A Mysterious Infection, Spanning the Globe in a Climate of Secrecy
I've never posted on a Sunday before, but I thought this article should be brought to my readers' attention. It might provide added incentive to learn a bit more about natural anti-fungal remedies. Unfortunately, there is no Herbal Antifungals book like there are Herbal Antibiotics and Herbal Antivirals by Stephen Buhner. Both of those volumes are excellent. And both also note which herbs also treat Candida infections. Those volumes might be worth acquiring.
And no, I don't receive any compensation for promoting them. Heck, I don't even have any Amazon Affiliate links or anything like that.
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
Showing posts with label Stephen Buhner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stephen Buhner. Show all posts
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Monday, April 1, 2019
Book Review: Stephen Buhner's Herbal Antivirals
Stephen Harrod Buhner's Herbal Antivirals: Natural Remedies for Emerging & Resistant Viral Infections is another essential volume to acquire for the medical prepping library. Just like his Herbal Antibiotics book, in this volume Dr. Buhner clearly presents information for each of the herbs and viral diseases he discusses, without any fluff. Everything is meticulously researched and documented, though much of the research does comes from outside the United States. Maybe that's a plus.
Buhner starts off this volume with an introduction to viruses, and though he includes the biological explanations of what viruses do, he pretty much keeps it to a level that most non-life science people with a couple of brain cells to rub together can understand. He keeps it at a conversational level, and even a bit entertaining at times. He touches on polio, smallpox, and influenza--the stuff we're somewhat familiar with, and then brings out chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes that causes fever and debilitating pain, for which doctors prescribed acetaminophen. And the cause of death for many of chikungunya's victims was--get this--liver failure from the acetaminophen.
So what's to be done? As Buhner points out, Big Pharma doesn't have a lot of antivirals at its disposal. About 30% of the pages in this volume are devoted to Buhner's top seven antiviral herbs: Chinese skullcap, elder, ginger, houttuynia, isatis, licorice, and lomatium, plus boneset and red root, which merit an honorable mention. However, he also lists the many herbal options and dosages for all the illnesses he discusses; he just doesn't go into elaborate detail on the others. So you'll also learn or be reminded of how to use blackberry, raspberry, oregano, thyme, knotweed, berberine, and many other herbs in your treatment of viral diseases. And he offers some advice and herbal suggestions for strengthening the immune system.
In the appendices, Buhner includes an introduction to making herbal medicine as well as a list of suppliers he recommends. Now, as preppers, we're probably happier being able to produce our own medicine, and fortunately, the author also includes, with his discussion on each of the herbs, guidelines for growing and harvesting the herbs and sources for obtaining seeds or plants. So there's that to look forward to. In addition, the bibliography is over 50 pages long. If you want to find sources for further researching a specific disease or herb, it's all there.
Like Herbal Antibiotics, I think this volume would be better with pictures to help with plant identification. And one other complaint that some readers have is that very little attention devoted to the common cold. To me, that's not a deal breaker. A cold doesn't kill you, and if you strictly practice basic hygiene, common sense, and eat a healthy diet, you shouldn't have too many.
Like with his other books, Buhner's intended audience is those who want a natural, practical, and effective approach to treating viral diseases. In that respect it is also quite invaluable to preppers looking for tools to defend themselves against enemies they can't even see. Buhner provides treatment protocols for viral respiratory infections like influenza, pneumonia, SARS, RSV, and croup; viral encephalitis infections such as Japanese, West Nile, tick-borne, and dengue; and other viruses like enterovirus, varicella (shingles), herpes, and Epstein-Barr.
I'm glad I don't have to choose between getting Herbal Antibiotics or Herbal Antivirals. They are both must-haves, in my opinion. But if I did have to choose, the nod would go to Herbal Antibiotics. Herbal Antibiotics covers the plants you want for treating respiratory diseases, which is probably huge for all of us. I live in a desert where we have almost nothing in the way of ticks or mosquitoes, and much of Herbal Antivirals deals with tick- and mosquito-borne diseases. If I did have to deal with ticks and mosquitoes, or if I were worried about shingles, I'd eat rice and beans for a month and save the money to get this book. There should be a copy in every group, if not every family.
