posted
I just bought Herb Pharm Olive Leaf Extract Tincture and see that it contains organic grain alcohol...is this okay? If so, any recommendations on when/how much to take?
Igenex IgG: Igenex/CDC Negative. 39:IND 41:++ Posts: 12 | From New York | Registered: Jun 2010
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Hoosiers51
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It should be fine.
My Lyme doctor gives me homeopathics and also plenty of tintures (herbs in alcohol) that contain alcohol. So I think the benefits outweigh the negatives of alcohol. Unless you can't tolerate alcohol in any amount.
If you are on Flagyl or Tindamax, sometimes there can be a reaction with alcohol where you feel sick.....but I am on Tindamax and have not run into problems from the amount in my tinctures.
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Keebler
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- Herb Pharm is an excellent company.
Unless just starting out - or an extract is not available in capsule or tablet form, or if it's one that only the tincture form will work (as with scullcap and a few others), it's best to avoid alcohol tinctures for long term or high dose use.
As OLE (olive leaf extract) is from leaves, it is not helpful to use boiling or hot water to help evaporate the alcohol. That can only be done with root tincture. Aerial parts are more sensitive to heat. You can put in a large mug with 1/2 cup of room temperature or slightly warm water and swirl it around so that the air can help evaporate the alcohol a bit.
Never take straight but always with about 1/2 cup of water.
I know of one LLMD who does not want his patients taking any alcohol tincture as even the seemingly small amount can still adversely affect the liver. So, I reserve my alcohol tinctures for those that can only be used in that form or for those that I need immediate effect and I only take occasionally or for emergencies.
I make exceptions for exceptional formulas if there is no capsule or tablet form -- or if I want a very lose dose of something that I'm just starting.
-------------- An Olive Leaf formula (that contains Terminalia chebula):
My ND (naturopathic doctor) recommended MYROLEA B. Most naturopathic doctors and acupuncturists know about the Seven Forest formulas. As this is a combination formula, there are ingredients included to help the body with "clearing heat" and metabolizing toxins.
Myrolea-B (White Tiger) is a simple formulation of highly concentrated extracts from four Chinese herbs and one Western herb.
The Chinese herbs include forsythia and lonicera, two of the key ingredients of Ilex 15 (and the main antiviral ingredients of Yin Qiao Jie Du Pian), thus boosting the dosage of these essential ingredients.
Myrolea-B also contains the antiviral agents scute (huangqin) and terminalia (hezi). The Western herb in this formulation is olive leaf, which is one of the primary anti-viral herbs derived from the European tradition.
For a mouth rinse: Herb Pharm Olive Leaf tincture. Dilute in water. Herb Pharm is an excellent brand.
Rain-Tree is, too. And they have another tincture that has wonderful reputation: Spiro (tincture is the only form this comes as and I've read of some who've had good results with this. It is not Olive Leaf Extract but it just came to mind and thought you may want to know.
The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook (Tillotson) -
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Keebler
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- Why it is important to start with a low dose:
OLE can cause a herxheimer reaction, so start slow. Starting with drops may be best and then, if it agrees with you and you increase dose, move to capsules or tablets.
Die-off effects -- Olive leaf use causes the death of microbes. The liver, kidneys, intestines and skin are therefore tested to their limits, to deal with, and remove them. This causes Herxheimers Reaction, which can have a variety of symptoms, but basically makes one feel ill or under the weather due to a treatment's effect upon the body.
Thus, "die-off," referred to in medicine as the "Herxheimer reaction," occurs when the olive leaf components kills large numbers of harmful germs rather quickly. Then, the patient's membranes absorb toxic products from these dead microorganisms.
The large amount of foreign antigens triggers an increasing immune response, in addition to interfering with usual biochemical processes, and these immune effects can temporarily worsen a person's symptoms. . . .
Symptoms The symptoms include fatigue, diarrhea, muscle and joint pains, headaches, rashes, flu-like symptoms and even pimples.
These symptoms indicate that the herb is working and that a range of microbes and toxins have been eliminated and are in the process of being removed from your system. These symptoms can be reduced by increasing your fluid intake - but if they persist, reduce the dosage.
. . . . See details at link:
* Safety Precautions and * Known Drug Interactions
. . . Are there any contraindications with Olive Leaf Extract?
No contraindications with other drugs have been observed. However, Olive Leaf Extract should not be taken with antibiotics produced from yeast / fungus or along with additional amino acids other than those received in your everyday foods. They might cross out each other's effectiveness. . . .
- Full article at link above.
=========================
Take OLE several hours away from PROBIOTICS. OLE will cancel out the effects from probiotics. -
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Hoosiers51
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Actually, I think I heard once that for Olive Leaf Extract, the pills actually work better than the tincture (liquid).
I can't remember where I heard that or read that...so not sure if it is true.
But if this tincture doesn't work out, you could try the pills instead.
