Natural Antibiotics -- Powerful Extracts and Herbs

I really like the idea of natural antibiotics for a couple of reasons. The first is because they're very powerful and potent, and often do the job without the need for advanced medical treatment, and second because they don't cause the rise of superbugs, which are a very real threat. Not long ago I wrote about the various forms of Staph that are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics and are popping up more and more in hospitals. Natural antibiotics are great first and foremost because they're natural, second because they don't ravage the digestive tract of its good bacteria, third because they're powerful and potent, and fourth because they don't lead to the rise of superbugs like MRSA and others. So what are some powerful natural antibiotics, and if they really are that powerful, why haven't I heard of them?

I'll answer the second question first. The most plausible reason why you haven't heard of natural antibiotics is because they can't be patented. Since natural antibiotics weren't invented, merely discovered by science, pharmaceutical companies can't profit by producing them, and therefore would rather give you a patented version of a manufactured antibiotic instead. It's not a conspiracy or anything, it's just good business. Still, the result is that the powerful natural antibiotics are rarely ever considered in Western medicine, which isn't necessarily the best thing for the patient.

Here are a few of my favorite natural antibiotics that I always take whenever I start feeling under the weather.

1) Colloidal Silver

• This is my absolute favorite medicinal compound ever. All it is is a solution of water that has positively charged silver particles, or ions, suspended in it. The way it works is that the silver inhibits an enzyme that's essential to the respiration of single celled, anaerobic organisms, killing them. I've taken colloidal silver at the onset of every ailment, and it has stopped everything dead in its tracks, even food poisoning. I lived in a third world country for a year and routinely got food poisoning that sent me into the bathroom throwing up all night. But once I started taking colloidal silver at the onset of food poisoning, I never suffered another night of throwing up again. It's the most powerful natural antibiotic that I've come across.

2) Grapefruit Seed Extract

• This too is a powerful natural antibiotic that I've taken for years. When taken in liquid extract form, it has a very powerful bitter flavor, and the only way I could stomach it was to mix it in copious quantities of powerful juice. Still the compound worked wonders. So how does it work. I've taken this little snippet from the website of one of the top distributors of grapefruit seed extract. "The active ingredient of grapefruit seed extract appears to develop in the cytoplasmic membrane of microorganisms. The active ingredients of the extract disorganize the cytoplasmic membrane, thereby preventing the uptake of amino acids." In a similar fashion to colloidal silver, grapefruit seed extract inhibits one of the necessary functions of microorganisms, thereby causing them to die.

3) Elderberry Extract

• Elderberry Extract, though not really a natural antibiotic, is worthy of mention because it has been shown in clinical studies to powerfully battle the flu. Laboratory studies have shown that elderberry preparations help prevent 10 different strains the influenza virus from replicating, both A and B, which is more than your yearly flu shot. In Israel in the early 1990s during a particularly bad flu epidemic, clinical studies were done on patients who were showing definite flu symptoms. Half of the patients were given black elderberry extract and the other half were given a standard placebo. Within 2 days, 75% of patients given elderberry extract had clearly improved and within 3 days, 90% of them were free of further flu symptoms. Only 16% of the patients given placebos had shown any improvement after two days, and the rest took at least six days to recover. So even though elderberry extract isn't technically considered a natural antibiotic, it's definitely worthy of mention because of its ability to battle a very common disease.

Since we're talking about battling infection and disease naturally, why not talk a little bit about a few compounds that naturally boost the immune system.  These aren't natural antibiotics, but are still natural ways to battle disease and infection.

1)  Vitamin C

• I know you've probably heard it over an over, but vitamin C is essential to take while battling the onset of a disease.  The greatest thing about vitamin C is that it's both cheap and easily discarded by the body once it gets too much.  Vitamin C, when taken in large doses, greatly reduces the chance that a new illness will take hold, and it also decreases the lifespan of the infection, meaning that you'll recover faster.  I've taken up to 5000mg of vitamin C a day before.  The body will just discard what it doesn't need, so there's no worry that you'll get too much.  Granted, taking something like 10,000mg a day might give you some unwanted side effects, but that would be a very difficult amount to ingest.

2)  Echinacea

• Echinacea is a natural plant whose extract has been shown to be a powerful immune system booster.  It can be taken in teas, as a liquid, in gel caps, or otherwise.

3) Zinc

• Zinc is a mineral that the body needs in regular supply for different functions.  It also helps to boost the immune system, so having zinc tablets around isn't a bad idea to take at the onset of the symptoms of illness.