We can get an infection from nearly anything, ranging from viruses to bacteria to parasites, and even germs. All of these things can be found nearly anywhere we look. The funny thing is that many of these germs and bacteria can actually be easily found on our own bodies, but they actually have a positive effect on us. Most germs and bacteria colonize on our intestines, respiratory tracts and even our urinary systems. Much of this is what contributes to good immune health and digestion.
Unfortunately, many other types of germs and bacteria have a negative effect when they infect our bodies. This is what herbs and herbal antibiotics are designed to protect our bodies against. This chapter will outline and discuss the different types of herbs and herbal antibiotics that serve as a defense against the bad germs and bacteria that affect us. Many of them you will probably instantly recognize, like garlic, ginger and cinnamon. These culinary herbs are quite popular throughout the world. In addition, there are many other types of herbs and herbal antibiotics that you probably won’t recognize, like Echinacea, usnea, or propolis.
Now granted, both herbs and herbal antibiotics won’t act as quickly or perhaps even as effectively as drugs or other medical treatments for infections and diseases, and that will include most, if not all, of the following herbs and herbal antibiotics. But for even the most serious diseases and infections, these herbs and herbal antibiotics will be immensely beneficial and could even save your life. While there are some side effects associated with herbs and herbal side effects that we will explore and discuss in a later chapter, here are the most common herbs and herbal antibiotics:
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an herb that is excellent for treating infections. Aloe vera is best suited for treating external wounds such as cuts to the skin and flesh, as well as burns. In order to effectively use aloe vera, you simply have to apply it in the form a gel directly to your wounds.
Berberine
Berberine is a chemical that is found in many herbs such as barberry, grapes, and goldenseal. Berberine is unique as it has a major pro and a major con to it. Bad news first? Berberine is simply just plain awful at helping sinus infections, one of the primary infections that most herbs and herbal antibiotics are supposed to treat. This is because that Berberine isn’t as well absorbed from the intestines and intestinal tract, meaning that very little, if any, Berberine will actually be sent up to your sinuses to do help treat it. So if you have a sinus infection, Berberine is definitely not the right option to take.
Now for the good news. Berberine is actually an excellent treatment for treating infections in the intestines, despite it not being very well absorbed by the intestinal tract. Berberine is a great treatment for intestinal infections because it inhibits specific bacteria that can cause damage or negative effects towards the intestines, such as gastrointestinal pains or even diahhrea.
You can also use Berberine to treat eye infections. All you have to do is apply preparations to the infected areas by using it as an eye wash. If you have pinkeye or another irritation to your eyes caused by an infection, all that needs to be done is to use Berberine as an eye wash. However, if the infection continues or is worse, then you should without a doubt consult your doctor before treating your eyes yourself with Berberine eye wash.
Cranberries
Cranberry, believe it or not, is another great herb for treating infections. Cranberry can be taken in the form of a Cranberry juice or even as a tablet. Cranberries are effective as an herbal antibiotic because they inhibit bad bacterial from infecting the body. Cranberries are able to do this by attaching to the lining on the bladder, from which they can proceed to inhibit the infection and stop the bacteria from reaching the kidneys. It’s hard to think that you can potentially stop an infection simply by drinking a glass or two of cranberry juice each day, but you certainly can! Doctors and medical professionals generally recommended drinking a glass of cranberry juice anywhere from two to three times each day. The only real side effect of drinking this much cranberry juice each day is that you could experience some gastrointestinal pain.
Croton Latex
Croton Latex is also immensely effective against infections. Croton Latex comes from the sap of a tree in the Amazon rainforest, and like aloe vera, is best suited when it is applied directly to external wounds such as cuts and burns. In addition, croton latex has the added benefit of being able to protect against further infections by creating a seal over the infected wound, assuming that the wound is external.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is another herb that can also be used effectively to fight bacterial infections. Eucalyptus is best used when it is added as a mint to a pot of boiling water for roughly fifteen to twenty minutes. You should then take the lid off of the pot, and lean your nose over and inhale the vapors of the now dissolved eucalyptus.
Why inhale? Eucalyptus is most effectively used against infections relating to coughs and nasal congestions. Eucalyptus alone is extremely effective in cases relating to this, but it can be even more effective if it is used with peppermint oil that can be dropped into the pot of water. It usually only takes one or two drops of the peppermint to make the new vapors immensely effective, and as you would before, all you have to do is deeply inhale the vapors. However, there are still some precautions that you should take when inhaling eucalyptus. This technique of fighting a nasal congestion and infection is not at all recommended for those with asthma or other types of breathing problems. This is because that inhaling eucalyptus can cause a tightening of a person’s air passages, which is especially bad for someone with those breathing problems. However, if you have asthma or an issue with breathing but still feel that the eucalyptus method is right for you, then you should always consult with your doctor or medical professional first. In addition, you should also avoid internally taking eucalyptus and/or peppermint oils.
