You hear the wail of sirens signaling the arrival of several fire engines. Down the street, you see firemen carrying hoses up to a house with black smoke billowing out of it. From inside the house, you hear the sounds of breaking glass and the shouts of firemen. Suddenly, the smoke from the house suddenly turns from black to white as firemen spray hundreds of gallons of water on the fire.

How is putting out a house fire similar to eliminating a Bartonella bacteria infection?

People with a Bartonella infection can feel just like they are inside a burning house
People can get this disease from insect bites, coming into contact with infected pet saliva, or being scratched by an infected animal. As a result of tick bites, many people with Lyme disease also get Bartonella. They can have hot, burning, painful sensations in their feet, legs, arms, and/or hands. Other symptoms can include bouts of anxiety, irritability, and/or suicidal depression. Unfortunately, this infection can be difficult to eliminate.

Bartonella can hide in your blood cells
At a recent lecture, a prominent Lyme literate physician gave his opinion that Bartonella can be harder to clear than Lyme disease with antibiotics. Another physician, Dr. James Schaller describes Bartonella on his website:

“Bartonella is a powerful emerging infection with 32 species that causes dozens of psychiatric, neurological, heart, eye, liver problems and promotes: depression, heart attacks, strokes, rage, migraines, agitation, damage to any organ, personality changes, brain fog, ADD, heart valve injury, fatigue, bipolar disorder.”

Research studies show that Bartonella is able to hide inside of red blood cells¹. This may be one of the reasons why some researchers find that it is harder to kill in the body.

Bartonella appears to resist many antibiotics
According to a John Hopkins website, six species are known to cause disease in humans. In 2007, the newest species of this bug that infects humans was discovered in sheep. Research studies have reported that antibiotics kill Bartonella more effectively in the lab and not as effectively in patients. One reason is that it is able to develop resistance against certain drugs². Other Lyme literate physicians use a combination of different drugs to combat Bartonella.

If physicians describe Bartonella as a difficult infection to treat, what else can help you to eliminate it?

An eastern solution for addressing Bartonella
Since Bartonella symptoms can show up as heat in different parts of the body and emotional agitation this implies that this infection has a hot or “Yang” quality. And given that this infection can affect every organ, including the brain, implies that the bacteria and its toxins are able to wander into every part of the body. These qualities can be characterized by something called “fire toxins” in Chinese Medicine. Fortunately, there are ways to help you to clear these fire toxins and eliminate this infection.

A Chinese herbal strategy for putting out the fire of Bartonella
In Chinese herbal medicine, an herb called “houttuynia” is classified as “Clearing Heat and Relieving Toxicity.” This herb has been successfully used to treat Bartonella by a Chinese physician in New York named Dr. Q. Zhang³. This herb has antibacterial and antiviral properties in addition to clearing heat and toxins. Fortunately this herb can be combined with other herbs to help relieve Bartonella symptoms.

Carrier herbs help to target Bartonella symptoms
Patients experience a dramatic reduction of their Bartonella symptoms when houttuynia is combined with other special herbs, called “carrier herbs.” Carrier herbs are like taxis that “carry” other herbs into specific parts of the body. If a patient has burning legs or feet, then an herb called “dipsacus” or Japanese teasel root can carry houttuynia into the lower extremities. Cinnamon Twigs are used to carry houttuynia into the lymph system, the hands, and feet. Kudzu is used to deliver houttuynia into the shoulders and neck. Adding organ protecting herbs also helps to reduce Bartonella symptoms.

Other herbs help to protect your organs against a Bartonella infection
Ginseng and salvia can be used to reduce palpitations and protect the heart against inflammation. Licorice and schissandra are used to protect the liver from infection and damaging toxins. Ligusticum and acorus are used to help clear brain fog and protect against inflammation. Mint and kudzu help to vent rashes out of the skin. When adding protecting herbs to a customized mixture of herbs patients report significant improvements.

