How do I take Houttuynia Powder?

No, it is not a stupid question! I have had to ask so many questions about the right way to take herbs.

According to Buhner (from the latest edition of Healing Lyme pg. 404) he said that about 1/2 to 1 oz.of the dried plant can be decocted (that is briefly boiled) then allowed to cool before drinking. He did say that it can lose some of its antibacterial properties when boiled so it must be boiled very briefly. The boiling will help get rid of some of the fishy taste.

You can encapsulate it using 00 capsules and take 2 capsules 3x daily.

Houttuynia can pack a punch so start out with a very low dose and very slowly if this is your first time using it!

Hope this helps.

We use powdered herbs as well. Start with a very low dose - houttuynia is quite antimicrobial so can cause significant herxing if the dosage is too high.

Buhner also recommends infusions (essentially making tea) and I will assume that you are dosing 3x daily.

Boil some water and measure 1/2 cup into a small Pyrex measuring cup. I would start with 1/8 tsp of powdered herb. Place this into the boiled water. Cover and let cool to room temperature. I usually do this in the evening for the next day. This will give you 1/8 tsp divided by 3 for the next day.

2x daily (ie 8am and 3pm), stir to suspend the herbs and measure 1 1/4 oz of the tea/herbs into a shot glass. Pour this into a larger glass with a bit more water. You can add any tinctures you are dosing at the time into this glass and down it all (suspended herbs and everything). Follow with a pomegranate juice chaser. Yum!

For the third dose (ie 9pm), just use the remainder (will be approx. 1 oz) in the measuring cup.

Buhner says that as the infusion cools, different constituents are extracted at different temperatures; the reason for drinking it cool. You will also be doing an acid extraction (which will extract even more constituents) as the herbs pass through your stomach, the reason why the herbs are ingested along with the tea.

As you add new herbs to your protocol, you can add them to the same 1/2 cup water that you are measuring the houttuynia into now. Dose using the same 1 1/4oz 3x daily.

Right now I am measuring houttuynia, Japanese knotweed, cordyceps, lions mane and reishi powders into the 1/2 cup of boiled water. With each dose I add our tinctures: rhodiola, turmeric, ginger, cilantro, CSA, red root.

Once you get the hang of it, the process doesn't take long at all, especially when you make the infusion the night before.

That is great information Rowingmom! Thanks for posting. =)

This is very confusing to me, I bought houttuynia powder as well, i do not know how to measure 1/4 of a teaspoon, how many tspn is that? or is that half a tbls? I don't feel like I'm taking enough. Then you said, there should be enough for the next day? i rather make new tea everyday. i'm so buying the caps of this next time.

To me, doing all of this tea stuff 3x a day seemed like too much work and too much time.

I mix with water, plug my nose, and drink it.

Easy, powders are cheap, and can't taste a thing with the nose plugged.

Takes all of 60 seconds.