Eucalyptus is also known to be effective against open wounds. Instead of inhaling the eucalyptus, all you would do is apply it directly to your open wound.
Echinacea
Echinacea is the best method available to you if you have an infection resulting from or related to a sore throat. Echinacea is a better known herbal antibiotic, and is best used when it is applied directly to the back of the throat as many times as it needs to until the soreness of the throat goes away. Besides making the soreness of the throat go away, Echinacea also treats the infection itself very effectively as well. More research has shown that Echinacea is just as equally effective in treating atypical results from another treatment. So if you develop any issues from another treatment, Echinacea is a great way to treat that.
Many people teas, specifically sage tea, and mint family plants to treat a sore throat; they simply mix it in with some water, and then gargle it in the back of their throat. However, more and more studies have shown that neither teas nor mints are as effective as Echinacea at making a store throat feel better. Echinacea is sterile, numbs the throat, and immune to any other diseases as well. This does not mean that sage tea or the mint family plants won’t be effective, but Echinacea will definitely be more so and therefore should be your first choice. Usually, you only need to add one or two drops of Echinacea added to one cup of salty water, shake it vigorously, and then gargle it at the back of your mouth for it to be effective. It’s important that after you are finished gargling, that you spit the mixture back out. Echinacea is very strong, and therefore should not be entirely consumed.
One of the beauties of Echinacea is that even though it is sterile and has very strong antibacterial properties, it also has the unique ability to help people recover much faster than from other anti-infectious treatments like sage tea and mint plants. This is one reason why Echinacea is so much more effective than either of those options. This is why Echinacea is referred to as having immune enhancement properties. While it’s not clear yet why or how Echinacea is able to do so, studies have shown that Echinacea also has the ability to inhibit respiratory bacteria, which is the cause of strep throat in most people. Respiratory bacteria can cause illness and a number of complications that will require antibiotics. However, Echinacea, when taken in the right amounts and at the right number of times as prescribed to you by your doctor, will greatly aid in eliminating the respiratory bacteria.
Garlic
Garlic is perhaps one of the most well known herbs that can be used in treatment. It’s also one of the most effective. As we have seen so far in the different types of herbs and herbal antibiotics that we’ve been discussing, most herbs are effective against only one type of infection, and therefore only work in one particular treatment. This is not true of garlic. Garlic is effective against a wide range of germs and bacteria, and furthermore, supports a healthier immune system as well. Even centuries back when the Black Plague swept over Europe and tragically claimed millions of lives (which ended up to be over a quarter of Europe’s total population), many people were able to stay alive just by sufficing on garlic, or mixtures of foods or beverages that contained garlic within them. Why? Because garlic was the one herb that could successfully resist against all the different infections that people were being attacked with.
Garlic is able to work against Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Proteus, Pseudomonas and Mycobacterium, four of the most common types of bacterial infections. It’s also known to be effective against diarrhea, vomiting, fungi like Cryptococcus and Trichophyton, and parasites like leishmania and Trypanosomes.
But even though it is very common, garlic is perhaps the most powerful herb to treat infectious diseases. The most unique thing about is perhaps that garlic only attacks the bad bacteria that infect the body and not the good bacteria. This is because garlic will only attack the bacteria that are causing the disease to happen inside the body. Since most good bacteria and germs do not cause infections and diseases, they are left alone by the garlic.
Garlic’s overall effectiveness have led many to call it the all purpose herbal antibiotic. It can also be mixed in with other substances if you want to avoid taking just plain garlic. In this case, garlic is best mixed with either honey or juice if you want it to maintain its maximum effectiveness. In addition, garlic will also aid in bolstering the health of the immune system, and lower blood pressure. These facts make it possibly the best choice available to fighting against bacterial infections in the intestines and the lungs.
Numerous scientific studies have been conducted to show the overall effectiveness of garlic, and to prove that it is worthy of its rightful title of the all purpose herbal antibiotic. Studies have shown that people who take either garlic or a garlic supplement for three months at a time would be much less susceptible for infections ranging from the common cold to influenza to viruses to pneumonia.
