My Fantastac Dr in NY

[tcmgpt13]

Hi Terri,

You may want to check out this site where some of the brand of lyme herbs you are using are sold at discount if you buy a lot of them. Also the woman who runs this site has her own herbs for a lyme protocol where it costs $149.95 for 100 days of the protocol. A bit better than $300 per month. Also you can buy many herbs powdered and capsule them yourself. Capsule machines are easily found online and also many health food stores stock them. Shop around for good deals on empty capsules. Besides the bundled lyme herbs you will also find on this page (she bundles several lyme herbs of the brand you are using and charges a lot less for them by doing so) she also has bulk prices on the brand you are using of the single herbs such as cumanda and samento at a good savings as well. I am trying not to call attention to the brand name here.

Susan Ambrosino's Herb Club | 5,000 Chinese, exotic & organic herbs in capsules, liquids & bulk

IMHO many higher priced herbals are just ways to soak the public when there are perfectly good herbs available without all the hype. Often the latin names of herbs are used by companies to confuse the public about what herb they are using. Or as with the herb Samento, companies say that removing TOA from the herbal cat's claw makes it superior. This may or may not be so. Here is an article by Leslie Taylor of Raintree Nutrition herbs on this subject:

The Cat's Claw TOA - POA Controversy

Here is one web page's descriptions of cumanda:

"Cumanda is an herbal extract made from the bark of the Campsiandra angustifolia tree found in the Amazon basin. It has been used by indigenous groups in that region for hundreds of years."

I did a quick search but cannot find this herb in bulk although it is discussed on the Raintree Nutrition site. I believe one of the reasons it is being used is for it anti-fungal properties as well as its ability to treat lyme along with cat's claw. There are other antifungal herbs. I doubt if the natives of the Amazon are paying the high prices that those in the West are being asked to pay for these products. Unfortunately most doctors are not well versed in herbs or in how to use them so they often seem to follow companies which offer them a quick solution for patient illnesses such as lyme.

A interesting herbal book to purchase about lymes which is not too expensive is Stephen Buhner's book on this subject:

Healing Lyme: Natural Healing And Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis And Its Coinfections

He has herbal lyme protocols in his book and there is a website where you may learn more about him and his protocols:

Planet Thrive, a grassroots community for personal wellness

Another thing, it is not that difficult to make your own liquid tinctures from cut and sifted herbs. There are often classes in local communities given by qualified herbalists which will show you how to do this or you can buy books which detail this as well. Just to give you an idea about the mark up found in herbs: Cat's Claw, from the Raintree Nutrition site, is selling for $20 a pound. Think how many capsules can be made from a pound of bulk herbs (this herb is in a form which can be easily made into capsules). Even though powdered this could also be made into tincture. It would make a lot of tincture though granted the alcohol needed to do so would cost some. Comparing prices charged for store bought tinctures it would still be a lot cheaper to make one's own tinctures even after buying the necessary alcohol to extract it.

Herbs given in teas are considered the strongest way to take herbs and are used if the person is acutely ill or a fast response is needed such as someone has been exposed to toxins and the herbs being used are to flush these toxins out quickly. Tinctures are also a stronger way to take herbs and sometimes this is desirable too. Capsules are the next strength to use herbs and then in traditional Chinese medicine herbs are taken in teapill form, often being tonic herbs which are used to build up the body slowly over time.