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

[maryb]

sandy10m
Thanks for posting about your experiences - especially the Larrea and the rx version.
How much colloidal silver do you take each day? my son bought me some for xmas!!!! he'd been reading up on it. I suppose it wouldn't harm to try it.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Yes if you could share how much of each thing you were/are taking that would help us understand your approach and results more clearly. Also which brand of CS?

Thanks for the update!

 

[sandy10m]

Thanks, Sparrowhawk, for reminding me that I haven't chimed in lately. I am doing pretty well. I have been off the Claforan since 24 July, and now I'm taking taking the Larrea RX, 1 pill on an empty stomach, morning and night. I still have better days and worse days, but overall my progress is positive. I think that the Larrea RX is helping me. I have been taking it continuously without any health problems so far. I don't think the regular Larrea is safe to take long-term, since I had problems taking it before. Also, be careful about ordering enough Larrea RX, especially when you are running out, because the manufacturer sometimes runs out, and it would be bad to stop taking it because of that. My brain energy is much better, which is where I think the Larrea RX is helping the most. I think my brain fog is caused by EBV, not the Lyme. But, what do I know, I'm just a patient, oh yea, and a particle physicist that has studied so much medical stuff I should have finished a medical PhD instead of a physics one. Did I leave anything out? I'm happy to answer questions.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

sandy10m Really appreciate your taking the time to provide the update. I had pinged you via PM about this because an ND I consulted with this weeks wants me to try LarreaPlus (which is not clear whether that has gone through the same process LarreaRX has to get rid of the bad stuff). Have you had your liver numbers done again since you switched over to Larrea RX and how do they look versus earlier when they spiked?

Thanks again!

 

[sandy10m]

Yes, my liver numbers are back to normal now, as of 5 weeks ago. I just retested today, as a matter of fact, but I won't get the results for a while. Personally, if you can afford the LarreaRX, I would stick with that stuff and not experiment with something you're not sure of. There was a huge difference between the Larrea (raw) and the Larrea RX for me. Hepatitis sucks, but fortunately the liver is resilient, so the inflammation cleared up right away.

 

[Dreambirdie]

Larrea Rx is the kind of larrea I took, back in the early 2000s. (It was called Virox back then.) Because I have a number of herpes viruses, I thought it would help me get on top of them. I was okay with it initially, taking just one pill/day. But within a few weeks I began to feel negative side effects from it, and had to stop.

It's *VERY* strong compared to all the other herbs I take, and according to my acupuncturist it made my liver toxic. Anyone who tries it should keep that in mind.

 

[sandy10m]

Hi everyone,
I thought I should check in since it's been a while. I had warned everyone about the company running out of supply of Larrea RX, and unfortunately I got bitten by this, even though I ordered 1 month in advance of running out. I have been without the Larrea RX for about 3 weeks now, and I'm on the regular Chapparal (unfiltered) now. I have not felt as good as when I was on Larrea RX. I have been feeling more tired and definitely more brain fog. I'm afraid to stop taking the Chapparal altogether, even though I know it's not doing my liver any favors. I am only taking 1/2 the dose of the Larrea RX in the Chapparal version. It's unknown when the Larrea RX will be back in stock. I ordered 10 bottles this time, and I'll make sure I renew when I have 4 bottles left, or else stay in touch with the company that sells the stuff to make sure they still have stock when I'm getting close. The company that makes the stuff is very unreliable about when they restock. What morons. I just wanted everyone to know that I do believe the Larrea RX is helping greatly with the EBV and any other unknown viruses I am fighting. I hope everyone is doing well.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

@sandy10m thanks so much for the update, I'd been wondering how you were doing. I had researched Chapparal and your Larrea RX but got stumped around the possible side effects. It's good to know you can take the Larrea Rx longer term with out the liver issues. I'm still also interested in Lomatium Dissectum, which is known as a stong anti viral. I have some in pill form becuase the liquid has been known to cause rash breakouts. I tried some a month or two ago but I was in a moldy house and had a weird evening after that, so put it aside. I should probably try it again soon.

