Cistus incanus, estrogen, probiotic

most of the research on it seems to point to it being mainly an antioxidant - or rather a plant containing a number of potent antioxidants

its mechanism of action as an antimicrobial in lyme disease - if in fact it is such - is as far as i am aware - unknown

i think its use for that purpose is based on anecdotal reports and the practice of certain alternative medicine doctors rather than any scientific studies that i have seen.

in any case - herbs/plants/chemicals/drugs do not "tell the difference between good bacteria or bad"

rather - the world of microorganisms is very diverse - some have the cellular machinery to cope with certain chemicals and others do not - and its this diversity that leads to their different responses

in terms of the microbiome in the case of cistus - as mentioned - it has high content of polyphenols - which, in general, is a group of chemicals that tends to cause increase in quantity and diversity of bacteria in the human microbiome - so i would not be concerned about sterilising the gut by using it.

i hope its of some help

Hi @Garzie and @saraeli! Hope all is well in health! I ask this question because I have used Cistus Incanus in the past and OMG I had diarrhea for 7 days straight. Nothing antibacterial had ever affected me that way. Yes, I have had diarrhea here and there with cramps with other things like Lauricidin. But my gosh, cistus incanus diarrhea was a force on it's own. Nothing could stop it. It was explosive for those days. It's either my body is overwhelmed with Lyme or Candida (issue with estrogen dominance). I know many have used it to treat Candida. I very often get tonsil stones, so I know my biofilm production in my body is high. And Cistus Incanus is a biofilm buster. I just wasn't sure whether it would disturb even the biofilm of good bacteria. But I suppose Cistus Incanus never reaches the colon where all the probiotic is, so maybe I shouldn't be too concerned about the small intestinal flora? It is very strong and I think I am very toxic. I haven't used it since that trial years ago cause my bleeding issue started.

Thanks for remembering @saraeli! I'm still dealing with it. Which is why it is important to know if Cistus is estrogenic, since most plants are. The acupuncture I was using was actually making me more estrogenic cause it was helping my liver to limit the flow of blood. Which meant, I didn't detox as normal. I questioned why my thighs and love handles were getting wider as I continued acupuncture. More estrogen somehow makes my blood thinner, which increases the bleeding rate. It's funny cause i thought estrogen causes clots. But then I read estrogen also causes vascular leakiness. I'm sure my ovulation is impacted too. I am waiting for progesterone cream to arrive but for now I am taking high dose Vitamin K1 to slow down the flow. Progesterone will be the key to finally solving this...hopefully.