by Editor
April 21, 2007
A year-long clinical study in the Netherlands is testing the effectiveness of a specific herbal protocol in the management of Lyme disease, according to a recent report from the Asheville, North Carolina-based international Lyme Disease Research Database (LDRD).
The study, under the direction of pharmacist Philip Kielman, is testing three potent rainforest botanicals - samento, cumanda, and burbur - that have been used historically in South America for treating malaria and other diseases.
Begun in fall 2006 and slated for completion in fall 2007, the study is of high interest to doctors and Lyme patients seeking safe alternatives to the use of orthodox antibiotics for treatment of chronic Lyme, according to the LDRD.
The trial continues a very encouraging four-month placebo-controlled preliminary study of samento conducted in 2003 which reportedly produced a 65 percent reduction in symptoms in the patients treated, versus 20 percent in the patients receiving a placebo (fake dose), according to Kielman. “I think that's great,” he comments, given that pharmaceutical drugs are often approved based on a success rate of 30 percent.
Samento is a rare natural variant of Cats Claw found in the Peruvian Amazon basin that has been described as a broad spectrum antibacterial and antiprotozoal believed to be effective against the spirochete responsible for Lyme - Borrelia burgdorferi - and co-infections.
One physician now employing a samento protocol with patients, according to the LDRD report, is Dr. Andrew Wright, a leading Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Lyme specialist practicing in Manchester, UK. Dr. Wright believes CFS is chiefly a chronic bacterial infection and that Borrelia can cause CFS. He has used samento in treating more than 500 patients and believes it “is safe and well-tolerated in most patients.” In particular, unlike conventional antibiotics used to treat Lyme, samento tends not to cause fungal/yeast overgrowth problems because it kills these organisms too.
For updates on this study and other research, and additional information about the use of herbal protocols in the management of Lyme disease, visit the Lyme Disease Research Database website ( http://www.lyme-disease-research-database.com ).
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Note: This information is for informational purposes only. It has not been evaluated by the FDA, and is not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure any condition, illness, or disease. It is very important that you never make a change in your healthcare plan or regimen without researching and discussing it in collaboration with your professional healthcare team.
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