Antibiotics?

[curly_kate]

Well, I have strep throat, and my doc put me on penicillin. It made me think, if at some point I don't have access to antibiotics, what natural substances are there to stand in? Or should I just leave some bread out to mold?

 

[savingdogs]

It is a little more complicated than that, but molds are several of the antibiotic families. In order for them to work, your body needs to have a consistent blood level for a period of time and the right type of antibiotic for what you are treating. It would be a little difficult to cultivate the appropriate mold at home to create your own homemade antibiotics. You are right that back in the days before antibiotics, strep throat was a much worse thing and people called it Scarlet fever (at least in my family they did).

It might be a better choice to try to store a few bottles of antibiotics in a first aide kit as opposed to letting your bread mold! Mold can also make you very sick!

Maybe someone with more knowledge of medicinal plants has a better suggetion for you with a natural antibiotic.

 

[FarmerChick]

I searched natural cures for strep throat. Interesting read and advice.


Olden days most people "who had a sore throat" wouldn't even know why. They would get out the poultice and pack it around the neck with herbs, etc. and warm heat and drink herb drinks etc etc etc
Olden days you had to be very careful to treat a symptom quickly also for fear of it getting far worse, alot faster and out of control. And of course olden days it was common knowledge to know what herbs would help with what problems. Which most of us have lost now.

I did love reading the advice of eating ice cream haha cause it cools the throat. Hmm...best advice on getting better

And no, I wouldn't be trying to make pretend penecillian in my home from common molds. You are asking for troubles lol

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Elderberry Tincture is one thing that I have heard about.
Strep can be dealt with, with out the use of anti's, but I can't recall off the top of my head what the items were

 

[Dunkopf]

Sometimes it will go away on it's own. I worry a lot more about building up a resistance to antibiotics and then not having them work when you really need them.

 

[curly_kate]

BTW, I was just kidding about the moldy bread!

My doc said that, while it's rare, people can still develop scarlet fever & rheumatic fever as a complication of strep. I'm very glad to have access to antibiotics when I really need them, but it did make me think. I always like to plan ahead.

 

[savingdogs]

I have thought about that too.....how would we make the medicine we need should it become unavailable. I take a few medications daily and have tried to research what I might use should they become unavailable. I think wondering if you can make your own penicillin is a very interesting question.

 

[freemotion]

Garlic, garlic, and more garlic!

 

[Wifezilla]

It is very nice having the option to use antibiotics when you need them, but like you said, what happens if you can't get any?

For me, ear infections are a big issue. I used to get them constantly. I have scarred ear drums, scarred tubes, and even stained teeth from all the times I was on antibiotics.

Then one time I got a really really good doctor. He said "You know, you can usually prevent these if you can keep your tubes clear. When you start feeling congestion, take a decongestant and an anti-inflammatory."

Nobody had ever told me that before. Now when I get that tell-tale tingle in my inner ear, I take care of it. Haven't had an infection since.

So how do we prevent strep? Obviously avoiding people with strep is a good idea, but us moms, dads, teachers, and care taker types know that isn't always possible. But not sharing food and drinks with sick people is a good idea. Frequent hand washing also good. I did read somewhere that germs like dry winter conditions so a humidifier might help.

Probably the best thing is to keep your immunity up. AVOIDING SUGARS is a great way to keep your immune system in good shape since sugar interferes with the immune response (it has something to do with diverting Neutrophils).

A vitamin D deficiency makes you more vulnerable to illness, so making sure you get enough sun is a good idea. http://www.drbriffa.com/2010/02/05/can-vitamin-d-keep-you-infection-free/

I am sure there are more though...

 

[lwheelr]

So, WifeZilla, for your decongestant, I bet Red Raspberry Leaf Tea would work. It slows down fluid build-up in some areas of the body, might in the ears too.

There are a series of herbs that can be used for Strep - I don't know how effective it would be, because I wouldn't use it unless I felt that I could not go get a prescription for antibiotics - not for everything, but for Strep particularly. Just because it makes you feel SO awful, can be so deadly, and gets better SO fast on antibiotics.

That said...

Two basic categories of herbs would be used:

1. Herbal Antibiotics and Antiseptics - Teasel Root, Grapefruit Seed Extract, TOA-Free Cats Claw, Olive Leaf Extract, Calendula, Garlic (also functions as a blood thinner, and can cause issues for some people because of that), etc.

2. Herbal Immune Boosters - Echinacea, Nettle, Golden Seal (not to be used if you have blood sugar imbalances), etc.

Generally, I'd use a combination, probably 1 antiseptic, 1 antibiotic, 1 immune booster (like Calendula, Teasel Root, and Echinacea). That tends to tackle it on several fronts.

Dosage would be tricky, I've no clue what it would take, but I'm guessing several cups of brew a day, at least. I don't know what the side effects are of some of them are either, or what the others might be in high dosages. But if it is risk drinking tea that might give you the runs, or risk dying or having long term damage from a bug like Strep, I'd probably take the first risk and see how it goes!

I'll be growing a medicine garden as soon as we get settled, I'm finding that I can tolerate some carefully selected herbal remedies much better than I can tolerate most medications.

You really have to do your research carefully with herbs though, and only use those that have effects that are documented in multiple sources - and then you have to make sure it is not the SAME source that has just been duplicated online. Any word-for-word descriptions are usually the same original source.