Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria (Medicinal Herb Guide) [Paperback]

Stephen Harrod Buhner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 1999 | Series: Medicinal Herb Guide

Current information about antibiotic resistant microbes and the herbs that are effective in fighting them.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Stephen Buhner has arrived at (and shares with you, the reader) the frightening truth you won't find in the Journal of the American Medical Association: We are running out of weapons in the war on germs.

-- James A. Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy

The era of the penicillin miracle is over. Through our indiscriminate use of pharmaceutical antibiotics in hospitals and factory farms, humans have created "Superbugs" -- tenacious and virulent bacteria that develop resistance to solitary antibiotic compounds at an alarming speed.

In this empowering book, Stephen Buhner offers conclusive evidence that plant medicines, with their complex mix of multiple antibiotic compounds, are remarkably effective against drug-resistant bacteria. You'll learn how antibiotic herbs such as aloe, garlic, and grapefruit seed extract represent our best defense against bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, and Salmonella -- and how their use will ensure that, in the future, antibiotic drugs will still be there when we really need them.

About the Author

Stephen Harrod Buhner is the award-winning author of fourteen books, including Sacred Plant Medicine, The Lost Language of Plants, Healing Lyme, Ensouling Language, Herbs for Hepatitis C and the Liver, and The Secret Teaching of Plants. He lectures throughout the United States on herbal medicine.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; 1 edition (January 8, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580171486
• ISBN-13: 978-1580171489
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #56,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Medical Books > Medicine > Internal Medicine > Infectious Disease > Communicable Diseases
  • #68 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Microbiology

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

107 of 109 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! November 30, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Stephen Buhner continues the run of great books he has been giving us with one of the best overviews in print of why bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics. The book is extremely user friendly and the herbs can be searched individually or searched by resistant bacteria. Scientific studies show how each herb has been tested against particular resistant bacteria. Dosages, preparation and use are all easy to find. A truly great book in an important field. I highly recommend it!

86 of 87 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INCREDIBLE BOOK December 19, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Using leading-edge scientific research author Stephen Buhner reveals the little-known world of bacteria and their amazing ability to develop defenses to pharmaceutical antibiotics. Citing many of the world's leading bacteriologists he shows how bacteria will eventually develop immunity to most antibiotics - that the window of opportunity we have had as a species during the antibiotic era is almost over. He then comprehensively explores the most recent scientific research on the plant compounds that have been found in in vivo, in vitro and in human trial to be effective in treating antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. The book looks at the ten primary antibiotic-resistant disease organisms and those plants that have been found in clinical trial to be effective for their treatment. This book is a must have! It begins a long overdue exploration of more ecologically sustainable approaches to the treatment of disease with substances that are ecologically sustainable. The author's firm grasp of his subject matter and the comprehensive nature of his treatment of the subject make this a book that will continue to be useful for years to come. Highly recommended!

196 of 224 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars No mention of the most important antibiotic herbs September 11, 2011

By negu

Format:Paperback

Plenty of mention of unsubstantiated or even partially invalidated herbs like echninacea, eucalyptus coupled with fluff and really surface-level ubiquitous information one can get in any herbal book gets "Herbal Antibiotics" my one-star review.

Maybe I'm being too harsh but I believe it's foolish and off-putting for a book about herbal antibiotics to omit of any of the following: oregano, thyme, olive leaf, chinese scullcap, turmeric. These are among the most important antibiotic herbs cited in several similar books and substantiated by scientific studies on pubmed, nih and medical universities abroad. To fact check me, look up some of the 'active' molecules contained within those herbs: carvacrol, eugenol, thymol, curcuminoid in google- first hit should be wikipedia- read it then thank me for not wasting money on this book.

I think it's funny how we herbalists cherry pick from recycled, syndicated, reworded-a-thousand-times-over information that essentially can be traced back to an historically-fascinating, folklorically-relevant but outdated 'A Modern Herbal'. Such is the case of the author's section on eucalyptus, which imo, is just intellectually lazy bordering on negligent. Why the heck, I ask, can't any of us herbalist seem to do actual, real research?