Links to related posts:
Alton's Antibiotics and Infectious Disease, Dr. Joe Alton and Amy Alton
Herbal Antibiotics, by Stephen Buhner
The Herbal Medic, by Sam Coffman
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
Buhner starts off this volume with an introduction to viruses, and though he includes the biological explanations of what viruses do, he pretty much keeps it to a level that most non-life science people with a couple of brain cells to rub together can understand. He keeps it at a conversational level, and even a bit entertaining at times. He touches on polio, smallpox, and influenza--the stuff we're somewhat familiar with, and then brings out chikungunya, a virus spread by mosquitoes that causes fever and debilitating pain, for which doctors prescribed acetaminophen. And the cause of death for many of chikungunya's victims was--get this--liver failure from the acetaminophen.
So what's to be done? As Buhner points out, Big Pharma doesn't have a lot of antivirals at its disposal. About 30% of the pages in this volume are devoted to Buhner's top seven antiviral herbs: Chinese skullcap, elder, ginger, houttuynia, isatis, licorice, and lomatium, plus boneset and red root, which merit an honorable mention. However, he also lists the many herbal options and dosages for all the illnesses he discusses; he just doesn't go into elaborate detail on the others. So you'll also learn or be reminded of how to use blackberry, raspberry, oregano, thyme, knotweed, berberine, and many other herbs in your treatment of viral diseases. And he offers some advice and herbal suggestions for strengthening the immune system.
In the appendices, Buhner includes an introduction to making herbal medicine as well as a list of suppliers he recommends. Now, as preppers, we're probably happier being able to produce our own medicine, and fortunately, the author also includes, with his discussion on each of the herbs, guidelines for growing and harvesting the herbs and sources for obtaining seeds or plants. So there's that to look forward to. In addition, the bibliography is over 50 pages long. If you want to find sources for further researching a specific disease or herb, it's all there.
Like Herbal Antibiotics, I think this volume would be better with pictures to help with plant identification. And one other complaint that some readers have is that very little attention devoted to the common cold. To me, that's not a deal breaker. A cold doesn't kill you, and if you strictly practice basic hygiene, common sense, and eat a healthy diet, you shouldn't have too many.
Like with his other books, Buhner's intended audience is those who want a natural, practical, and effective approach to treating viral diseases. In that respect it is also quite invaluable to preppers looking for tools to defend themselves against enemies they can't even see. Buhner provides treatment protocols for viral respiratory infections like influenza, pneumonia, SARS, RSV, and croup; viral encephalitis infections such as Japanese, West Nile, tick-borne, and dengue; and other viruses like enterovirus, varicella (shingles), herpes, and Epstein-Barr.
I'm glad I don't have to choose between getting Herbal Antibiotics or Herbal Antivirals. They are both must-haves, in my opinion. But if I did have to choose, the nod would go to Herbal Antibiotics. Herbal Antibiotics covers the plants you want for treating respiratory diseases, which is probably huge for all of us. I live in a desert where we have almost nothing in the way of ticks or mosquitoes, and much of Herbal Antivirals deals with tick- and mosquito-borne diseases. If I did have to deal with ticks and mosquitoes, or if I were worried about shingles, I'd eat rice and beans for a month and save the money to get this book. There should be a copy in every group, if not every family.
Links to related posts:
Alton's Antibiotics and Infectious Disease, Dr. Joe Alton and Amy Alton
Herbal Antibiotics, by Stephen Buhner
The Herbal Medic, by Sam Coffman
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
Monday, February 25, 2019
Herbal Medicine--Book Reviews--The Herbal Medic and The HomeGrown Herbalist
I purchased The Herbal Medic, Volume 1 (there is no volume 2) shortly before taking a class from author Sam Coffman and Dr. Steve last summer. Let's start off by saying there is absolutely no wasted space in this book. Sam's extensive experience as a medic in the military and in working
with clients shines through in the book. He does really know whereof he
speaks. He shares that information clearly and succinctly, and in that
respect this book is more like a manual.
Sam covers 50 herbs in 150 pages with color photographs so you can get a better idea of the plants you're looking for. Unlike so very many herbal medicine books, Sam provides detailed instructions of exactly how and when to harvest and how to prepare the plants for maximum efficacy. For this reason alone, The Herbal Medic is the number one choice for preppers wanting to learn more about herbal medicine.
But wait, there's more!
