I started out using Japanese knotweed in capsule form from Green Dragon Botanicals (one of Buhner's recommended sources)
But, after I ran out...I switched over to tinctures. I can put all of them (JK, Sida Acuta, Cryptolepis, Houttuynia, CSA, Hawthorn, Kudzu, Greater Celandine) in 1/4 cup of water.

That would be a lot of capsules to swallow.

I have other supplements in capsule/pill form to swallow..so, I like taking the Buhner herbs in liquid form.

Personally, I like to get my herbs from one of Buhner's recommended sources.

A few he recommends that I have used:

Green Dragon Botanicals (for capsules)
Woodland Essence (tincture)
Sage Woman Herbs (tincture)

I prefer Woodland Essence.

Japanese knotweed is a good herb to start with. It's used in both the Lyme and Bart protocols. It's also good for inflammation, and has blood thinning properties (which can be helpful if you have cardiovascular issues from bartonella)

I see on Buhner's website he says 30 days...I don't remember reading that in his Bartonella book.
I don't know about that...it's certainly taking me longer than 30 days...

The dosage you should start at is low...very low...and raise it slowly.
I mean 1 drop once a day - if okay after a few days, then go to 1 drop twice daily. After a few days, Then 1 drop three X daily.
Then slowly increase...at anytime if you herx...you can go back down to the previous dose...stay there for awhile...and then try to increase.
The dosage is 1/4 - 1/2 tsp 3 X daily. 1/4 tsp = 1 dropperful = approx. 30 drops.

But, not everyone gets to full dose. It's not necessary to be at the top dose for it to be effective.

(Also, it can depend on the size of the person as well...generally a 100 lb person would need less than a 300 lb person)

Japanese knotweed is an invasive species here in the Fraser Valley of BC. Wife and I own a small parcel of land where we want to build a new house for ourselves. Japanese knotweed has taken over this property and this spring was the first time wife and i tried using it. I have gone to harvest it as it is poking its stalks out of the ground. I harvested a bunch where the stalks were up to 1 foot tall. Just eaten raw, they taste like a mild rhubarb. I read on line that it can be prepared like asparagus and i steamed about a pound of it in our steamer where we make rice etc. It was quite tasty and i ate about half a pound. Wife had a few stalks and that is it. Within half an hour i was violently throwing it all out of my system. I will have to be careful how much i intake the product. Wife has made a tincture out of it doing the following. Using my clean table saw, i cut up cleaned roots into chunks of less than a sugar cube. Wife put these chunks into her blender and out came a fine powder. She made a tincture out of it using vodka and she steeped that powder in there. Within 3 weeks that tincture was ready. It does have a really rare taste. It is not unpleasant. Sort of tart. Wife added some wild honey to it and now it is almost like a liqueur. She now uses a teaspoon a day but i am mindful of my earlier experience with it and i restrict myself to 30 drops into a spoon and i have added it to my herb and supplement cocktail. We both have been making some progress in relieving our lyme problems. Wife is ahead of me as my symptoms with a destroyed knee and a destroyed elbow have been much worse. We also have a good stash of the stalks frozen in the deep freeze to start using them as frozen vegetables but we have not yet really done that. We will start one of these days using the stuff instead of store bought veggies. The stalks are best to harvest when they are young each spring. The older they get, the stringier they get. The roots can be taken any time of the year. Just go to your local knotweed patch with a spade and dig out a few of the plants and have fun making things with it. Oh, I forgot, wife also makes tea the odd time using the knotweed. It has an interesting taste.

The knotweed likes to thrive in damp and even wet conditions and it just takes over territory. You should check with your government if your area has the problem of invading knotweed and if this plant is in your area, start eradicating it to save the environment but also start using it to get well. Its fee and it grows all over the place here outside the city. Use it and you will have some fun with this stuff too. xfmlg

Do be careful to double check to make sure it's using actually Japanese knotweed by looking for it's scientific name - Polygonum cuspidatum. I've talked with a few people that have mistakenly purchased resveritrol made from grape seed/skins - this will not treat Lyme.

This is one of the last herbs I've added in and I think I need to back it down. I think I'm herxing as I am really not feeling that great. In a week I went up to 9 drops a day. I think I may have gone up too fast.

All great input already! Fascinating story Xmlfg!

To avoid the alcohol overload, put the tincture in more water and allow it to sit for a few hours so that alcohol can evaporate as much as possible.

I use biopure brand and it's really wonderful. I think it has a "dirt" taste, not awful at all, more subdued with more water.

I also take it in high doses (1.5 dropper twice/day) - took awhile to work up to a high dose.

-p

When I get a full dropper, the entire glass "tube" isn't full.

I squeeze the bulb, put it in the bottle and once immersed I "unsqueeze" the bulb and let it fill.

I couldn't find my 1/4 tsp, so I used my 1/2 tsp and put two dropperfuls in. It did fit. And I counted the drops as I filled the 1/2 tsp. and it was 30 and 31 drops for each. So 60/62 for 1/2 tsp = 30/31 for 1/4 tsp.

My Woodland Essence droppers work out to 30 - 40 drops per 1/4 tsp, depending on how close to over-flowing you want your tsp (Sida Acuta, not J. Knotweed, but would assume they use similar bottles).