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Larrea-Herb said to be 1000 time more potent than Antiviral meds

Zensational

Senior Member
Messages
139
Location
Orlando, Florida
Anyone tried this?
“The most important study to date shows that Larrea extract is 1000 times more potent than synthetic antiviral drugs.”
An Effective, Natural remedy for Cold sores, Genital herpes, Shingles, Chickenpox, Epstein-Barr, and other herpes outbreaks.


Here's the link to some quite impressive studies. I'm thinking of trying it. http://www.awakening-healing.com/Books/TreatingHerpesNaturally.pdf
Since my husband and I both have EBV, me long term and he short term it might be a good test to see if this really helps either one of us. I will let you know if it helps.
 

maddietod

Senior Member
Messages
2,859
I'm interested! Would you share information if you find it:
about brands (does it matter)
about the potency when the herb is made into tea
about choosing tincture over ingestion for skin rashes
about how this goes for you........

Thanks,

Madie
 
Messages
10,157
I haven't tried it. I read the pdf that was linked to. I000 times more potent refers to lab cultures not human beings, so that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. There currently is a company that has received a patent for this -- article here --.
I will be interested to see the results of their planned studies as they seem to be going to look studying different conditions/diseases including CFS. :)
 

Dreambirdie

work in progress
Messages
5,569
Location
N. California
I tried out this herb, larrea tridentata, about 10 years ago. It seemd to help my viral symptoms, but was extremely hard on my liver. I began to feel very toxic after a month of taking it, and had to stop. Much later on, I read the info below (on Ray Sahelian's site) and am really glad I stopped when I did. :eek:

"February 2006 - Health Canada is warning consumers not to ingest the herb chaparral in the form of loose leaves, teas, capsules or bulk herbal products because of the risk of liver and kidney problems...

"Chaparral Research, safety, side effects
Toxic acute hepatitis and hepatic fibrosis after consumption of chaparral tablets.
Scandinavian J Gastroenterol. 2004.
Department of Internal Medicine, Oulu University, Oulu, Finland.

In this report we describe a young, previously healthy woman who developed severe acute hepatitis after consumption of chaparral tablets, a commonly used herbal product. In this case, the elimination-rechallenge event and the exclusion of other possible aetiologic factors strongly supported true causality between the herbal product and the liver damage. Primary liver biopsy showed severe toxic hepatitis consistent with previous reports of chaparral-induced liver damage. Later, 6 months after the liver function tests had normalized, permanent hepatic fibrosis could still be seen."

http://www.raysahelian.com/chaparral.html
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I read most of the PDF. Most of the testimonials are from people applying it topically on sores. Also some getting a nice reduction in nerve pain. So HSV-1 and HZV. There were some other cases but very few.

On that site I found a Word Doc saying for "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", Fibromyalgia, or Epstein-Barr take four 50 mg capsules twice a day (400 mg total).

Found this too. "In 1995 the larrea plant jumped to the forefront of research when three articles by scientists at John's Hopkins University detailed the efficacy of the plant's extracts to inhibit the replication of the HIV-1 virus."
 

Zensational

Senior Member
Messages
139
Location
Orlando, Florida
I read most of the PDF. Most of the testimonials are from people applying it topically on sores. Also some getting a nice reduction in nerve pain. So HSV-1 and HZV. There were some other cases but very few.

On that site I found a Word Doc saying for "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome", Fibromyalgia, or Epstein-Barr take four 50 mg capsules twice a day (400 mg total).

Found this too. "In 1995 the larrea plant jumped to the forefront of research when three articles by scientists at John's Hopkins University detailed the efficacy of the plant's extracts to inhibit the replication of the HIV-1 virus."

Well that sounds good for people who are newly infected but I've had it 28 years and I don't know how much more it can replicate. It's hard to say if it will help me but it might help my husband who is recently infected.
 
Messages
2,565
Location
US
I also read that the raw herb has irritants. Companies are selling a much more expensive capsule form (without irritants) which I can't afford.
 
