In fact, I actually started taking herbal therapies to treat my Fibromyalgia, before I even knew I had Lyme. Something I am incredibly grateful for as it meant I was addressing the infection without realising it!
Herbal Therapies Helped My Chronic Lyme Disease Symptoms
Herbs took me from being bed and housebound to getting back on my feet and functioning again. I believe they laid the foundations that allowed me to achieve better health (and you can read more about my thoughts on that in this post).
Even now, I continue to take herbs to maintain my better health.
However, I came to realise that– although I shared my personal experience of taking herbs— I never shared much information about them.
I thought I would, therefore, write a blog post about taking herbs for chronic Lyme Disease.
Learn about Herbs for Chronic Lyme Disease
Keep reading to learn which herbs are recommended by Lyme literate medical professionals and to discover the books I personally invested in.
Plus, I’ll share the all-encompassing herbal protocol* I personally decided to follow that made taking herbs for chronic Lyme Disease simple and more affordable.
first A DISCLAIMER
I am not a medical professional and this post is not intended to provide medical advice. I am simply a patient who self-researched and had good success using herbal therapies.
This post is providing information regarding chronic Lyme Disease. The acute/early stage of Lyme Disease requires prompt medical attention and treatment with antibiotics.
I fully recognise that we are all individual and there is no one set path for treating chronic Lyme Disease. What helped me, may may not be suitable for or help you.
Although I am discussing herbs in this post, antibiotics can still be indicated in the treatment of chronic Lyme Disease (especially if there is brain or heart involvement or if highly virulent co-infections are present).
Please consult with your doctor before taking herbal therapies to ensure they are suitable for you and do not interact with any medications or supplements you currently take.
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment that will work for everyone and I am non-judgemental about other people’s treatment choices and ask for the same. I always encourage everyone to do their own research and find what best suits them.
A Note On Lyme Disease Treatment
When it comes to treating acute Lyme Disease*, the answer is obvious. If you have been bitten by a tick and develop symptoms then you need to be treated with a sufficient course of antibiotics.
The sooner antibiotic therapy is undertaken, the more likely it is to be successful and I cannot emphasise enough how important prompt treatment is.
But, what happens if you are bitten but remain asymptomatic (since all ticks carry microbes)? Or you have been given antibiotics but continue to suffer from symptoms?
Moreover, how do you treat Lyme Disease if it has gone undiagnosed for a long time and you develop late-disseminated Lyme Disease (colloquially known as chronic Lyme Disease)?
Too many people– like myself– go undiagnosed for years because of the non-specific symptoms (not everyone develops a bull’s eye rash) and difficulties in diagnosing Lyme Disease.
For me, the above situations are when herbs are worth considering.
Why Herbal Therapies?
The concept of herbal therapies is that they work to suppress microbes while enhancing immune function at the same time.
Although people may focus on the killing and suppressing of microbes in treating chronic Lyme, in my opinion, there is actually more to recovery than that.
Without going into too much detail (as that would be an entire topic in itself), tick-borne infections can cause a whole host of problems within the body.
To regain health, treatment needs to look beyond only killing microbes. It needs to be all-encompassing by also:
- Reducing the inflammation caused by the microbes
- Restoring immune function
- Restoring the body’s natural capacity to heal itself (so it can repair the damage done)
- Balancing hormones
Herbs can play a role in helping to achieve this for some people.
Using Herbal therapies
For chronic Lyme Disease, it is recommended that herbs with differing properties are taken together.
Dr Rawls*— a physician who recovered from Fibromyalgia and Lyme Disease himself– describes herbal therapies as being like an orchestra of healing.
Although each individual herb has its own properties, it’s when they come together that they truly become powerful. A concept known as synergy.
With herbal therapies, the idea is to take a number of herbs to essentially cover all bases.
Each individual herb will have specific properties. The theory is that, when used together, herbs will help to suppress a variety of microbes while stimulating the healing systems of the body.
Core Herbal Protocol for CHronic Lyme Disease
Below I have listed what is considered to be the core herbal protocol for chronic Lyme Disease, which I have learned from Dr Rawls and Stephen Harrod Buhner.
It has to be said that there are numerous herbs that can be taken (with many doing the same job as the herbs listed below).
This list is simply a starting point and I encourage you to research beyond it too:
Antimicrobial Herbs
- Andrographis
- Japanese Knotweed
- Cat’s Claw
- Sarsaparilla
- Garlic
- Berberine
Adaptogens For Immune ModulatioN
- Cordyceps
- Reishi
- Ashwagandha
- Rehmannia
In addition to these herbs, many people will benefit from mitochondrial support* (energy) and supportive supplements, such as a general multi-vitamin (taken alongside a nutritional program).
The Herbal Program I Chose To Follow
I appreciate that all of this information can feel overwhelming. And, resourcing individual herbs certainly adds up to be pretty costly.
That’s why I personally decided to invest in a complete, supportive herbal program. There are many different ones available but I decided to purchase the Vital Plan Restore Program*.
The Restore Program was formulated by Dr Rawls, who I mentioned earlier. He created the program using his extensive knowledge of herbal therapies and incorporated everything that helped him in his own recovery from chronic illness.
The program includes four different supplements, a diet plan, a 6-month email course and ongoing support from the Vital Plan team. It is all encompassing and is a culmination of everything Dr Rawls has learned put into an easy-to-follow program.
The four supplements included in the Restore Program are:
- Advanced Biotic*: Andrographis, Berberine, Cat’s claw, Japanese Knotweed, Garlic, Sarsaparilla
- Adaptogen Recovery*: Chinese Skullcap, Reishi, Cordyceps, Rehmannia
- Mitochondrial Support*: Glutathione, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Vitamin C, Co-enzyme Q10
- Prevention Plus*: vitamin and mineral supplement that also contains herbal therapies such as Milk Thistle, Pine Bark Extract and Resveratrol
If you decide the Restore Program is for you, you can save $50 on your first purchase by using the code MYRK10 at checkout* on the Vital Plan website.
Unsure which herbal products may help you?
Take this 2-minute survey to get a free personalized supplement recommendation at Vital Plan!*
Resources To Learn More about Herbs For Chronic Lyme Disease
If you would like to learn more about herbal protocols for Lyme Disease (and Lyme Disease in general), I would recommend the following two books.
Unlocking Lyme by Dr Bill Rawls
Unlocking Lyme* is a comprehensive book that covers everything you need to know about Lyme Disease, including treatment protocols.
The book covers what Lyme disease is, why people get sick, the process of diagnosis, plus information on essential support and therapies for getting well.
This includes dosage information on the core herbal protocol for Lyme Disease and more in-depth information on why herbal therapies help.
It is a well-researched book that contains all of the science but in an easy to understand way. You can read my full review of the book here.
Healing Lyme by Stephen Harrod Buhner
Stephen Buhner is a highly-regarded herbalist and author. His book Healing Lyme is a brilliant resource for Lyme practitioners and patients.
I would say that Healing Lyme is a technical book and covers a lot of the science behind Lyme Disease. If you are into the biology behind Lyme Disease you will find this an incredibly fascinating read.
Some, however, may find it a challenging read. That said, it is a well-organised book and you can pick and choose what you want to read.
It does contain Buhner’s core and extended herbal protocol and offers suggestions on what to take for specific Lyme Disease symptoms/problems, such as disrupted sleep.
Buhner also writes books on the common co-infections associated with Lyme Disease.
Herbal therapies won’t be for everyone (and it is important to seek professional medical advice), but following a herbal Lyme Disease protocol was an important part of my own (continuing) recovery.
