obtain several drops of essential oil—it is important to scrupulously respect the indicated dosages and the instructions on using them.

image  Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

A native of Asia, basil is grown in temperate regions around the world for its culinary value. It is a small bush that can grow from 8 to 20 inches high, with intensely green leaves that give off a strong aroma. It was cultivated in the gardens of ancient Rome and was introduced to the Midi region of France in the twelfth century. It has long been valued for its use in soothing the digestive tract as an antispasmodic and for its ability to regulate nerve centers.

The antibiotic substances contained in the essential oil of basil are primarily methyl chavicol and linalool. While basil has long been considered to be primarily an antibacterial (whose effectiveness can vary), recent studies have shown it to be a very powerful antiviral. Basil is therefore recommended for all viral diseases, but especially for those belonging to its specific spheres of operation: the digestive tract (viral hepatitis, viral enteritis, intestinal flu) and the nervous system (neuritis). Another field of action encompasses the viral infections of the tropical zones (various fevers). It does not seem to have any effect on fungi and parasites.

Dosage

image  English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

This medicinal plant with silvery green leaves and blue-violet flowers is well known in Europe. It grows in the arid and sundrenched lands of the Mediterranean regions. Many different varieties exist, all of which have medicinal properties.

In classical antiquity, the Romans added lavender to their bathwater. Since the Middle Ages, its use has spread as an eyewash and for keeping moths out of clothing.

The distillation of lavender began in the sixteenth century. Because of its pleasant aroma, its essential oil is used greatly in perfumery, but this does not mean that its medicinal properties are overlooked. Lavender is, in fact, one of the most useful medicinal plants because it can be used to treat a wide range of health problems, including burns, pains, cramps, insect stings, inflammations, congestion, anxieties, and so forth. It is also endowed with antivenin properties; hunters rub it on dogs who have been bitten by snakes in order to neutralize the poisons. Lavender’s sphere of operation is not limited to one organ system of the body but extends to every organ. In this sense, it is one of the few medicinal plants that can be described as “universal.”

The antibiotic properties of lavender are due to its linalyl acetate (comprising 42 to 52 percent of the essential oil) and linalool (comprising 32 to 42 percent of the essential oil). These substances are effective against bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi.

Lavender does not figure among the most powerful of antibiotic essential oils, but its properties are consistent and yield a broad spectrum of action. Its ease of use (it is exceptionally well tolerated by the skin and mucous membranes) makes it a “master key” of an antibiotic, and it is gentle enough that it can be used to treat children and sensitive individuals.

Dosage

image  Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)

A tree native to Australia and Tasmania, eucalyptus has been planted all around the Mediterranean region and in places with similar climates, like California. There are more than five hundred different species in the genus. This is a hearty tree that grows rapidly and can reach heights of 150 feet or more. Because it is greedy for water, it is often planted in marshy regions to drain them. Eucalyptus gives off a powerful aromatic odor that repels insects.

It is the leaves of this tree that are medicinal. They are endowed with generous amounts of essential oil—200 pounds of eucalyptus leaves will produce 6 pounds of essential oil, whereas 200 pounds of thyme will yield less than a quarter of a pound of essential oil. The primary and very powerful antibiotic constituents of eucalyptus are 1,8-cineole and globulol. For example, one need only aromatize the air with an emulsion that is 2 percent eucalyptus essential oil to kill 70 percent of the staphylococci that are present. This can be quite valuable, considering that 1 cubic meter of air in the country contains five germs, but this figure rises to twenty thousand germs per cubic meter in an urban apartment, and nine million in a large department store.

The antibiotic action of eucalyptus extends to bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi. Its primary field of action is the respiratory and urinary tracts, and it can be effective against acute and chronic bronchitis, sinusitis, laryngitis, and so forth, as well as cystitis, pyelonephritis, and colibacillosis. Eucalyptus is also well known for its effectiveness against infectious fevers, both tropical and otherwise—hence its folk name fever tree.

