Copyright (c) 2007 Derek Clontz/4-Page Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
LEGENDARY Lyme doctor William Lee Cowden says an herbal blend containing an extract of elecampane has shown “powerful effects” against severe and chronic infection with worms, protozoa, microfilaria and babesia, a common co-infection of Lyme disease that scientists now recognize as a possible cause of an Old Testament plague mentioned in the book of Exodus.
In an interview with Public Health Alert newsletter, Cowden added the extract to the list of botanicals he recommends to his own Lyme patients.
The botanical, says Cowden, who maintains a private practice in Chandler, Arizona, seems especially effective against “persistent” babesia with symptoms that can in some cases be worse than those of primary infection with the borrelia burgdorferi bacterium that causes Lyme.
According to the journal, American Family Physician, the symptoms and complications of babesia include:
- Generalized weakness
- Fever
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (anorexia, nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.)
- Headache
- Myalgia
- Weight loss
- Arthralgia
- Respiratory symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, etc.)
- Dark urine
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Anemia requiring transfusion
- Congestive heart failure
- Disseminated intravascular coagulation
- Hypotension/shock
- Myocardial infarction
- Renal failure
“Babesiosis is a worldwide tick-borne disease that is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites of the genus Babesia,” the journal continues.
“The book of Exodus refers to a plague of ‘murrain’ (hemoglobinuria) among cattle and other domestic animals. Possibly, this biblical reference was the first historical mention of babesial infection.
“Case of babesiosis in humans have been reported with increasing frequency, especially along the northeastern coast of the United States.”
Cowden, in his practice and research, reportedly has found that babesia often travels with Lyme disease and several other common co-infections: bartonella, ehrlichia, coxiella and mycoplasma to name just four of them.
His protocols for people who are battling multiple infections are anchored by five anti-microbial herbs and a vigorous program of heavy metal detoxification and hormonal support.
Public Health Alert reports that Cowden believes herbal therapies can be used successfully “and may be appropriate to incorporate” on the heels of antibiotic therapy that falls short of a cure.
The herbs that Cowden recommends to address “the common infections found in Lyme disease patients” are first and foremost, anti-microbials, of which cat’s claw herb and venus flytrap extract are two, anti-malarials (anti-protozoans), of which artemisia and cinchona are two, in addition to the elecampane-based product, the health newsletter reports.
