[Herbalist] Question

wjwakefield@juno.com wjwakefield at juno.com
Fri Feb 7 06:33:48 PST 2003


Echinacea, short term use (up to 6 weeks) helps boost the immune system,
especially when dealing with respiratory-type problems.  And of course,
onions and garlic.  For folks with compromised immune systems (HIV,
chemotherapy, etc.), commonly recommended herbs are cat's claw (uno de
gato) or astralagus.  Any would be worth a try - I am not aware of
significant side effects, interactions, or caveats with any of the above.

Some things that sometimes work on infected wounds include raw onion
juice - this stings and stinks, but is effective against some antibiotic
resistant staph and strep organisms, the most common sources of wound
infection.  Also discussed on this list in the past are honey and sugar,
which seem to inhibit the growth of organisms and promote granulation of
the wound, which speeds healing, as I recall.  I can't locate that
discussion right now - perhaps the gentles that sent the info in the
first place could summarize?

Some of the essential oils are good disinfectants, such as clove, thyme,
sage.  But these should not be applied undiluted to the skin, and
dilution would reduce the effectiveness.  Myrrh, calendula, and raspberry
leaf are also reputed to be antiseptic.

An old folk remedy calls for putting maggots on the wound, as they will
only eat the necrotic (dead) tissue, but I am not sure I could stomach
that remedy!

Let us know what you try, and if anything works.

HL Suzanna, herbalist, Barony of the Steppes, Kingdom of Ansteorra
(Dallas, TX)


On Thu, 6 Feb 2003 14:58:54 -0600 lizdenpeters at juno.com writes:
> Good Gentles,
>
> What herbal/natural options are available to: 1) boost the immune
system,
> and 2) help with an infection (in a wound) that conventional medicine
> cannot identify? Numerous courses of antibiotics of various (expensive)
> kinds have not helped either.
>
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.
>
> Nuala
>
> Gratuitous Disclaimer:  I realize that any suggestions given do not
> obligate me to do them or constitute anything remotely resembling
> liability on the part of anyone suggesting them.
>

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