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Note: Another species of eucalyptus, Eucalyptus radiata (syn. E. officinalis), has an antiviral action that is far more potent than that of E. globulus. However, it is not very effective against fungi or parasites. Its sphere of action is the respiratory tract.

image  Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

Niaouli essential oil is extracted from the leaves of the paperbark tree, which is widespread in New Caledonia and Madagascar. The antibiotic properties of this tree have been long known to the natives of these regions, who used them to disinfect water. The principal antibiotic substances of the paperbark tree are 1, 8-cineole (comprising 35 to 38 percent of the essential oil), viridiflorol (6 to 15 percent), and alpha-terpineol (9 to 14 percent).

Niaouli essential oil is a very powerful natural antibiotic against numerous bacteria (including Staphylococcus aureus and the streptococci responsible for scarlet fever and acute articular rheumatism) and against most viruses and fungi. It is therefore an excellent antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal. To a lesser extent it is also active against parasites like the plasmodium that is responsible for malaria.

This essential oil’s spheres of activity are the respiratory tract, the digestive tract, and the genital and urinary domains. Diluted in a little sweet almond oil, it is effective against skin infections.

Dosage

image  Oregano (Origanum heracleoticum)

Oregano is perhaps the best-known culinary herb. In the wild it grows in rocky, sunny areas; its purplish-pink flowers bloom at the tip of a tree-like stalk that grows from 1 to 2 feet high.

Known to the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans for its tonic, antispasmodic, stomachic, and cough-suppressing properties, the essential oil of oregano is most often used today for its especially powerful antibiotic virtues. Various experiments have shown that this essential oil (along with that of thyme) is very effective for disinfecting a solution teeming with germs. In one instance, researchers found that 1 quart of meat broth mixed with sewer water could be sterilized by the addition of oregano essential oil at a dilution of merely 1 percent.

Of all the different varieties of oregano, the Greek version (Origanum heracleoticum) has been shown to have the most active properties.

The primary components of oregano essential oil are carvacrol (comprising 50 to 75 percent of the essential oil) and para-cymene (comprising 7 to 10 percent of the essential oil). These antibiotic substances are quite effective not only against bacteria but also against viruses, fungi, and parasites. They also possess a very broad-spectrum effect against these four groups. Oregano essential oil is therefore a polyvalent natural antibiotic with multiple indications, and all the more so because it boosts immune system function.

Dosage

Warning: Oregano essential oil is irritating to the skin and absolutely needs to be diluted.

image  Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)

Palmarosa is a large, hardy herb that is a member of the grass family. It grows naturally in India, Africa, and Indonesia. The entire above-ground plant is medicinal and yields a fresh-smelling, sweet essential oil whose odor is reminiscent of rose or geranium. In fact, palmarosa essential oil was once used to replace or dilute the far more expensive essential oil of rose.

The essential oil of palmarosa is 70 to 80 percent geraniol, whose antibiotic action is especially powerful against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. However, it does not possess any antiparasitic properties. Because it does not have any specific sphere of activity, it can be used against all infectious disorders, whether they are found in the digestive, respiratory, or urinary tract or genital and skin disorders. Palmarosa is one of the most powerful essential oils with antibiotic properties.

Dosage

Note: Palmarosa is a wonderful topical remedy because of its pleasant odor, and it is not at all irritating to the skin.

image  Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora)

Cinnamomum camphora, commonly known as the camphor tree, is native to China, Japan, and Taiwan, and has been introduced to many other countries. The oil extracted from the Cinnamomum camphora that grows in Madagascar is known as ravintsara. This is the medicine of the Malagasy, who have long known of the medicinal properties of the tree’s leaves and have benefited from using them to treat a vast number of health problems.

Ravintsara essential oil is rich in 1,8-cineole and alphaterpineol. It is an extremely powerful antiviral with a broad spectrum of action. This spectrum is, in fact, so broad that ravintsara essential oil is recommended for all viral afflictions: herpes, hepatitis, viral enteritis, chickenpox, and more. It is especially effective against the flu virus (whether used to prevent it or heal it), shingles, and infectious mononucleosis. In addition to its antiviral activities, ravintsara essential oil is also an effective antibacterial and has both antifungal and antiparasitic effects. Its spheres of operation are primarily the respiratory tract, the digestive tract, and the skin.

