Giardia?

[Cricket]

Has anyone had success using herbs for treatment of possible Giardia? I've had a lot of the symptoms for a week and a half, but feel pretty good. I haven't been to the dr.--looks like the treatment with antibiotics isn't a sure cure and I'd really like to not do 2 weeks of those. I'm seeing goldenseal or oil or oregano as possibilities--has anyone tried these?
Thanks.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Remember not to take goldenseal for longer than 2 weeks. The best I can say, is to treat it as you would any infection, weather by herbs or medician, but also be careful about cross contamination. Goldenseal is often mixed with echinacea, which would help. Garlic seems to be a fix all herb. Most herbs I have thus studied (and I only just begun) which are used for antibiotics are astringic in property. Actually I was trying to help someone suffering with another infection process and from the herbs that could be useful, I felt you might as well just open the spice rack and add every conceivable herb you have into whatever you are eating.

 

[Beekissed]

I would attempt to establish good cultures in the bowel to help combat the giardia. Might start dosing with mother vinegar, eating some good yogurt, buttermilk, cottage cheese or other fermented foods.

Olive leaf extract may also help with this. I'd limit complex sugar and starch intake and power down on fresh veggies and fruits.

 

[Emerald]

Giardia is a parasite. have you tried papaya seeds? they are a natural parasite cleanse.

I don't know how others eat them but a spoon full of seeds and a bit of honey every day for 6 or 7 days is a great cleanse. I usually eat a bit more but I like the flavor of the papaya seed and the fruit. and I just like honey. lots of water too..

ETA: a quick search says that you can dry extra papaya seeds for later too.. doesn't hurt them at all.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a great site that specifically mentions giardia in these treatment options:

http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/conditionsitoq/a/Parasites.htm

 

[Cricket]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I'm going to try ACV, yogurt, and garlic as a plan, rather than hit or miss. I usually eat yogurt daily, and when all this started, I was thinking it was a food problem and stopped. I remember about 2 weeks ago when I was milking a cow at work that I got slapped in the mouth with a poopy cow tail and thinking she must be sick. Thought I was semi- immune to e-coli. And the cows wander into the swamp now and then. I'm definitely improving, tho.

 

[Emerald]

Glad you are feeling better! Due to having my gallbladder out and being lactose intolerant I spend a lot of my time with tummy troubles.. but most of that is my own fault for eating something that triggers the problem! and I do know better haha..
But there was a small out break of tummy troubles in our area lately and they think that it was due to the geese pooing near the swimming area and the hot temps and that they found not only giardia but high e-coli counts in the water. and the fact that with giardia you can pass it from person to person, especially children, if they are a bit slack in the hygiene department. Most of the worst of the tummy troubles were younger children and their parents. A closed beach till it rained hard a week later cleared up the high counts.. the cooler temps didn't hurt either.

 

[Candy]

Oil of Oregano
The most active ingredient in wild oregano is carvacrol, a potent, naturally occurring compound which is used to assist the body in addressing the effects of all types of microbes such as bacteria, virus, fungus and parasites. Synthetic phenol, also known as carbolic acid, a strong antiseptic, was for much of the 20th century the standard by which all other antiseptics were measured. Yet the "killing action" of naturally occuring carvacrol is unmatched in its antimicrobial actions. For example, in 1994, a scientific team at the National Institue of Pediatrics in Mexico published research showing that oregano had superior killing effects on giardia, a protozoan creating distressing bowel infections. Oregano tested superior even to tinidazol, the drug commonly used to treat giardia infections.*


Giardia

Six weeks course of treatment


Oil of oregano 3 drops 4x day
Grapefruit Seed Extract 8 drops 4x day


Put oil into a capsules

Follow treatment with Primal Defense or VSL#3 6 pills twice a day for two weeks then gradually taper down to daily recommended dosage