Lyme Disease: Ticking You Off

Best Single Herb: Suma

Best Combinations: Liquid chlorophyll; suma, astragalus, Siberian ginseng, ginkgo biloba, gotu kola; Oregon grape; (IGSII) parthenium, golden seal, yarrow, capsicum (infection-fighting); echinacea; garlic

Other Helpful Supplements: Antioxidants; grape seed/pine bark extract; vitamin C; activated charcoal

Possible Causes: Tick and flea bites (check bedding, pets, carpets, and so on)

Complementary Help: Drinking copious amounts of water drinking (with chlorophyll added); prevention

Lyme disease is caused by spiral bacteria that is carried by ticks. A tick bite spreads the disease, which is characterized by a skin rash, aching muscles and joints, headaches, fever, fatigue, sore throat, and if not treated right away, may lead to arthritis, and sometimes even inflammation of the brain or heart.

About overcoming an ailment with herbs

Lyme disease is most common during tick season, from April to November. Doesn’t leave you with much safe hiking time for harvesting herbs now, does it? Use caution when hiking, and wear long sleeves, pants, and a cap; check yourself and partner occasionally for crawling ticks.

Symptoms vary per person, and, unfortunately, many times symptoms appear weeks after the actual tick bite has healed. Usually this disease is treated with antibiotics. If a tick has bitten you, watch your bite for a rash that resembles a bull’s eye radiating out from the bite. This bull’s eye appears as a red circular spot and can expand in size to 20 inches in diameter. If you see this rash appear, head for the doctors to get it checked.

A Brief History of Lyme

Ticks that normally feast on deer are the ticks that carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. The condition was named after the town of Old Lyme, Connecticut (nice to name a disease after your town, don’t you think?), where Lyme disease was first identified. Some believe the continual encroaching of real estate developments into wildlife habitats is to blame for these new types of diseases. But if you are an outdoor lover, don’t fret — you can use herbs as tick repellents to help prevent a bite in the first place (“B Well,” for more on bites and stings).

Terms related to herbs or holistic health

Adaptogenic herbs are herbs that help the body adapt to stress. These include herbs such as ginseng, suma, astragalus, reishi mushroom, spikenard, and schizandra.

To help fight off infections of any sort, use parthenium, golden seal, yarrow, and a pinch of capsicum as a catalyst. Echinacea and garlic are also well-known infection fighters; take garlic before going out for prevention.

To detoxify after being bit, take four to six capsules of activated charcoal to help stop the spread of poison in the blood. Wash them down with two teaspoons of liquid chlorophyll in a large glass of water. If you are bitten by any questionable bug, take antioxidant vitamins, grape seed or pine bark extract, lots of vitamin C, Oregon grape, and any adaptogenic herbs you might have on hand (such as suma), to help your body cope with the stressful side effects of infection.

Suma: Wrestling with Lyme Disease

When you think Suma, do you think sumo wrestling? Well, wipe that vision of a big black thong out of your mind’s eye, and let’s get back to business! Suma is an adaptogenic herb that can help the body recover from illnesses such as Lyme disease. This herb also has been called Amazon or Brazilian ginseng, and in Spanish it has been referred to as “para todo,” which means “for everything.”

Suma can help get you back on your feet by helping to regulate sugar balance, acting as an aphrodisiac, and serving an immune stimulant. One herbalist claims that it helps fight the virus responsible for Epstein-Barr, and some recent Japanese research insinuates that suma may inhibit some cancer cells.

Herb Lore: information related to holistic health

Suma contains a plant component known as germanium, which is concentrated in plants and has an ability to transport heavy metals from the body, helping the body to detoxify and oxygenate. This information is based on studies from Japanese doctor Kazuhiko Asai, who researches organic forms of germanium. Germanium has been used for treating cancer by inhibiting the spread of cancer cells, improve circulation by inhibiting the blood, and boost the immune system by stimulating the production of interferon.

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