Ravintsara essential oil has no caustic effects and so can be used neat (undiluted) on the skin.

Dosage

Note: Like lavender, ravintsara is an ideal gentle essential oil for treating children.
Note: Don’t confuse ravintsara with ravensara (Ravensara aromatica), which has similar properties.

image  Savory (Satureja montana, S. hortensis)

Wild savory (S. montana) and cultivated savory (S. hortensis) are small plants with a strong odor. Known since antiquity as a culinary herb, savory is one of the medicinal plants that appears in the eighth-century Capitulaire de villis, a text produced during the reign of Charlemagne that details which plants should be cultivated in the royal domains because of their usefulness for humans.

The essential oil obtained from the flowering tops of savory is rich in antibiotic substances, primarily carvacrol, which represents up to 50 percent of its components. This natural antibiotic has an extremely powerful broad-spectrum action against bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. The essential oil of savory can therefore be recommended against all infectious pathologies, but particularly those of the digestive tract (amebiasis, enterocolitis, diarrhea, etc.), the respiratory tract (bronchitis), and the urinary tract (gonorrheal or candida cystitis, prostatitis). It is also recommended in the event of adenitis (inflammation of the lymphatic system) and as a backup treatment for malaria. The essential oil of savory is one of the major natural anti-infection agents.

Dosage

Warning: Savory is an extremely caustic essential oil! It must be diluted before use.

image  Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

This is a tree native to Australia whose leaves and branch tips are used for medicinal purposes. Known for millennia by the Aborigines, tea tree is still an important part of this country’s therapeutic arsenal. During the Second World War, for example, the Australian army distributed flasks of this tree’s essential oil to its servicemen so they could treat their own skin infections (scratches, wounds, cuts, stings, boils, and fungal infections).

Tea tree is primarily used as a topical remedy for the skin, but its sphere of operation includes the digestive tract. Whether it concerns illnesses of the upper tract (canker sores, gingivitis, dental abscesses), middle tract (intestinal parasites), or lower tract (bacterial, parasitical, or candida-engendered enterocolitis), tea tree always performs great service. It is also effective in treating infections of the respiratory system and the genital region.

The active properties of tea tree are various kinds of terpenes that are found in its essential oil, a broad-spectrum antibacterial. It is also effective against viruses, parasites, and fungi. It stimulates the immune system, including, among other things, the production of IgA antibodies (which prevent germs from penetrating deeper into the body).

Tea tree oil is one of the major natural anti-infection agents.

Dosage

image  Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)

Thyme is a small bush from the Mediterranean basin that is used heavily in the culinary traditions of that region. Its numerous medicinal properties have been well known since antiquity.

Thyme’s essential oil is extracted from its flowering tops. More than 200 pounds of thyme are needed to obtain just 3½ ounces of essential oil! However, while thyme does not produce much essential oil, that oil has a very high therapeutic potency. Its principal constituents are thymol, para-cymene, and carvacrol. Thymol is thirty times more powerful against bacteria than phenol, a chemical substance that has long been used as a disinfectant in allopathic medicine and has long been considered to be the ideal antiseptic. Like that of oregano, thyme essential oil has proven to be more active in sterilizing germ breeding grounds. Diluted to just 0.1 percent, as found in some natural toothpastes, it kills all the harmful microbes found in the mouth.

Thyme is also one of the essential oils with the most powerful antibiotic properties. It acts with equal effectiveness against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. It can therefore be used to treat almost all infectious health problems, and all the more so because it stimulates the production of white blood cells.

Dosage

Warning: Thyme is an extremely caustic essential oil! It must be diluted before use.

THE MOTHER TINCTURES

These tinctures are liquid preparations that are created via the dissolution effect of alcohol on medicinal plants. The plant material is submerged in alcohol and left to macerate for twenty-one days. During this time, the alcohol pulls the chemical constituents from the plant matter, becoming charged with their active properties. The plant matter is then strained from the alcohol, and fresh alcohol is added to the tincture until it achieves a ratio of one-tenth plant extract to nine-tenths alcohol. Numerous tests (chromotherapy, capillary analysis, spectrometry, and so on) are then performed on the tincture to ensure that it contains active constituents in amounts that exactly match preestablished norms.

