Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria (58 page)

Inula
(elecampane).
Tincture, fresh root, 1:2; dried root, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 4x daily.

Iris missouriensis
(blue flag).
Tincture, dried root only, 1:5, 80 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–20 drops up to 3x daily. Not for long-term use.

Iris versicolor
(blue flag).
Same as for
I. missouriensis
.

Isatis
(woad).
Tincture, dried leaf or root, 1:5, 25 percent alcohol. Both leaves and root should be heated in the water to be used for the tincture, to a boil, and left to steep until cool; then add alcohol. Dosage: as a tonic, 30 drops up to 6x day; for acute conditions, 1 tsp up to 10 times day. Decoction, root: 10–30 grams (
⅓
–1 ounce) of the root boiled for 30 minutes. Dosage: 1 cup 3x daily for a max of 3 weeks. Decoction, leaf: 9–15 grams of the leaf as a tonic, 60–120 grams in acute conditions, boiled for 30 minutes. Dosage: 1 cup 3x daily.

Juglans major
(black walnut).
Tincture: fresh leaf, 1:2; dried leaf, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 3x daily. Tincture, dried hull, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–50 drops up to 4x daily.

Juniperus
(juniper).
Tincture, dryish berries, 1:5, 75 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–20 drops up to 3x daily. Tincture, fresh needles, 1:2. Dosage: 30–50 drops up to 4x daily.

Krameria
(rhatany).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol, 10 percent glycerin (or not; I haven't noticed a problem without glycerin). Dosage: 20–50 drops up to 3x daily. World–class astringent.

Lactuca
(wild lettuce).
Tincture, fresh herb in seed, 1:2. Dosage: ½–1 tsp up to 3x daily.

Larrea
(chaparral).
Tincture, leaves and small twigs, 1:5, 75 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Leonurus cardiaca
(motherwort).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb, 1:2. (Would not suggest using the dried plant at all.) Dosage: 30–60 drops up to 4x daily. Up to ¼ fluid ounce at a time, in water. Exceptional if combined with
Pedicularis
, equal parts.

Leptandra
(Culver's root).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily. I prefer this herb in combination formulas. Nice herb but very strong.

Ligusticum porteri
(osha).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–60 drops up to 5x daily. Very intense.

Lobelia inflata
(lobelia).
Tincture, fresh flowering plant, 1:4, pure grain alcohol. Dosage: 5–20 drops up to 4x daily. Skip the dried plant; it's relatively useless. Tincture, fresh seed, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 3–10 drops.

Lomatium dissectum
(lomatium).
Tincture, fresh root, 1:2; tincture, dried root, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 4x daily.

Lycium pallidum
(wolfberry).
Tincture, fresh herb, 1:2. Dosage: 15–40 drops up to 4x daily.

Lycopus
(bugleweed, water horehound).
Tincture, fresh herb, 1:2. Dosage: 15–40 drops up to 3x daily.

Lysichiton americanum
(western skunk cabbage), my favorite.
Tincture, freshly dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Mahonia
(Oregon grape).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–60 drops up to 3x daily. Infusion or cold water percolation: 1–3 fluid ounces up to 3x daily. More in acute GI tract conditions.

Malva neglecta
(mallow).
Infusion: 2–6 fluid ounces as needed. Highly useful as part of decoction mix for cough syrups.

Marrubium
(horehound).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb, 1:2; dried plant, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 4x daily. (Yuck, talk about bitter.) Exceptionally useful as part of a combination decoction for cough syrups.

Matricaria
(chamomile).
Tincture, fresh flower, 1:2; dried flower, 1:5, 45 percent alcohol. Dosage: 100–150 drops up to 3x daily.

Matricaria matricarioides,
a.k.a.
discoidea
(pineapple weed)
. Same as for
Matricaria
.

Medicago sativa
(alfalfa).
Infusion, dried flowering plant: usually in the morning, or as needed. Exceptionally good blended with red clover and wild oat straw, equal parts.

Melissa officinalis
(lemon balm).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb, 1:2; recently dried flowering herb, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: ½–1 tsp in warm water up to 4x daily. Tincture for external use: 1:3, 25 percent alcohol, 30 percent glycerine, 45 percent water; use topically for itching skin blisters/shingles.

Mentha arvensis
(poleo mint).
Tincture, fresh herb (in flower if possible just for the added mass), 1:2. Dosage: 1 drop on up.

Mentha piperita
(peppermint).
Same as for
M. arvensis
.

Mentha spicata
(spearmint, yerba buena).
Same as for
M. arvensis
.

Menyanthes
(buckbean, bogbean).
Tincture, whole fresh plant, 1:2; dried plant, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily.

Mitchella repens
(squaw vine).
Tincture, fresh plant, 1:2; dried plant, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: ½– 1 tsp up to 3x daily.

Myrica
(bayberry).
Tincture, fresh root bark, 1:2; dried root bark, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–60 drops up to 3x daily; in acute conditions ½–1 tsp up to 4x daily. Cold water percolation: 2–4 fluid ounces up to 3x daily; in acute conditions up to 6x daily.

Nepeta cataria
(catnip).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb, 1:2; recently dried herb if you must, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: ½–1 tsp up to 4x daily.

Nuphar
(yellow pond lily).
Tincture, fresh root, 1:2. Dosage: 10–20 drops up to 3x daily.

Oenothera
(evening primrose).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb stalk, 1:2. Dosage: 30 drops up to 1 tsp as needed. Tincture, seed, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol, 10 percent glycerine. Dosage: 3–10 drops up to 6x daily.

Olea europaea
(olive).
Tincture, fresh leaf, 1:2; dried leaf, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–40 drops up to 3x daily.