The materia medica, the 50 herbs covered in 150 pages, is actually the last half of the book. In the first half, there's so much more to be really impressed with. Like setting up a clinic. I've never seen anyone anywhere address this issue. How to build the equipment to tincture herbs efficiently and cheaply. And it's something even I could (ask my husband to) build. (Yeah, I don't actually use power tools or sharp, pointy objects. Bad things happen to me if I do.) Childbirth. Makeshift supplies for dealing with tear gas and pepper spray. Keeping a low profile even in a bad situation so that you can still help as many people as possible. There are also chapters on dealing with venomous snake bites and how to distill alcohol. How to make various herbal preparations--extracts, infusions, tinctures, salves, poultices, etc. Honestly, out of 344 pages, there are probably only 3-5 pages that I don't find particularly useful. This book is solid. Naturally, Sam focuses on herbs that are found more in his area of the country, which may not be as useful to someone in an entirely different climate, but really, most of the herbs covered in here grow in most parts of the country.
One thing I hate about buying herb books online is that I can't see what herbs they're covering. I really want to learn more about herbs I can actually grow and use here for my family. Honestly, if something only grows in China or India, I don't care about it at all.
With that said, here is the list of herbs Sam discusses: Algerita, astragalus, bee balm, bilberry (blueberry, huckleberry), birch, boneset, burdock, butterbur, California poppy, chamomile, chaparral, chaste tree, comfrey, dandelion, echinacea, elder, elecampane, gotu kola, greenbriar, horsetail, juniper, licorice, lobelia, marshmallow, milk thistle, mugwort, mullein, myrrh, neem, nettles, Oregon grape, parsley, passionflower, plantain, poke, prickly ash, prickly pear, red root, rosemary, self heal, Siberian ginseng, skullcap, St. John's wort, sweet annie, usnea, white horehound, wire weed, yarrow. He also discusses the use of non-herbs activated charcoal, honey, and bentonite.
I got The HomeGrown Herbalist last month after watching author Dr. Patrick Jones on a webinar. He's funny, very personable, and discusses herbs and treatments at a layman's level. As an added bonus, he lives in Idaho, in an area with a climate and herbs very similar to mine, so I was hoping for more detail using plants native to my area. Unfortunately, a 4.8 rating on Amazon with 56 reviewers giving 5 stars was severely misleading. Situations in which I would choose to purchase The HomeGrown Herbalist over The Herbal Medic: If I were purchasing for someone middle-school age or younger with a budding interest in herbs. It's got about 150 words per page or per herb, and precious little in the way of information or how to use any particular herb. (For example, 126 words on aloe vera, 82 on blackberry, and just under 300 on Brigham tea.) A cursory internet search would provide much more detail. Maybe I'd get it if I were attending a short class that Dr. Jones was teaching--there's loads of white space on every page for taking copious notes.
The first 100 pages of this 176-page book (the overall dimensions of this book are just a little smaller than Sam Coffman's book) address the reasons for using herbal medicine, general guidelines for preparing them, harvesting and storing them, and, because he is a veterinarian, using them on your dogs and cats. The last seventy-five pages covers his twenty-five favorite herbs for healing: aloe vera, blackberry, Brigham tea, burdock, calendula, cayenne, chamomile, cleavers, comfrey, echinacea, rudbeckia, dandelion, elder, garlic, gumweed, lemon balm, lobelia, mallow, mullein, nettle, parsley, peppermint, plantain, St. John's wort, yarrow. There is a color photograph to accompany each herb.
(Sam Coffman and Dr. Patrick Jones both offer online herbal medicine courses (thehumanpath.net and homegrownherbalist.net, respectively). I have wanted to take both but unfortunately have not made the plunge to take either. I had a good recommendation for Dr. Jones' class, so perhaps he offers more online than in his book. I've taken a two-day class from Sam, so I have that experience as well. Sam's online class is very structured, in real time at a set time, and he sends the herbs to you so that you are getting real hands-on experience, and as I recall, you have access to it after the class for a limited time. Dr. Jones' class is much less structured, you can access it whenever, and you have access to it forever.)
In comparing The Herbal Medic with Stephen Buhner's Herbal Antibiotics (reviewed here on 7 November 2018), I'd really hate to have to choose between them. There is some overlap in the two; Coffman covers more herbs with good detail while Buhner covers just antibiotic herbs but in great detail. Get both if you can.
Links to related posts:
Herbal Antibiotics review
Prescription for Herbal Healing review
Backyard Medicine for All review
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs review
Herbal Antivirals review
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
Sam covers 50 herbs in 150 pages with color photographs so you can get a better idea of the plants you're looking for. Unlike so very many herbal medicine books, Sam provides detailed instructions of exactly how and when to harvest and how to prepare the plants for maximum efficacy. For this reason alone, The Herbal Medic is the number one choice for preppers wanting to learn more about herbal medicine.
But wait, there's more!