The therapeutic value of mother tinctures prepared in this way is therefore constant. It does not vary over time based on the provenance of the plants, the degree of sunlight they received, and other factors that sometimes make their dosage problematic.

Furthermore, the ready availability of tinctures as drops allows for simple and rapid use, which is not a negligible factor in our day, in which making an herbal tea or decoction is often seen as requiring too much time.

image  Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)

A small bush with climbing stems that form dense beds or vast cushions, bearberry grows in dry, rocky, shady soils in fields and mountains. This plant is also known as bear’s grape, a name that comes from the fact that bears are extremely fond of its red fruits.

The oldest references to the medicinal virtues of bearberry go back to the twelfth century. Its leaves possess therapeutic properties thanks to the presence of the antibiotic substance arbutin. Bearberry is used most often to treat infections of the urinary tract, its primary sphere of operation. It is moreover a standard treatment in this kind of affliction because in cases of cystitis, pyelonephritis, gonorrhea, urethritis, infections related to urinary tract stones, and so forth, its antibiotic properties combined with its diuretic and sedative properties provide valuable assistance. Bearberry is also recommended for intestinal infections such as colibacillosis, dysentery, enterocolitis, and so on.

Dosage

Note: Bearberry is also effective as a tea: bring one handful of leaves (around 40 grams) to a boil in 1 quart of water, then remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for fifteen minutes. Strain and drink over the course of the day.

image  Burdock (Arctium lappa)

Burdock is a vigorously growing plant that can reach heights of 4½ to 6 feet and extends its branches widely. Its purple flowers, when mature, transform into a prickly ball that sticks to the fur of animals and to clothing. It prefers to grow in heavy, disturbed soil, like areas of backfill, roadsides, and clearings. The part used in medicine is its extremely long root.

Known and used since the time of antiquity, burdock root contains polyacetylenes, which are responsible for its antibacterial effect. It is especially active against Gram-positive bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci, pneumococci, and so forth. Its sphere of action is primarily the skin, which is to say cutaneous infections like acne, boils, anthrax, abscesses (throat, teeth), wounds, and measles. Burdock also has antifungal properties and is effective against ringworms, microscopic fungi responsible for various afflictions of the scalp and other skin surfaces.

Drying the root renders many of its properties inactive, so burdock MT is primarily prepared from fresh roots.

Dosage

image  Common Barberry (Berberis vulgaris)

Common barberry is a small thorny bush that grows to a height of 6 to 10 feet in soil with lots of limestone. Its yellow flowers droop in clusters and produce small oblong red fruits. In the past, barberry was much more common and even used as a decorative plant in gardens.

Up to 6 percent of the root and bark is a very powerful antibiotic alkaloid: berberine. This substance has a very pronounced yellow color and was once used to dye wool. It is traditionally used for its antidiarrheal properties and as a vein and kidney tonic. Though commonly used during the Middle Ages, it had largely fallen into oblivion until modern studies offered evidence of its antibiotic properties. Berberine is in fact effective against bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. It is therefore a broad-spectrum antibiotic, especially because it stimulates the production and activity of macrophages.

Its antibiotic and immune-stimulating properties have proven themselves to be highly useful during Candida albicans infections, especially in the area of the digestive tract, which is common barberry’s ideal sphere of operation. Diseases like salmonella poisoning, amebiasis, cholera, various forms of enteritis, and infectious diarrheas, among others, are therefore also prime targets for it.

Dosage

image  Mouse-Ear Hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)

Mouse-ear hawkweed is a medicinal plant with yellow flowers that resemble dandelions, but daintier and smaller. Its leaves are covered with fine downy hairs. The plant tends to grow on embankments, in prairie fields, and in the mountains.

