Herbal ramp up

Rikky1 said...
So if one wants to get to a full herbal protocol as recommended by someone like Cowden or Buhner, what's the best way to get there? Do it serially (one at a time until you reach recommended dosage) or start more than one in parallel at maybe lower doses?

Also I've heard it said everyone is different in terms of how much ones dosage should be. What are some practical ways to understand what that level is? Thanks.

Good question! I don't know the answer, but I recently started on the Buhner core protocol and I think I started on too many things at once, because my digestive system has been "protesting," if you know what I mean. If I had it to do again I would do one at a time.

That was for Buhner - Cowden has a schedule - that's available on the 'net'.
It may be a too quick of ramping up, though.


Hopefully others familiar with Cowden will chime in.


The dose is varied. I am taking one full dropperful of each herb (JK, Sida, Crypto,) plus 1/3 dropperful of CSA.

I am now going to increase the CSA and lower the Crypto and sida.

I believe one dropperful is equivalent to 30 drops - 1/4 tsp....

Girlie said...
Rikky - since all herbs work synergistically, it is better to get them all in at low dose...and then increase one at a time.

So, start with one herb - one drop ...after a few days,
increase that same herb to one drop twice daily...after a few days.
increase to one drop three times daily,

Now, you can start the next herb - one drop...etc.

At any time you herx...you can go back to the previous dose you were on...wait awhile and then try the increase again.

That's the way I do it as well.

PeteZa said...
I did Buhners and did it all wrong!!! I did one herb at a time and worked up to the dose that was comfortable. Usually 2 droppers full. Then I added in the next herb. I ramped up rather quickly on each herb because I was so anxious to get well and I had lyme brain and could not read well.

In Buhners book it said to "Combine tinctures, equal parts of salvia miltiorrhiza and Scutellaria baicalensis: 1 tsp 3x daily" I so very stupidly did exactly that. I poured both the Red Sage and the Skullcap into a bowl and mixed them up and took them. Exceedingly lucky for me I was not allergic to either one but what if I had of been??? I would have had no idea which one because I had mixed them.

If there was something you could do wrong on Buhner's protocol while doing alone and without any doctor, I certainly did it.

I just was miserable. I was having horrible head pain, brain fog and crying a lot. Anyway, I did it all wrong and it still worked.

Lol im glad it still worked out. I don't think you can do it "wrong" but you can do it in a way that makes you feel much worse then you have to feel.

Yeah dacarte - this will make you sick - I never herxed. Figure that out!! I still look up and give thanks on that one. I haven't shared a lot of this because I was afraid others would think they should do it like me and I did not want them to do that. I totally had it all messed up and just got lucky.

Moderator CD is the only person I have shared this with and she was so awesome in encouraging me and spurring me on. Poor thing..... as a mod she sure had her work cut out for her "trying to help" brain fogged me.

The only conclusion is that I was a huge detoxer way before lyme, I ate horrendously healthy way before lyme and I was overall a very healthy person way before lyme. And I had another thing going for me - I am retired and not scrambling to figure out finances. A lot less stress than those with children, jobs and huge household responsibilities.

The stars were all lined up for me and I figure it is because I need to do something. There is a reason I got lyme.

First course of business is to get the elementary school in our town aware. We don't have a high school. You have to travel 30 minutes to get to a high school. We are remote and in the forest. So, I will figure out a way for our children in the woods are knowledgeable about ticks.