you can learn more about some of these products by searching www.itmonline.org - however ITM is more focused on Chinese herbs while these are Amazon Rainforest herbs. But Bidens is as article at the ITM site.
RainTree also offers so many citations - their research is quite extensive and they have an excellent reputation.
posted
I've been wanting to try that actually. It's just kind of expensive. Most of the cost is probably of them putting the herbs into capsules for you. I'd think to achieve good results you may need to eat a handful of those pills every day for a while.
I'm always interested in using herbs and herb extracts for antimicrobial purposes.
That one specifically looks cool because it's not one of those "tinctures" like the cowden herbs are, which are like more than 50% alcohol. I am NOT a fan of alcohol in any amount. They say to avoid alcohol w/lyme specifically, then people are mega-dosing cowden herbs and other 50% alcohol tinctures, consuming the equivelant to like a few beers a day!
-------------------- "You know, the worst, meanest, nastiest, ticks in the world are politicks," - Steve Nostrum Posts: 242 | From South NJ | Registered: Dec 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
--
Rain-Tree also carefully tends to the forests where the herbs are grown and are fair to all the suppliers.
Not all companies are fair to those who grow and gather - or to the land by replenishing or not destroying.
I still find them far less expensive than some other places. I also like that they use no fillers at all.
-
regarding alcohol tincutres, I know that Dr. Z tells his patients who have hepatitis C not to use any tinctures because of the effect on the liver. Seems like a small amount, but he says it's so strong and those with compromised livers should avoid tinctures for on-going use.
lymie_in_md
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 14197
posted
I use raintree as well. More specifically the amazon c-f. It use the regular cat's claw in this formulation as well as many of the herbs in the myco formula. Including bidens.
As far as the cat's claw they have a paper that indicates TOA free is not what it's purported to be. That TOA free is just a manufactured marketing gimick.
From the raintree site:
quote:But then facts concerning cat's claw's benefits became confusing, as often happens with market-driven research. A manufacturer of a cat's claw extract funded a test tube study about these immune-stimulating alkaloids. The research indicated that, supposedly, two different types (chemotypes) of cat's claw vines are growing in the rainforest, and/or that cat's claw produces "good alkaloids" and "bad alkaloids." It has coined the "good ones" pentacyclic (POA) alkaloids and the "bad ones" tetracyclic (TOA) alkaloids; both are oxindole alkaloids. The research and marketing attempts to suggest that one set of "bad alkaloids" counteracts the immune benefits of the "good alkaloids."
This research has not been confirmed by independent researchers - that is, those who are not selling cat's claw or being paid by companies selling cat's claw. This research has also not been confirmed in humans or animals. This market-driven research would seek to discount or disprove all the definitive, independent research done over the last three decades in Japan, Peru, Germany, Spain, and the United States (including the four U.S. patents filed by these same researchers). Much of the previous independent research was performed on whole oxindole extracts and whole root or vine extracts (some in humans and animals). This research documented the presence of both types of alkaloids, both of which showed immune stimulant actions. Indeed, some of the "new research" refuted the marketer's original (and independently confirmed) findings! As for the possibility of a "new chemotype": a plant doesn't change its chemical constituency in five years. Again, two species of cat's claw exist - U. tomentosa and U. guianensis; they have a similar chemical makeup but a different ratio of oxindole alkaloids. Admittedly U. tomentosa has declined in the Peruvian rainforest because of overharvesting in the last five to eight years. The lower growing and easier-to-find U. guianensis variety is a common "adulterant" in many large lots of cat's claw bulk material being exported out of South America today.
posted
I tried this for a few months or so last summer. It seemed to help some but i had to stop taking it because it began to upset my stomach.
I found out that it had given me some dysbiotic strains of bacteria in my gut. I then had to take things to get rid of that.
If you are taking it just be careful because unlike other herbs it does kill the benificial flora in your gut. I took lots of probiotics and other herbs for candida while i was taking it and still got those strains of bad gut bactaria.
Other than that it seemed to help and was pretty powerful.
CherylSue
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13077
posted
Thanks for the info. I've only taken two pills. Just felt lethargic and flulike this afternoon, but hard to tell if it was just that.
CherylSue
Posts: 1954 | From Illinois | Registered: Aug 2007
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pamoisondelune
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11846
posted
I've been taking Raintree Myco @3 pills, 3 times a day, for several days; do you want me to check how many days?
I have the impression that it is working. Something has made my head clearer; i'm not geting a lot of head wooziness; much less than usual. So my general impresson is quite favorable so far.
I didn't know it kills good gut flora! Thanks for telling us!
But i'm also taking new or higher doses of other things, like Lomatium, 3x per day instead of one or two, GSE pills, Pau d'arco decoction--- a half a quart or a quart a day; any of those could be ameliorating my symptoms as well.
---pamois.
Posts: 1226 | From USA | Registered: May 2007
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CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
The one thing about this product: it's supposed to combat mycoplasma, which is very slow growing (does anyone know how slow)? So that means you'd have to take it for quite awhile theoretically, which could get quite expensive. plus, I think it has a warning about taking it for longer than 30 days....? Or maybe not a warning, but it calls something out. This is my memory only.
does anyone know how slow growing mycoplasmas are?
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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