It is not mentioned in any ancient text. We have to wait until the twelfth century for Hildegard von Bingen to speak about it. The plant possesses a coumarin-like antibiotic substance, umbelliferone, which is only active in the fresh plant, and not if the plant has been dried. This means that hawkweed is primarily used therapeutically in the form of a mother tincture that has been prepared with the fresh plant. Its antibiotic properties, which were only recently discovered, have been the subject of much study. Mouse-ear hawkweed is one of the most commonly used plant antibiotics for infections in the urinary system, which is its primary sphere of action.

This herb is very effective against bacteria, such as colibacillus, and is recommended for the treatment of cystitis, nephritis, and colibacillosis. It combines strong diuretic properties with its disinfectant properties in targeting the urinary tract. Mouse-ear hawkweed is also active against the microbial agents responsible for brucellosis (Malta fever).

Dosage

image  Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)

This medicinal plant is better known to the public by its Latin name, echinacea. Purple coneflower grows wild in the great prairies of North America but is increasingly cultivated in gardens in both North America and Europe. The stem, which is on average about 20 inches tall, is crowned by beautiful flowers that bear a passing resemblance to large daisies, with mauve-red petals. There are many varieties of echinacea, but the ones that are used for their medicinal properties are but two: Echinacea purpurea and Echinacea angustifolia.

Archaeological digs have revealed that the Native Americans of the Great Plains were using echinacea at least from the beginning of the seventeenth century to treat infections of all kinds: throat, teeth, wounds, snakebite, measles, mumps, and chickenpox. To benefit from its healing virtues, they would suck on the roots of the plant or make them into poultices. The use of echinacea—which is common in North America—has now spread to the rest of the world thanks to the many studies that have revealed its benefits.

Echinacea owes its effectiveness to its combination of antibiotic and immune-stimulating properties. Its enzymes destroy the enzymes that bacteria release to weaken the cellular membranes of their host cells. The bacteria must therefore remain outside the cells to carry out their harmful activities, and there they are destroyed by the macrophages whose production and activity are strongly increased by the immune-stimulating properties of echinacea.

As we have seen earlier, the activity of macrophages—which consists of swallowing and then destroying invaders—is a nonspecific defense system. It works against bacteria as well as viruses, fungi, and parasites. Echinacea therefore has an extremely broad spectrum of action, which makes it useful against all infections, wherever they may be located. Because of its completely innocuous nature, it is recommended for use by everyone, including children and the elderly.

Mother tincture of echinacea offers a simple and effective means of using this medicinal plant. Small doses ingested several times a day (five or six times, for example) have been shown to be more effective than a higher dose taken one time. In long-term treatments (to address chronic infection or flu prevention, for example), echinacea’s immune-stimulating actions are more effective if it is taken in courses with a pause between them. For example, you might take echinacea for two weeks, then pause for one week, then repeat.

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OTHER NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS

image  Grapefruit Seed Extract

Unlike the other natural antibiotics mentioned in this book, grapefruit seed extract is a relatively new remedy. In fact, it was only in 1964 that Dr. Jacob Harich discovered its antibiotic substances. The story of its discovery is also fairly unique, as it occurred not in a laboratory but in a compost pile. Dr. Harich had become intrigued by the fact that, unlike all the other plant wastes in his compost pile that decomposed, the seeds from grapefruit did not decay. For some inexplicable reason they resisted the thousands of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, and yeasts) that customarily teem in compost and ensure the decay of organic matter.

Wishing to know the reason for this, he analyzed the seeds. He discovered that an extract of the seeds (and pulp), when administered to patients suffering from infectious diseases, proved capable of healing them. Later tests and studies revealed that grapefruit seed extract not only possessed a very powerful antibiotic action but also covered a very broad spectrum, as it was effective against bacteria as well as viruses, fungi, and parasites. All the studies performed since this time have only confirmed that grapefruit seed extract is a powerful antibiotic, and—something that is not insignificant—it has no side effects.