Thanks again, keep the periodic updates coming!

 

[Iquitos]

I have been using the Lomatium tincture since Dec.21st without rash or other bad side affects, as a part of Steven Bruhner's antiviral protocol for EBV/mecfs.

But I am not generally overly sensitive to much, except noise. What I do think is working against pain and insomnia is medical marijuana: hemp oil drops from Cibdex.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

@lquitos Interesting to hear the Lomatium is working for you...have you tested to see if it actually has lowered your viral antibodies over time?

I looked at the cibdex but it is like $160 a bottle! Low dose naltrexone might be cheaper?

 

[Iquitos]

No, I haven't tested my viral antibodies in years. A long time ago my EBV titers were "600 times normal", whatever that means, and I don't know what kind of test that was. I've used acyclovir for a couple of years and that knocked me on my butt for the first couple of days but in about 3 months I was once again able to walk without holding on to someone or the furniture or the walls.

I can't really claim that the Lomatium is working, only that it's not hurting me in any way. I just now went off acyclovir to see if my herbal protocol and the hemp oil drops can keep the ataxia away, and the brain fog, which was also helped a lot by acyclovir.

The 1 oz bottle of Cibdex that I got from Amazon (with free shipping) only costs $40. The $160 bottle is of a higher strength and, maybe, a larger amount (?). Not sure about the last part... I used Amazon because they offer free shipping on products that cost $35 or more, while the Cibdex website asks for, if I remember right, around $7-8 in shipping. And I don't have to get a prescription for that, while the LDN requires one. I've been grateful for what LDN has done for me, but I feel the hemp oil drops are doing a lot more -- quite a reduction in hip and back pain, which were getting a lot worse quickly, that relief something I've never achieved before, and maybe some uptick in stamina. We'll see after more time goes by.

I'm also taking usnea (triple use: antibiotic, antiviral and antiparasite), red root (immune help and help with lymph) reishi, licorice root, baical skullcap and passionflower, all for immune support. I've ordered some sida acuta also. I like Steven Bruhner's philosophy: that these plant remedies are synergistic, that what they do together is larger that what any one of them would do alone.

I reject the reductionism of allopathic medicine: find one cause and then hit it with a magic bullet (expensive patented drug) to which the pathogen quickly develops resistance. So BigPharma then invents another magic bullet...

When the NT Factor arrives I will also being trying Radio's mitochondria repair: NT Factor, NADH and CoQ10. I actually have been taking the CoQ10 for years and the NADH, too, so I'm waiting to add the NT Factor. I think I have my immune system working as best I can. It's the near total lack of energy and stamina that I want to try to treat now.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

@lquitos thanks so much for such a full and informative response. I learned a tremendous amount you and your experience. I would be more likely to try LDN or the oil you use if I had consistent pain. For me it is more about the fatigue, IBS (d and c), muscle twitches, etc. So I'm looking into mercury chelation...

I've used several different essential oils externally but so far have been too chicken to try them internally. I agree with you that allopathic medicine's reductionism is absurd at times -- most especially when we are dealing with multimodal challenges such as our illnesses on this board.

In terms of giving back to you what I have learned so far about lomatium, I contacted a supplier who sells both the root in powder form and also the tincture. I wanted to hear from her whether she had any customers dealing specifically with CFS. She put me in touch with three, two of which I was able to hear back from and interview.

The first said that they would take the powdered root once a day, for several months at a time until their viral numbers (was not sure if they meant actual virus count or antibodies) came down, then take a break for a few months, then repeat. The older gentleman definitely felt it helped decrease his fatigue while he was on it.

The second person used lomatium as part of a cocktail approach, and perhaps took it once a week. She was definitely in the same camp you are of trying many different things synergistically. She was the one who turned me on to the book about nature's antivirals -- I apologize I don't have the reference handy, it's at our house which is being mold remediated right now.

Thanks again, and would love to hear how the new things you are trying may have worked out for you.

 

[Iquitos]

The ebooks I have are Herbal Antibiotics and Herbal Antivirals by Steven Bruhner. Might be what you have?