Go deep or go home.

I don't own this book thank goodness, I skimmed through it at a bookstore and rolled my eyes so much i almost broke something. Because it's so much like others- it's fluff heavy and thin on reality. A better book, "Prescription for Herbal Healing". Thorough enough. Right-headed, some good research there.

There is an inherent bias among herbalist that says, "if it's called an 'herb' it must be 'healing' because that's what they do". I disagree.... Some herbs are just fancy vegetables or pretty flowers. One would have to distill seven hundred thousand tons of them to get anything useful and effective in the body orally or anally (should you be so inclined) from them.

So can anyone here name an active chemical compound in eucalyptus that has antibiotic activity? Ok I'll help. Cineol/eucalyptol. It has been shown not to be antibiotic, and too much in the body is instead toxic. The author is simply wrong in mentioning it. There is one reference to a study showing efficacy against rhinosinusitus. How? Because eucalyptol does reduces cytokine activity (inflammation) allowing your body to heal itself. The herb's not an antibiotic. Fool!

How about this for a book on herbs as antibiotics:

What is your metric for 'grading' the antibiotic activity of each of these? Does one show activity against listeria, e. coli, candida, some other class of microbe pathogen? Efficacy in vitro or in vivo or in monkey? C'mon folks, let's change our rubric to a more scientific one, otherwise doctors get to be right about everything, and our books-like this one-get to read like the same old hippie yippie bark chewing nonsense.

What would have pleased me in this book, is an exhaustive biochemical assay of each molecule in every herb in the book. And I want each of those researched to exhaustion. No studies show efficacy, the herb sucks, toss it from the book. Read more ›

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars new insight into bacteria, good info on certain herbs May 14, 2009

By Carolyn Dumond

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have several books on herbs and vitamins. Altho this book is 9 years old, the information about how bacteria become resistant was a real shocker! The author has much more specific information regarding the major bacteria types, what illnesses they relate to, and which herbs and plants (and vegetables) will most directly attack that bacteria. In this age of worldwide pandemics, this stuff is good to know. Also, he does not advocate forgoing antibiotics....just using them more sparingly. Great resource book

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Small book with good information December 4, 2010

By Laura De Giorgio TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

This book contains useful information on some 15 herbal remedies that may help to defend the body against bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. The top 15 antibiotic herbs listed in this book are: acacia, aloe, cryptolepsis, echinacea, eucalyptus, garlic, ginger, goldenseal, grapefruit seed extract, honey, juniper, licorice, sage, usnea, and wormwood. The author also offers alternatives to these herbs in case that you can find them, or that you can't take them for some reason.

In the second part of the book, the author goes over the herbs that can help you to strengthen your immune system like ashwagandha, astragalus, boneset, red root, siberian ginseng, as well as alternatives.

You'll find suggestions on how to prepare herbs, as well as recipes for making herbal teas (infusions and decoctions), oils, tinctures, salves, herbal powders, herbal sprays, even herbal soups.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Herbal Antibiotics- Unique, well written, excellent information September 22, 2009

By Gwen Mcclellan

Format:Paperback

This is an exceptional book that, yes, is not for beginners. That said, it does an extraordinary job of explaining the complex intricacy of microbial existence and function. It provides a list of favored, at times unusual antibiotic herbs, and explicit information regarding the realm each covers. From this book, one can study and glean an essential understanding of how to build a home health chest of herbal antibiotics. As an herbalist, it has augmented my practice in an effective, broadening manner. Many people and animals experience allergy; I have observed that they often tolerate herbs from areas far from the homelands of their ancestors.For this reason, it is important to know a vast array of antibiotic plants that can be custom-considered for individual and situation. He presents several that work beautifully with unusual expertise in specific areas. We have created, and are heading into a time of great microbial problems and illnesses.The greatest challenge of any influenza is the secondary bacterial overgrowth that has the capacity to severely challenge our ability to stay alive. These plants are worthy of our attention and relationship.

Gwen McClellan
Integrative Acupressure Practitioner
Body-Mind Centering Practitioner
Herbalist