The antibiotics contained in grapefruit seed extract are bioflavonoids, substances that possess a chemical structure quite close to that of vitamins. There are thousands of different kinds; those contained in grapefruit seed extract are primarily neohesperidin, hesperidin, nomilin, and naringin. In addition to their antibiotic properties, these bioflavonoids are also very powerful antioxidants (they are twenty times stronger than vitamin C and fifty times stronger than vitamin E).

The antibiotic properties of grapefruit seed extract penetrate the body rapidly; they are already active in the tissues twenty minutes after ingestion. Because of its broad spectrum of action, grapefruit seed extract is indicated for almost all infectious diseases.

Dosage

As you can see, the body’s daily dosage equates to ¼ drop of grapefruit seed extract per pound of body weight. In the case of acute violent infections, the dosage can be adjusted (up to ½ drop per pound a day). In chronic and generalized infections, like chronic candidiasis, it is recommended to start with small doses and gradually increase them to avoid having the body become overwhelmed by germ cadavers.

GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT: RECOMMENDED INTERNAL DOSAGES BY BODY WEIGHT
BODY WEIGHT GRAPEFRUIT SEED EXTRACT DAILY DOSAGE
   20 lbs    5 drops
   40 lbs   10 drops
   60 lbs   15 drops
   80 lbs   20 drops
  100 lbs   25 drops
  120 lbs   30 drops
  140 lbs   35 drops
  160 lbs   40 drops
  180 lbs   45 drops
  200 lbs   50 drops

Gargle (for sore throat): Dilute 10 drops in 8½ fluid ounces.

Compress (for wounds): Dilute 10 drops in 8½ fluid ounces.

Nasal irrigation (for colds, sinusitis): Dilute 1 to 3 drops in 3.4 fluid ounces.

Vaginal irrigation or colonics: Dilute 7 drops in 8½ fluid ounces.

Ointment (for herpes, canker sores, mycosis, warts): Dilute 2 to 8 drops in 1 teaspoon of sweet almond oil.

Note: Grapefruit seed extract comes in the form of an extremely concentrated, thick liquid. For commercial purposes, it is slightly diluted in vegetable glycerin and a little water, though it remains quite concentrated and caustic. To be used therapeutically it absolutely must be diluted again in water. This extract should never be used undiluted. If it accidentally comes into contact with the eyes, mucous membranes, or skin, quickly rinse it off with large quantities of lukewarm water. Grapefruit seed extract should not be confused with the grapefruit essential oil, which does not have the properties of the extract.

image  Lapacho (Tabebuia impetiginosa)

Lapacho—also called pau d’arco—is a tree native to South America that is widespread in Brazil, Peru, and Argentina. Its medicinal properties have been known for centuries. The Incas made wide use of it, and today lapacho is a common folk remedy among the peoples of South America.

Lapacho grows in humid tropical forests at high altitudes (up to 5,000 feet). It can reach 130 feet in height. This tree belongs to the Bignoniaceae family. There are close to six hundred species of lapacho, but less than a dozen possess medicinal properties. Tabebuia impetiginosa is the species most often used in therapy, though you will sometimes find it called Tabebuia heptaphylla, Tabebuia avellanedae, Handroanthus impetiginosus, or Tecoma curialis.

The active substances of lapacho are contained in the inner bark or sapwood—that is, the part that is found between the outer bark and the heart of the tree. To obtain it, the trunk of the tree is stripped of its bark and the sapwood is then manually separated from the outer bark. At this stage it looks like reddish-brown strips, which will be broken down into smaller pieces.

The first scientific studies performed on this tree date back to 1885. Since then numerous studies have been pursued in laboratories and universities all around the world. Extensive clinical studies have been conducted in Saõ Paulo, Brazil, where physicians have used lapacho to successfully treat a wide range of infectious ailments.

In Europe lapacho is known mainly as an anticancer plant, but it also possesses powerful antibiotic properties with a broad spectrum of action. In fact, in South America it has been used primarily to fight against fevers and microbial infections in general. Its effects are considered to be so wonderful that the rural populaces gave lapacho the nickname of “miracle tree” and “divine tree.”

