diseases 201
passionfl ower as a tincture if sleep is a problem. Daytime nervines
may also be required (see “The Nervous System” in chapter 9).f Take two parts squaw vine herb, two parts chaste tree berry, and one
part red raspberry leaf to balance the hormones. Add two parts Sibe-
rian ginseng root as an overall tonic, especially for adrenal and thy-
roid restoration. Take as a tincture.
f The use of the premenstrual herbs will help mood swings and emo-
tions that are aggravated by candida at that time of the month.
f Take immune strengtheners: olive leaf, echinacea root, and, particu-
larly, pau d’arco inner bark. Drink two cupfuls of pau d’arco as a decoc-
tion once a day. (If you have leaky gut, pau d’arco can aggravate
it — cease using it if this is the case.)
f Include three to four whole cloves of garlic daily, in addition to that
which is added to cooked food. Treat it as a medicine rather than a
food source. It will decrease the levels of fungus.
f Grapefruit extract is also very useful; just a few drops daily will go a
long way toward eliminating candida.
~ Take good quality probiotics, which will establish gut fl ora and kill
parasites. You can also consider using aloe vera juice to repopulate the
bowel with benefi cial bacteria capable of overpowering the fungus.
Capsulated oregano oil and Lactobacillus salivarius can be extremely
useful.
~ Avoid tinctures because of their alcohol content. However, pouring
boiling water over the tinctures and leaving them to stand for fi ve
minutes removes 98 percent of the alcohol; they will then be accept-
able to use.
~ The three-stage herbal colon cleanse and the worming program in
chapter 6 are very much designed to help eliminate candida, as it
commonly infests the large intestine. (You may also consider a high
enema; see chapter 6.) Continued use of barberry root bark for bowel
maintenance will be vital after the cleanse. If you are pregnant, do not
attempt the colon cleanse; consult a herbalist, and on his or her sug-
gestion use instead bowel capsules based on barberry root bark, with
additional supplements like oregano capsules and probiotics.
~ Perform a mild liver cleanse.
~ Highly diluted tea tree oil can be used to treat external fungus, but be
careful to dilute it thoroughly because if used pure or overly strong it
can cause deep, angry fl esh burns. Use^1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon tea tree oil to
1 cup saffl ower and olive oil.
201 The Complete Home Guide to Herbs, Natural Healing, and Nutrition