Adapted from her book, Down There
There are good reasons to use antibiotic drugs. That said, most physicians and healthcare professionals agree that they are often overused. The overuse of antibiotics has created “superbugs” that are immune to the most common antibiotics. But on a more personal level, antibiotics can wreak havoc on your own immune system and gastrointestinal tract.
The good news is that there is an all-natural alternative to antibiotics that I’ve found to be very effective. If your infection is not life threatening, you may wish to try herbs instead of, or in addition to, regular antibiotics. Of the most-often used herbal anti-infectives — calendula, chaparral, echinacea, goldenseal, myrrh, poke, usnea and yarrow — it is the lovely purple coneflower, echinacea, that I most often turn to.
I find echinacea as effective as antibiotics (dare I say sometimes better than!) if E. angustifolia/augustifolia — but not E. purpurea — is used when you make your own tincture; tincture, not capsules or teas, is used; the root, and only the root, is used; and very large doses are taken very frequently.
To figure your dose of echinacea, divide your body weight by two; take that many drops per dose. There are about 25 drops in a dropperful; round up to full droppers. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, take 90 drops/4 dropperfuls. There is no known overdose of echinacea tincture. With acute infection, I take a full dose every 2-3 hours. When the infection is chronic, I take a full dose every 4-6 hours.
Many infections can be countered by echinacea alone. But, when there is a deeply entrenched infection in the pelvic area, for example, I add one dropperful of poke root tincture to my one-ounce bottle of echinacea. Poke is an especially effective ally for men with prostatitis, women with chronic bacterial vaginal infections or PID, and anyone dealing with an STD/STI or urinary tract infection (UTI).
There are many good-quality vendors who sell echinacea root. To make your own echinacea antibiotic tincture: Put 4 ounces, or 115 grams, of echinacea cut root in a quart jar. Fill the jar to the top with 100-proof vodka. Cap tightly, and be sure to label it and keep it safely out of children’s reach. Wait at least six weeks before use. This tincture is even more potent after one year.
I worked in the medical profession for a little over 12 yrs. You are so right about the overuse of antibiotics. Patients would call in with the sniffles or sore throat and want an antibiotic right away. Most were always looking for that quick instant fix without even trying to let the virus run its course, gargling with warm salt water, etc. Some doctors would say no and there were quite a few that would call in the prescription. This misuse and overuse of antibiotics can create problems later in life when a person may truly need this medication and it won’t work because their bodies have built up a tolerance for it. I have used colloidal silver over the years with success. Thank your Susun for this info on echinacea tincture. I will pass this info along and I will try it.
Hi Susan,
This is really helpful! I was wondering if you might be able to recommend some specific echinacea products/poke root products, as I can’t make the tincture myself.. Or maybe the proportions to look out for?
thank you!