The antibiotic substances of lapacho are lapachol, xylidine, and quercetin, as well as eighteen kinds of quinones. These substances have been revealed as highly effective in neutralizing or destroying:

The great effectiveness of lapacho in infectious diseases is due to the fact that, in addition to its antibiotic properties, it is a powerful stimulant of the immune system, whose activities it reinforces and supports. Because of its purifying properties and its ability to address deficiencies, it is also a prime corrector of the body’s cellular terrain and an effective blood and cell regenerator.

Lapacho is available is specialty shops in the form of dried bark (for making tea), tinctures, and tablets. It has no contraindications and can be used by anyand everyone.

Lapacho is most commonly used in the form of tea. Its active principles must be extracted from the ligneous tissues of the bark, so it is imperative to boil the bark for several minutes—in other words, you must prepare lapacho as a decoction. To do that, bring 1 quart of water to a boil, then add 1½ tablespoons of lapacho. Cover. Let it boil for ten minutes, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for fifteen minutes. Strain out the bark, and then add fresh water to bring the total volume of the tea back to 1 quart.

Dosage

image  Propolis

Propolis is a viscous substance that bees use as cement, putty, and varnish in their hive. They use it, for example, to construct defensive barriers, particularly at the entrance of the hive to protect it from unwanted visitors and from the rigors of the climate. It is from this function, incidentally, that propolis gets its name; in Greek, propolis means what is in front (pro) of the city (polis), implying in this case the “city” of the bees.

Bees also use propolis to plug up cracks and fissures, to repair and consolidate defective layers, and to varnish the inner surfaces of the hives. This varnish is applied to get rid of rough patches, but it also serves to disinfect the hive. The need for strict sanitation is easy to understand once you realize that some forty thousand to fifty thousand bees live in the close quarters of the hive, that in the summer they are continuously in contact with the outside world (and thus highly likely to return with germs), and that in winter they huddle up into a packed cluster in the hive.

Bees manufacture propolis from the resinous, gummy, and balsamic substances they harvest from the buds and bark of trees (especially conifers and poplars). Worker bees collect these substances in spring and autumn, when they are not occupied with harvesting f lowers. The bees transport these substances in the baskets of their back feet, as they do pollen, and mix them with their own secretions. Every hive produces 100 to 200 grams of propolis a year. Depending on its origin, propolis can be clear yellow to dark brown in color. Its flavor is slightly bitter and acrid, and its odor is pleasant and sweet.

The disinfectant properties of propolis have been known for thousands of years. The people of ancient Egypt and Greece took full advantage of these properties. Aristotle mentioned propolis as a remedy for afflictions of the skin, wounds, and suppurations. In Rome, Pliny the Elder spoke of its effectiveness against incurable boils, ulcers, and abscesses. Recommended in the Roman world (by Galen), the Arab world (by Avicenna), and the Incan world, propolis has enjoyed times of both glory and oblivion. Its fame reached its peak around 1900 during the Boer War in South Africa thanks to its quite exceptional ability to disinfect and heal the wounds of the soldiers involved in this conflict. After that time its popularity waned, but with the current resurgence in interest in natural medicine, its use has spread.

The antibiotic substances of propolis are primarily benzoic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, galangin, pinocembrin, and pinobanksin. They are active against:

Though propolis acts against all four categories of germs, its action is especially powerful against the bacteria.

For its therapeutic use, propolis is given in three basic forms:

The paste and fragments are recommended for infections of the mouth, throat, and upper respiratory tract (nose, sinuses, etc.). Having to chew the remedy—until it has dissolved and can be swallowed—keeps its active principles in contact with the site of the infection for longer than they would if the propolis was simply ingested.

The gel caps and the tincture are recommended for infections of the digestive and urinary tracts. Fragments can certainly be swallowed to treat these diseases, but in that case they are swallowed without being chewed.

Propolis provides rapid results. If no improvement is seen after several days of treatment, then it is better to try another natural antibiotic rather than persisting.

Dosage

Note: Propolis has no contraindications. At the very most it can, when chewed, impart a slight burning sensation to the mouth, and it can cause minor bouts of diarrhea in extremely sensitive individuals.

 

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