Messages
4
Hi,

I have read somewhere that although this is great for herpes viruses, if you have candida, the herx reactions are quite strong

So you might want to either clear the candida first or take some stuff to deal with the herx reactions..and obviously go slowly

Regards

S
 

sandy10m

One day at a time
Messages
21
Location
Berkeley CA
I just started taking Larrea (Arizona brand) to see if it would help. I have CFS, Lyme, EBV, Coxsackie virus, and who knows what else because co-infections are common with Lyme. I used to have a terrible Candida infection of my sinuses and intestines but got rid of it using oral Nystatin powder and a caveman diet for a LONG time (months). So, when I started taking the Larrea on Sat (today is Mon), I took 1 capsule with each meal. I felt no negative effects, but I did go hiking that day, more than my usual amount because of the holiday. I totally expected to be wiped out, sore, stiff, etc., but instead I felt almost normal. Yes, some muscle soreness but no stiffness. I know that Larrea is also used as an anti-inflammatory (think Aspirin and Advil), so perhaps that was the mechanism at work. In any case, I am up to 2 capsules twice a day (breakfast and dinner) starting today. I felt a little worn out today, not exactly herx, but definitely more tired than usual. I expected to feel like this on Sun, not Mon. Anyway, I'm continuing the 2 capsules twice a day for this week. By the way, the irritants are called Turpines, and there is a brand called Larrea RX that takes the Turpines out so that you can take the stuff long-term without damage to the kidneys or liver. But, the company that sells it sucks, in a word, and I have been waiting 3 weeks for the shipment. So, I started on the Arizona brand (full leaf) to see if it had any effect at all. So far I am surprised that it is doing anything because usually I feel no effects from stuff that helps other people. By the way, I am also on IV antibiotics (started on Rocephin, now on Claforan) and several other medications to boost my immune system (Naltrexone, Imunovir, Equilibrant) to fight the Lyme et al, so this might be why I'm not having such a bad time. I'll try to keep you folks posted.
 

Zensational

Senior Member
Messages
139
Location
Orlando, Florida
I have been taking LarreaPlus which has added vitamin C and is supposed to protect the liver. I am curious about the brand you are taking and how you learned about the Turpines being removed. I have not seen anything online about Turpines nor can I see the ingredients in the brand you are taking. Could you send me a link. I have only been taking 1 capsule per day but seems like I need to up my dosage.
Please let us know as you continue to improve.
 

adreno

PR activist
Messages
4,841
I wouldn't bet on vitamin C to protect my liver from this.

Arch Intern Med.1997 Apr 28;157(8):913-9.
Chaparral-associated hepatotoxicity.

Sheikh NM, Philen RM, Love LA.
Source

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC, USA.
Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Personal health care practices that may include the use of dietary supplements are common in the United States. Products marketed as dietary supplements are diverse and may include botanicals, vitamins, and/or minerals. Chaparral (Larrea tridentata) is a botanical dietary supplement made from a desert shrub and used for its antioxidant properties. Several reports of chaparral-associated hepatitis have been published since 1990, but a complete picture of the clinical presentation is still unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
We reviewed the 18 case reports of adverse events associated with the ingestion of chaparral reported to the Food and Drug Administration between 1992 and 1994. These reports were from health care professionals, state health departments, and individual consumers.

RESULTS:
Of 18 reports of illnesses associated with the ingestion of chaparral, there was evidence of hepatotoxicity in 13 cases. Clinical presentation, characterized as jaundice with a marked increase in serum liver chemistry values, occurred 3 to 52 weeks after the ingestion of chaparral, and it resolved 1 to 17 weeks after most individuals stopped their intake of chaparral. The predominant pattern of liver injury was characterized as toxic or drug-induced cholestatic hepatitis; in 4 individuals, there was progression to cirrhosis; and in 2 individuals, there was acute fulminant liver failure that required liver transplants.

CONCLUSIONS:
These data indicate that the use of chaparral may be associated with acute to chronic irreversible liver damage with fulminant hepatic failure, and they underscore the potential for certain dietary supplement ingredients to cause toxic effects on the liver. Health professionals should be encouraged to inquire routinely about the use of dietary supplements and other products, to be alert to potential adverse effects that may be associated with these products, and, finally, to report any serious adverse events associated with these products through the MEDWatch Program of the Food and Drug Administration.
PMID:9129552
 

sandy10m

One day at a time
Messages
21
Location
Berkeley CA
Most of what I know about Larrea is from the book on Amazon called "Treating Herpes Naturally with Larrea Tridentata." It is written by Dr. Dennis Clark, a bio-chemist who has done extensive research into existing and new studies about Larrea, including many anecdotal accounts of how it has helped many herpes sufferers (of all kinds). At the end of the book is information about the predecessor companies to Larrea RX. I found the information about turpines online through a search on this website: http://www.reallywell.com/larrea.htm This is not the company that I ordered the Larrea from. I ordered it from eVitamins, and it's been 3 weeks with no replies to my emails about where my product is. I just ordered it from the reallywell website that I listed, so we'll see how long it takes to get to me. DO NOT order it from the eVitamins website, in my opinion. Customer service sucks.