I forgot to mention that I make and eat/drink my own kefir daily, too, for proper gut balance and to balance out any possible negative affect of the drugs or herbal protocols I'm using.

Good luck to you, too!

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Thanks, I think the one I have is a hardback called Nature's Antivirals -- if I can in a few weeks I'll post the exact title. I just downloaded samples of a few of Steven's books to learn more about his approach.

Thanks!!

 

[maryb]

@Iquitos
do you make kefir from cow's milk?

 

[Iquitos]

Yes, I make my kefir from powdered nonfat cow's milk. It can also be made from any other milk, or coconut water, but I haven't tried any of those. I once saw a program where researchers tried to figure out why some group in Russia mostly lived to be over 100. They came to the conclusion that it was mainly because of their daily consumption of kefir made of mare's milk.

I get my starter on Amazon. Once you have a batch started, you can use it as a starter for the next batch, several times, if you are careful not to contaminate it with other organisms. It doesn't require special temperatures or procedures except for cleanliness of everything you use and no making it in metal containers. If you let it develop for 24 hours or more, it converts all the lactose into proteins, avoiding lactose intolerance in most people who have that.

 

[maryb]

thanks @Iquitos - I have made kefir before but struggle with quantities, when using coconut milk etc. I have a casein intolerance so don't use cows milk, I have in the past though, but hoping if I can reduce my intolerances I may start again with an organic one. Why do you use non fat cows milk?

 

[Iquitos]

I don't need more fat 9I eat a lot of cheese) and the powder doesn't need refrigeration. I don't have any kind of milk intolerances so I'd use whatever was handy and most economical. I once kept a goat and used her milk. That works better for some who are intolerant of cow's milk, apparently because the fat particles are tiny compared to that of cow's milk. But since I use the nonfat milk, it doesn't matter.

Maybe you could try a small amount of goat's milk and see if that would work for you?

I make my kefir in a squat 32 oz. plastic jar that once contained peanuts. I stick in the microwave just to have it out of the way and at a constant temperature. (I dont use the microwave oven on it.) That way it lasts me about five days.

 

[tdog333]

Any update on this herb?

 

[sandy10m]

I can give an update on my experience. First a review of the different products out there. Chaparral is the raw herb from the desert plant that Native Americans used for quite a while for many different purposes. It works great with killing EBV and other similar viruses. Since there isn't anything else out there for us to take, it's the only thing that seems to help. BUT, the raw Chaparral contains terpenes, which are bad for your liver, so you can't take Chaparral long-term without liver damage. Larrea RX is the form of Chaparral where the terpenes have been removed, and the Chaparral is concentrated. Taking Larrea long-term is not a problem.

The lone company that makes Larrea RX doesn't do a good job of keeping it in stock, so if you don't order enough, you will run out. This is exactly what happened to me. In my experience, I started taking the Larrea RX, one pill twice a day on an empty stomach, and I started to feel worse, then better, then functional again. I have CFS as my EBV symptom, so my brain is impacted the most. I tried to order more Larrea in November, but they were out of stock until the beginning of April (last week). I stretched out my supply by using 1/2 Larrea RX and half Chaparral for a month, then only Chaparral (2 pills in PM with a meal) for 2 months (I took my chances with my liver, so far no problems). I could feel my health sliding downhill slowly. I was sleeping all the time, unable to focus, unable to wake up in the morning, falling asleep in the afternoon at my desk, etc.

I started taking the Larrea RX last week when it finally came in, using 1 pill twice a day like before. Then this week I switched to 2 pills in AM and 1 pill in PM. I may increase that to 2 pills, twice a day. My exhaustion continued to slide downhill until just today. I think maybe my health has finally turned the corner. I hope so anyway, since I was able to pull myself out of bed easier than the past 3 weeks. But, I am still sleeping 9-10 hours per night and still feeling exhausted during the day, just not as much as before. We'll see if the increased dose of Larrea will help more, and I will probably start the new dose next week.

That has been my experience with the stuff. I'm happy to answer any questions that I didn't answer here, so please feel free to ask. Good luck everyone.