Oplopanax horridus
(devil's club).
Tincture, dried root bark, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–40 drops up to 3x daily.

Opuntia
(prickly pear).
Fresh pad juice, stabilized with 25 percent alcohol: 1–3 fluid ounces up to 2x daily.

Osmorhiza occidentalis
(western sweet cicely).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 45–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Paeonia
(peony).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–25 drops up to 4x daily.

Panax ginseng
(Asian ginseng).
Tincture, cured (red) root, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–30 drops up to 3x daily. Tincture, uncured (white) root, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Dosage: 20–40 drops.

Panax quinquefolium
(American ginseng).
Tincture, all forms of dried roots, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Woods-grown dosage: 10–20 drops 3x daily. Field-cultivated dosage: 20–40 drops 3x daily.

Parietaria
(pellitory-of-the-wall).
Tincture, flowering herb, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 60–90 drops up to 5x daily.

Passiflora
(passionflower).
Tincture, fresh flowering herb (if you can get it in flower; otherwise, just the whole herb), 1:2; dried, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: ½–1½ tsp up to 4x daily.

Paullinia cupana
(guarana).
Take this one as a powder of the seed, 1 tsp in a little water. Makes the mind
clear
and the self energetic. Very unlike caffeine. Tincture the dried seed if you want, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: ¼–1 tsp.

Pausinystalia
(yohimbe).
Tincture, dried bark, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–30 drops. Careful with this one.

Pedicularis
and
P. groenlandica
in particular (lousewort, elephant head).
Same as for
P. bracteosa
below. A lot of people use the species
interchangeably, but
groenlandica
and fernleaf lousewort (
P. bracteosa
) are the only two I have tried, and I think
groenlandica
tastes dreadful. Michael Moore notes the pediculari are semi-parasitic and pick up stuff from their hosts. I generally harvest the fernleaf lousewort that grows among aspen groves and haven't noticed a problem. Moore suggests that you avoid species growing in close proximity to
Senecio
species or toxic legumes. I think the dried herb is useless.

Pedicularis bracteosa
(betony, fernleaf lousewort).
Tincture, fresh plant, 1:2. Dosage: 30 drops up to ½ fluid ounce in water as needed. My favorite of the pediculari. Very nice as a general muscle relaxant, especially if combined in equal parts with motherwort tincture.

Petasites
(western coltsfoot).
Tincture, fresh herb, 1:2. Dosage: 30–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Petroselinum
(parsley).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–60 drops up to 3x daily; I'd mix the tincture in water with this one.

Phytolacca
(poke).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–15 drops up to 3x daily. Not nearly as unsafe as portrayed; nevertheless, use with awareness and be careful with that dose.

Picraena
(quassia).
Tincture, dried bark, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Pilocarpus
(jaborandi).
Tincture, dried leaf, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 15–30 drops in warm water.

Pinus
(pine).
Tincture, needles, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily. Powdered: topically as needed.

Pinus
pollen (pollen pini).
Tincture, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: as a tonic, 10 drops up to 3x daily; as a treatment for specific conditions, 30 drops 3x daily. Not for men under 45 without a specific medical condition. Not generally for women except in certain medical conditions. Not for muscle builders. Contains high amounts of testosterone. Large doses (½ fluid ounce a day or more) will shrink testes and reduce normal testosterone production.

Piper methysticum
(kava kava).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 4x daily. The fresher the root, the better.

Piper nigrum
(black pepper).
Tincture, dried fruit (i.e., peppercorns), 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–15 drops.

Plantago major
(plantain).
Fresh leaf juice, really the only good way to use this plant: 1–2 tbl up to 4x daily. Can be frozen or stabilized with 20–25 percent alcohol. Specific for Crohn's, IBS, intestinal ulceration. Topical poultice of the fresh leaf for splinters, basically, embedded things in the skin. Magic.

Polygonatum
(Solomon's seal).
Tincture, fresh root, 1:2. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily.

Polygonum bistorta
(bistort root).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol, 10 percent glycerin. Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 3x daily.

Polypodium glycyrrhiza
(licorice fern).
Tincture, dried root, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily.

Populus balsamifera
(balsam poplar).
Tincture, fresh early-spring leaf buds, 1:2; very recently dried early-spring leaf buds, 1:5, 75 percent alcohol. Dosage: 15–30 drops up to 3x daily. You can also infuse the early-spring leaf buds in oil for topical use. Yum.

Populus tremuloides
(quaking aspen).
Tincture, freshly dried bark, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily.

Prinos
(black alder).
Tincture, freshly dried bark, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 2x daily.

Propolis (from the hive).
Tincture, 1:5, 95 percent alcohol. Dosage: 5–15 drops in a little honey or straight if you can take it. Doesn't mix well with others.

Prunella
(self-heal, heal-all).
Tincture, fresh plant, 1:2. Dosage: as needed. A highly underrated plant.

Prunus
(choke cherry).
Tincture, late summer or fall bark, 1:5, 60 percent alcohol, 10 percent glycerin. Dosage: 30–90 drops up to 4x daily. I prefer the small, high-mountain varieties, especially in syrups. They really are better. The berries should be dried and added to the syrup decoction as it is cooking.

Prunus persica
(peach tree).
Tincture, recently dried leaf, 1:5, 50 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–60 drops up to 3x daily.

Ptelea
(wafer ash, hop tree).
Tincture, bark, seed, or leaf, 1:5, 65 percent alcohol. Dosage: 10–30 drops up to 3x daily.

Ptychopetalum
(muira puama, potency wood).
Tincture, dried bark, 1:5, 70 percent alcohol. Dosage: 30–60 drops. Careful, this one does have an effect on the male organs of reproduction.