I think for most substances, the tincture is supposed to be better, but I think I heard it's the opposite with Olive Leaf.
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Keebler
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- From "The One Earth Herbal Sourcebook (Alan Tillotson, Ph.D., D.Ay., et.al.)
Herbs come in many different forms. The most common are crude herbs, powders, dried decoctions, tinctures, capsules, gelcaps, salves, oils and teas.
* CRUDE HERBS are simply collected and dried, then cut and sifted. This is the original way herbs have been prepared since the dawn of time.
This form is commonly found in traditional herb shops around the world, and in ethnic neighborhoods in major cities in the United States. The advantage of this form is that you can actually see, taste and smell the herbs. Crude herbs are usually taken home and cooked into teas.
* POWDERS are simply GROUND CRUDE HERBS. You can use powders to make herbal tea, or simply ingest them in their natural form.
[Tillotson] likes powders because they allow you to experience the taste and smell of the herbs you are using. Another benefit of this form is that you can often take larger doses of the herbs. However, powdered herbs do not last as long in storage as the other forms.
* TEAS are aqueous extractions of crude herbs or herbal powders. Most herbs today come in pills or tinctures, so to make sure we do not forget our herbal roots, I always make sure to keep some loose herb teas in the house.
There are several methods of preparation for herbal tea.
Infusion, better for delicate leaves and flowers, entails bringing water to a light boil, turning off the heat, and letting the herbs steep in the water.
Leaving the crude herbs out in the sun for a couple of hours in a tightly sealed container makes Sun tea. Simmering the herbs for anywhere from ten minutes up to an hour (longer is better for the much heavier barks and roots) makes a decoction.
* TINCTURES are extracts made by soaking herbs in solutions designed to draw out their virtues. Alcohol is the most common soaking solution for tinctures.
Tincture manufacturers must have recipe books to guide them, as the exact method will differ for each herb. Tinctures are valuable because they are easy to digest and absorb. Some herbs can only be used in this form.
The strength of a tincture should be listed on the bottle in the form of a ratio, such as 1:5 or 1:2.
The first number tells you how much of the herb is present, and the second number tells you how much menstruum (the liquid used to dissolve the herb) is in the preparation.
Therefore, a 1:5 tincture is weaker than a 1:2 tincture, because a larger volume of liquid is used.
* DRIED DECOCTIONS, also called CONCENTRATED GRANULES, are used primarily by Chinese (TCM) herbalists. This method of preparing herbs was devised several decades ago in Taiwan by a group of chemists and traditional doctors.
Basically, the herbs are cooked as teas in large vats and the solid residues are removed, after which the remaining liquids are dried out until only powders remain.
Sometimes certain important components (such as volatile oils) are collected separately by specialized equipment and then added back to the final product. These powders are usually about four times more potent than the crude herbs.
The label may list a ratio of 4:1, but concentration can be as low as 2:1 or even as high as 10:1. Dried decoctions still retain the herbs' basic tastes and smells, and the concentrations of chemicals discourage bacterial growth so they tend to store well. I use these granules frequently in my practice.
* CONCENTRATED HERBAL EXTRACTS are now made using various methods. These extracts, in liquid or solid form, can be anywhere from two to 100 times more concentrated in certain components than crude herbs.
* CAPSULES are simply powdered herbs, dried decoctions or concentrated herbal extracts that have been put into gelatin capsules.
* TABLETS are simply powdered herbs, dried decoctions or concentrated herbal extracts with a binding substance added. They are then are pressed into tablets by a machine
* GELCAPS are sealed gelatin capsules that hold either tinctures or concentrated liquid herbal extracts. -
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BackinStOlaf
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*WAVES*
-------------------- First Symptom 9/09 Multiple docs, negative Labcorp test LLMD: 1/10 Positive Igenex/CDC test Treatment 2/10 2/10-8/10 Amox, ceftin, zith, flagyl Currently: Bicillin, Minocycline, still dealing with severe breathing issues
Posts: 1121 | From New York, New York | Registered: Dec 2009
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I used to think OLE caused serious herxing because I get very fatigued and brain foggy soon after each dose. But then I started thinking it was perhaps a bit too consistent and perfectly timed to be a herx.
My new theory about why OLE makes me feel like **** is simply that it reduces blood sugar and blood pressure very effectively and produces symptoms of hypoglycemia and hypotension. Not so exciting in that light.
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Keebler
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- FunkOdyssey,
good point. That's why is so great to have a good LL ND who can provide a balanced formula. I also find that if I take OLE with a balanced meal, it does not have that impact on me. Fat, especially helps. My ND suggested I take Fish Oil with it and that makes a difference, even with food, with keeping blood sugar more stable.
I also did very poorly on very low carbohydrates. I needed to add more for longevity and Quinoa came along just at the right time for me.
With the Myrolea-B formula, though, it seems more stabilizing than when I've take other OLE alone. -
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