Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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!

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.

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

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

This book has some great information about using herbs. It is well organized and easy to understand. I have many books on herbology, but this one stands out as a must have. For any who are dealing with Lyme disease and it's co-infections, I highly recommend it.

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.

There is a ton of information in this book, in spite of its relatively small size.

Not only does it provide some excellent specific information relating to herbal antibiotics and antivirals, it provides some very good basic information and recipes for making your own herbal preparations, as well as some good preventative guidelines to help keep you from getting sick at all.

If I had to pare my herbal library down to only a few books, this would be one I'd keep.

I highly recommend it.

This book helped me get a salivary gland staph infection under control. This is a slim, easy-to-read and comprehend book I find as a valuable addition to my other herbal treatment books. And, so necessary in this age of needing a healthy, effective treatment to deal with infections.

Herbal Antibiotics is a book that shows you how single extract antibiotics are losing the battle of infections all over the world, but especially in the United States. Along with the inflated pricing of certain antibiotics is the tale of over use & minimal understanding of the enemy at hand, the bacterium.
Now that we are learning that bacteria not only communicate, but they can learn from eachother; things that the second bacteria didn't even come into contact WITH & become resistant TO, simply by coming in contact with a more experienced bacterium; we are realizing that the simple antibiotics that worked 50 years ago, will no longer suffice.
Considering that for each wholeherb mentioned; that there are over 150 constituents that the bacteria would have to build a resistance to before being able to overcome the antibiotic benefits of that wholeherb, WHY would anyone allow a doctor to demand that their products could EVER work better? Because with the massive dosing system that is now in effect in America, Americans have become used to the "magic bullet" that which works almost instantly & then works until you stop taking it.
Therapeutic levels are artificially created when massive doses are suggested for the 1st week & then not reduced to keep the therapeutic level, well, LEVEL.
The therapeutic level for herbs is much different than that of a single extract huge dose of a pharmaceutical & that turns many people off. It can take from 3 weeks to 6 months for a whole herb herbal pharmaceutical to reach its full potential; & many people don't want to wait that long for a "cure".
Considering how often the first dose of antibiotics doesn't work for people these days & we are reduced to returning again & again to a doctor for more powerful or different antibiotics to "try" again, WHY trust a single product to kill what we are finding out to me multiple bacteria in a community in our lungs, our infections & our bodies? Why wipe out the GOOD bacteria, of which we carry up to 2 POUNDS of good bacteria in our system, to kill ten or twenty BAD bacteria? When we continue to put stress on our good bacteria & kill them off, we invite the bad bacteria creeping into our food chain - to "join with us" & destroy even more good bacteria.
Why not read this book & try some of the multi-antibiotic herbs & spices that cover a broad spectrum of infections. You'll be surprised that Chicken Soup with plenty of garlic & either the Liquid Pledge tasting pickled ginger or the nicer but strong candied Ginger are two of the best broad spectrum antibiotic products that you can use on a regular basis to kick butt on current infections & to boost your immune system & keep you safe from future infections.
Its a good read & an easy book to follow. I'm using a garlic & wormwood mixture on my leg right now & really? After a week, I'm seeing tremendous improvement over the $100 a pill zyvox that I can't even GET from the VA right now that "might" do the trick once more. This is not to say that you can't include your doctor in on what you are doing, you might have a doctor who can learn more & be decent about it. This book simply gives you do-able options to get better & stay better & to be able to advise others on what to do & take for their infections of the lungs, the body & to boost their immune systems. So? Go save a life. At this point, it could be your own. My regards, the herbalist... JGEWolfyOne, admin3pii at ebay & bonanza, [...]