Patients report reduced Bartonella symptoms
When patients take 2-4 grams of houttuynia each day combined with carrier and organ protecting herbs, they have reported a dramatic decrease in their burning sensations in their extremities. In as little as one week, some patients have had 90% of their burning symptoms disappear. Other Bartonella patients have also reported feeling less irritible, having more energy, and significantly reduced headaches. Others report less heart palpitations and improved mental clarity. Using the right set of herbs can address your specific symptoms.

The right combination of herbs can help you eliminate Bartonella symptoms
Just like putting out a house fire, using a customized combination herbs can help you to put out burning Bartonella symptoms. Adding carrier herbs and organ protecting herbs also helps you to target painful areas in your body and helps your organs to heal. Consult with a trained Chinese herbalist to help you formulate the best herbs for zapping your Bartonella symptoms.

1. Rolain JM, Novelli S, Ventosilla P, Maguina C, Guerra H, Raoult D. Immunofluorescence detection of Bartonella bacilliformis flagella in vitro and in vivo in human red blood cells as viewed by laser confocal microscopy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2003 Jun;990:581-4.

2. Biswas S, Raoult D, Rolain JM. Molecular mechanisms of resistance to antibiotics in Bartonella bacilliformis. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2007 Jun;59(6):1065-70.

3. Zhang, Q., and Y Zhang (2006). Lyme Disease and Modern Chinese Medicine. New York, Sino-Med Research Institute.

Dr. Schumake led me to a securely locked storage room. Inside was a wide assortment of bottles and jars of mysterious looking liquids. As I gazed around in amazement, he pulled out an plain looking box about the size of two huge dictionaries. He smiled as he slowly lifted the lid. My eyes just about popped out of my head when I saw what was in the box.

Some clients say that their anti-Lyme Disease herbs makes their eyes pop out of their head – but for a different reason
Kevin exploded, “I hate taking them! They taste horrible!” when his mom confronted him about taking his anti-Lyme Disease herbs. The taste was so bad he would rather endure his aches and fatigue than to drink any more herb tea. In order to avoid the bad taste all together, some clients put their herbs in capsules to swallow them down. However, this solution doesn’t work for everyone.

Herbs in capsules are easier to drink but cause another problem
Capsules have made it much easier for clients to avoid the bad taste altogether. However, a subset of these clients began to have difficulty swallowing capsules. Dr. Shumake showed me an even better way for these people to take in their herbs.

Dr. Shumake shared his irresistible secret for getting clients to take bitter herbs and medicines
Dr. Shumake of Blue Mountain Apothecary makes medications for all kinds of clients including autistic kids that gag at swallowing capsules. What was inside the big box? The biggest slab of chocolate I’d ever seen.

His eleven pound bar of dark chocolate inspired me to find ways of masking the bitter taste of anti-Lyme herbs for my own clients. He said that mixing herbs with carob would be better for clients with fatigue who should not get caffeine. Using sugar-free, dairy-free, and caffeine-free carob has worked great for getting younger and older clients to take their anti-Lyme Disease herbs more consistently.

Here are three ways to mask the bad taste of anti-Lyme herbs
It takes approximately 2 ounces of carob to encapsulate a daily dose of herbs. Some clients have concerns about gaining weight by eating so much carob. Here are three other ways that use less calories to mask the taste of the herbs:

1) Take 2-3 vegan carob chips (dairy-free, wheat-free, sugar-free, caffeine-free) and melt them on your tongue, or

2) Put a small spoon of olive oil, coconut oil, or sesame oil on your tongue, or

3) Use a small spoon of almond butter or walnut butter to cover your tongue completely

Through using one of these methods above to mask the tongue, clients have a much easier time swallowing their herb tea.

Even clients that have difficulty swallowing now enjoy taking their herbs thanks to Dr. Shumake’s secret
Clients no longer have to struggle with swallowing a bunch of bitter herb tea or taking handfuls of herbal capsules. Thanks to Dr. Shumake’s secret eleven pound box of chocolate, clients have a much easier time taking their herbs masked by carob, different oils, or nut butters. Now, some clients actually enjoy taking their bitter anti-Lyme Disease herbs.