Options for the Post-Antibiotic Age

review by Katherine Duff

, by Stephen Harrod Buhner

Storey Publishing; 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247

© 2012; $ 24.95 softcover; 467 pp.

The miracle that was the antibiotic revolution is approaching its end as bacteria are becoming resistant to more and more antibiotics. News stories are hinting at this, but in his book Herbal Antibiotics, Stephen Harrod Buhner explains in no uncertain terms that this is inevitable and has been known to be so for some time. As an alternative to pharmaceutical antibiotics, he looks to the plant world, which, as he informs us, has been dealing with bacteria for about 700 million years.

To understand how we have arrived at this point, Buhner offers a fascinating discussion of bacteria that should be required reading for everyone. The sheer volume of antibiotics in our environment has contributed mightily to the resistance problem. Whether it is individual treatment for infection, eating antibiotic-treated food, or the waste from animal factory farms, the result is that those antibiotics end up in the waste stream. Now, water supplies in all industrialized countries are contaminated with minute amounts of antibiotics.

The first thing to know about bacteria is that when they encounter an antibiotic, they respond. There are several methods that they can develop, and it will take several generations to perfect those methods. A generation for bacteria can be 20 minutes. The other important factor in the behavior of a bacterium is that it is not in competition with other bacteria. It will share the methods that it has developed with other species of bacteria, therefore further spreading resistance.

The author describes the mechanisms that bacteria have been able to employ in their defense. They can alter their cell membranes to prevent most of the antibiotic from entering the cell, keeping the dosage too low to be effective. Another method used is the creation of an efflux pump that can quickly pump out the medication. Some pumps have specific targets and others can remove a wide range of compounds. Bacteria can also destroy or degrade the antibiotic by creating compounds such as certain enzymes. The discussion of these and other mechanisms developed by bacteria to survive describe what exactly we are up against when we talk about antibiotic resistance.

For perspective on the problem, the author informs us that Dr. Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered penicillin in 1929, said that numerous bacteria had developed resistance to it that same year. It was not until World War II that penicillin was developed for commercial use, and at that time Fleming warned that improper use would lead to resistant bacteria. By 1995, 95% of Staphylococcus aureus was resistant to penicillin. Methicillin was then used in its place. It took about one year for methicillin resistant staph (Staphylococcus aureus; MRSA) to develop. 

The alternative that Buhner offers in this book is a return to herbal treatments for boosting immunity and treating resistant bacteria. A benefit of using herbals in treatment is that rather than being a single chemical as drugs are, plants have complex chemistry of possibly thousands of compounds that confound resistance. Another reason is that plants have developed their own mechanisms to handle invading bacteria.

When treating a bacterium, it is important to know if it is gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria. One difference between the two is that gram-positive cells have single but thicker membranes but are easier to treat. The gram-negative cells have two membranes with space in between that not only makes them more difficult to treat but also require a remedy that will scavenge the endotoxins shed from the outer cell wall and a synergist that will act against the efflux pump in the cell. Buhner lists the resistant bacteria by gram type.

For each of the resistant bacteria, the author supplies formulations of herbs to be used in treatment. He offers these as suggestions or guidelines. In these, he informs us of which herbs to use, in what medium, and its purpose. For example, treating MRSA, he offers the following:

Formulation 1 (internal systemic antibacterial)

: cryptolepis tincture: 1 tsp–1 Tbsp, 3–6× daily, depending on severity

Formulation 2 (immune support)

: ginger, reishi, and licorice (2 parts ginger, 2 parts reishi, 1 part licorice) tincture: 1 tsp, 3× daily

He also includes formulations for three nonbacterial variants: candida, malaria, and Aspergillus mold.

The chapters that follow are monographs on the various herbs used to treat resistant bacteria. They include those that are systemic antibacterials, localized bacterials, and synergistic herbs. For each herb, we learn of its treatment uses beyond antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the side effects, supporting research, and recommended preparations and dosage. We also learn about the plant itself – where it can be found and how to cultivate and collect it. The information is comprehensive, but before striking out on a day of wildcrafting, readers will have to look elsewhere for photographs of the plants to assure proper identification, as there are none in this book.

The profiles have recommended preparations, such as tinctures, infusions, powders, and lotions, to name a few. The author includes instructions for making the preparations along with formulas for treating common health problems. The book concludes with an herbal formulary for making tinctures.

As the author notes in this book, bacterial resistance is growing exponentially, while our pharmaceutical weapons to fight it are not. In fact, most pharmaceutical companies have left the field of antibiotic research for work on more profitable drugs. In preparation for the day that any one of us may face a resistant bacterial infection, this book may prove invaluable.

Pearl: “Bacteria are the oldest forms of life on the planet and they have learned very, very well how to respond to threats to their well-being. Among those threats are the thousands if not millions of antibacterial substances that have existed as long as life itself.”