But as with any herbal antibiotic, or any medical treatment for that matter, there is a certain downside that comes with garlic. Garlic loses much of its effectiveness when it is exposed to heat, since hotter temperatures eliminate the anti-microbial components of garlic. This is a flaw that applies to many of the other herbs and herbal antibiotics that are listed in this chapter. As a result, garlic is best kept stored in a cool place and best consumed either as a supplement, raw, or as a light mixture. You can also even use garlic as a paste to apply it directly to the infected area of your skin. Simply mix some garlic and olive oil together, add it to a gauze or cloth, and apply to the infected wound for at least one hour. At that point, you can remove the gauze and your infected wound should be healed in only a matter of time.
Ginger
Ginger is best used as an herbal antibiotic if you are experiencing an upset stomach, nausea, and/or diahhrea. The alcoholic components of ginger are in particular very active against infectious bacteria that affect the intestines, the skin, the respiratory tract, and soft tissues throughout the body. Ginger also works very well as an anti fungus treatment. But in the same tradition of garlic, ginger’s primary flaw is that it is very susceptible to heat. If it is exposed to these hotter temperatures, the anti-bacteria and anti-germ components of ginger are neutralized and entirely disabled. As a result, ginger is best taken either as a capsule supplement, raw, or as a very light mixture (in a way that doesn’t take away its anti-bacterial components).
Ginger is very similar to a number of other culinary spices such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, chili peppers, and horse radish. These culinary spices, in addition to being an excellent herbal antibiotic, can also enhance the flavor of your food. So if you think about it, not all medical treatments taste bad after all! You can try eating your favorite meal by adding either ginger or these other culinary spices to it, and your treatment of a bacterial infection is underway! The only concern that you’ll need to keep in mind here is that you can’t allow the anti-microbial effects of the herbs be neutralized when it is mixed in with food, so you should conduct further research to see if adding it to your favorite food will do so. Chances are, however, that it will now.
Goldenseal
Goldenseal is a powerful herbal antibiotic for infection relating to giardia, diarrhea, vomiting, and pneumonia. But because goldenseal is so strong and powerful, you should use it with extreme caution if you are sick or have another condition. You should always consult with your doctor first before using goldenseal.
GSE
GSE is an herb that comes from the seeds of grapefruit. While GSE is extremely effective against bad bacteria, it comes with one major flaw: there is nothing to stop it from killing off the good bacteria and germs in your body as well. GSE is another herbal antibiotic that you will definitely need to consult with your doctor first before using.
Mint Family
Multiple plants in the mint family are used as counter infectious, culinary herbs. Believe it or not, but it is the unique, literal taste of mints that make them work. The characteristic taste contains chemicals and oils that are in and of themselves antimicrobial. These include thyme, oregano, basil, lavender, peppermint, and spearmint. The best way to use mints is to add them to vegetable soup, and is best used to treat infections that relate to colds or the flu.
Other herbs and herbal antibiotics that are also effective against colds and the flu include elderberries and licorice. Elderberries in particular will enhance the health of your immune system and protect your body against influenza viruses, something that few other herbs and herbal antibiotics will do. While elderberries cannot completely stop influenza, they can shorten the duration of it. Licorice is also healthy for the immune system, since it uses the kidneys to produce sodium and water in the body. However, both elderberries and licorice should be avoided by those who have illnesses or diseases relating to their kidneys, or have high blood pressure.
Propolis
Propolis comes from bees in medical trees. It is one of the most efficient natural substances for infections that result from direct, outer wounds to the body. They are also useful to fight against colds and the flu, when they can be used as a liquid and simply applied to the back of the throat.
Tea
Tea, especially the tea that comes from the Tea tree native to Australia, has oils that will be deadly to bad bacteria that infect the body. Tea is most effective against yeast and staph bacteria, but it is also useful in stopping the gathering of bacteria in the nose and the skin. In addition, tea has also been shown to be a powerful deterrent against fungus, which is why it’s commonly used to treat athlete’s foot. Scientific and medical studies have shown that tea is best utilized when it is used two times every day for half of a year. This will improve the symptoms you are experiencing from the bacterial infections, and in a smaller number of cases, tea even completely cures the infection.
And of course, as with any herbal antibiotic or medical treatment, there are disadvantages to tea. The two primary disadvantages is that the tea oil should not be taken if you have sensitive or skin irritation, since tea oil is often the best utilized when it is applied directly to the skin. Tea oil should also only be taken externally, and not internally.