The materia medica, the 50 herbs covered in 150 pages, is actually the last half of the book. In the first half, there's so much more to be really impressed with. Like setting up a clinic. I've never seen anyone anywhere address this issue. How to build the equipment to tincture herbs efficiently and cheaply. And it's something even I could (ask my husband to) build. (Yeah, I don't actually use power tools or sharp, pointy objects. Bad things happen to me if I do.) Childbirth. Makeshift supplies for dealing with tear gas and pepper spray. Keeping a low profile even in a bad situation so that you can still help as many people as possible. There are also chapters on dealing with venomous snake bites and how to distill alcohol. How to make various herbal preparations--extracts, infusions, tinctures, salves, poultices, etc. Honestly, out of 344 pages, there are probably only 3-5 pages that I don't find particularly useful. This book is solid. Naturally, Sam focuses on herbs that are found more in his area of the country, which may not be as useful to someone in an entirely different climate, but really, most of the herbs covered in here grow in most parts of the country.
One thing I hate about buying herb books online is that I can't see what herbs they're covering. I really want to learn more about herbs I can actually grow and use here for my family. Honestly, if something only grows in China or India, I don't care about it at all.
With that said, here is the list of herbs Sam discusses: Algerita, astragalus, bee balm, bilberry (blueberry, huckleberry), birch, boneset, burdock, butterbur, California poppy, chamomile, chaparral, chaste tree, comfrey, dandelion, echinacea, elder, elecampane, gotu kola, greenbriar, horsetail, juniper, licorice, lobelia, marshmallow, milk thistle, mugwort, mullein, myrrh, neem, nettles, Oregon grape, parsley, passionflower, plantain, poke, prickly ash, prickly pear, red root, rosemary, self heal, Siberian ginseng, skullcap, St. John's wort, sweet annie, usnea, white horehound, wire weed, yarrow. He also discusses the use of non-herbs activated charcoal, honey, and bentonite.
I got The HomeGrown Herbalist last month after watching author Dr. Patrick Jones on a webinar. He's funny, very personable, and discusses herbs and treatments at a layman's level. As an added bonus, he lives in Idaho, in an area with a climate and herbs very similar to mine, so I was hoping for more detail using plants native to my area. Unfortunately, a 4.8 rating on Amazon with 56 reviewers giving 5 stars was severely misleading. Situations in which I would choose to purchase The HomeGrown Herbalist over The Herbal Medic: If I were purchasing for someone middle-school age or younger with a budding interest in herbs. It's got about 150 words per page or per herb, and precious little in the way of information or how to use any particular herb. (For example, 126 words on aloe vera, 82 on blackberry, and just under 300 on Brigham tea.) A cursory internet search would provide much more detail. Maybe I'd get it if I were attending a short class that Dr. Jones was teaching--there's loads of white space on every page for taking copious notes.
The first 100 pages of this 176-page book (the overall dimensions of this book are just a little smaller than Sam Coffman's book) address the reasons for using herbal medicine, general guidelines for preparing them, harvesting and storing them, and, because he is a veterinarian, using them on your dogs and cats. The last seventy-five pages covers his twenty-five favorite herbs for healing: aloe vera, blackberry, Brigham tea, burdock, calendula, cayenne, chamomile, cleavers, comfrey, echinacea, rudbeckia, dandelion, elder, garlic, gumweed, lemon balm, lobelia, mallow, mullein, nettle, parsley, peppermint, plantain, St. John's wort, yarrow. There is a color photograph to accompany each herb.
(Sam Coffman and Dr. Patrick Jones both offer online herbal medicine courses (thehumanpath.net and homegrownherbalist.net, respectively). I have wanted to take both but unfortunately have not made the plunge to take either. I had a good recommendation for Dr. Jones' class, so perhaps he offers more online than in his book. I've taken a two-day class from Sam, so I have that experience as well. Sam's online class is very structured, in real time at a set time, and he sends the herbs to you so that you are getting real hands-on experience, and as I recall, you have access to it after the class for a limited time. Dr. Jones' class is much less structured, you can access it whenever, and you have access to it forever.)
In comparing The Herbal Medic with Stephen Buhner's Herbal Antibiotics (reviewed here on 7 November 2018), I'd really hate to have to choose between them. There is some overlap in the two; Coffman covers more herbs with good detail while Buhner covers just antibiotic herbs but in great detail. Get both if you can.
Links to related posts:
Herbal Antibiotics review
Prescription for Herbal Healing review
Backyard Medicine for All review
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs review
Herbal Antivirals review
© 2019, PrepSchoolDaily.blogspot.com
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