In the book, they mention that between 1975 and 2003, over 200 tons of Larrea had been sold to the public. At that time, fewer than 24 cases of liver problems had been reported. This is an extremely small fraction of people, and in most cases the liver problems already existed in the people before taking the Larrea, or other factors were at play. So, you don't take Larrea if you already have liver problems. Some drugs are way more dangerous, such as Tylenol, which has many cases of liver problems and deaths (from overdoses) reported each year. And, there is alcoholism, which causes way more damage than Larrea ever could. So, you have to take the warnings in context. The study above, for example, mentions nothing about alcohol use with Larrea. That would be stupid to do, right?

So far things are going well with Larrea. I have been feeling more tired yesterday and today when I upped the dosage to 2 capsules twice a day. This was the recommended amount for chronic virus sufferers to get started. The maintenance dose is 1 capsule twice per day. I'll have to figure out when I should switch to the lower dose, maybe when I don't feel so tired? I'll keep you all posted.
 

sandy10m

One day at a time
Messages
21
Location
Berkeley CA
Another thing I forgot to mention is that the Larrea acts upon the virus at a different stage than the anti-viral drugs. The anti-virals essentially try to shut down your immune system, since the virus lives in the immune cells, so the anti-virals try to keep the immune cells from reproducing and thus making more virus. However, Larrea acts before that point, keeping the virus from getting into the cells in the first place. So, when the virus emerges from an immune cell, ready to reinfect, it can't because the Larrea gets in the way. That's why it works so much better than the anti-virals. I'm trying it for now, anyway. I'm already on too many other medications.
 

sandy10m

One day at a time
Messages
21
Location
Berkeley CA
Okay, I had an interesting experience. I was taking the Larrea and not taking the antibiotics the past week, and I was in the ER with pretty bad abdominal pain early Friday morning. It turned out that I had gall stones (a nice family of them) plus hepatitis (general liver inflammation, not caused by a virus, or so we think). I talked to my doctor later on, and I started taking an additional Ursodiol, stopped taking the Larrea, started the IV Glutathione and Phosphatidyl-choline again, and stopped the Diflucan. Probably what happened was that my liver was weakened by the past 8 weeks of IV antibiotics and medications, and the Larrea might have pushed me over the edge because it's not the "clean" kind. In any case, I'm off the antibiotics this week as well (not the original plan) to let my body recover. It was quite the experience, but at least I learned a lesson.
 

Asklipia

Senior Member
Messages
999
"turpines" is not the word. Most probably "terpenes" is. That's why no links can be found to "turpines".
 

sandy10m

One day at a time
Messages
21
Location
Berkeley CA
Hello everyone,
Thanks to Sparrowhawk for reminding me that I was remiss in writing. Here's the short story. 13 days ago, someone flipped a switch on my health, and I went from one of the worst weeks to 2 of the best weeks of the last 6 months since I became really sick. I went back to work for the first time since 20 Jan, and I'm working 1/2 days. Long story: The Rocephin gave me bad gall stones, and the Larrea (raw chapparal) gave me hepatitis. I switched to Claforan for the antibiotic, and I switched to Larrea RX (the 'safer' kind) a few weeks after my liver had a chance to heal, starting with 1 pill on an empty stomach. However, the main thing that I think made me better was the addition of oral colloidal silver, based upon a study just completed in early 2013 showing that oral (or IV) colloidal silver teamed up with medicinal antibiotics to superboost them. I felt much worse after I added the silver to my regimen, and then suddenly felt REALLY good, like I had kicked most of what was going on. And I had no more gall stones or hepatitis episodes after I passed the ones I made with Rocephin and switched to Claforan/Larrea RX. I just reordered the Larrea RX so I have a good supply to last me several more months, since that's how long you have to take it to feel completely better, or so they say. I am now taking 1 pill twice a day on an empty stomach. My advice: if you're thinking about Larrea to go after EBV and other related viruses, I can recommend the Larrea RX (unfortunately the expensive stuff) but not the regular Larrea. I have been off the antibiotics (but not the silver) for 3 weeks now, and I still feel good. Not as great as those first few days, but still pretty good, and good enough to go to work 1/2 days. That's a MAJOR step for me. Let me know if you folks want more info on anything, I'm happy to help.
link to press release of silver study: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/03/antibiotics-colloidal-silver.aspx