(Dipsacus fullonum)
extracted by tincture in food grade alcohol

Diaphoretic / Diuretic / Antiphlogistic

Plant Description / History: Wild Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) is a non-native biennial and considered an invasive weed. The plant was formerly and widely used in textile weaving in the U.S., providing a natural comb for cleaning, aligning and raising the nap on fabrics such as wool.

Constituents-Chemicals & Nutrients: Theine (caffeine), tannin, gallotannic acid, boheic acid, volatile oil, aqueous extract, protein wax, resin, ash and theophylline.

Indications: Tease Root is most known for its use in treating Lyme Disease. It is also used as a stomach aid, an analgesic for pain relief, an anti-inflamatory, and a stimulant for the nervous system. It is effective for chronic inflammation of the muscles, one of the major symptoms caused by the bacteria infection of Lyme Disease. Teasel Root is widely used in conjunction with antibiotics as well as other phytoceuticals to treat Lyme Disease for its ability to pull the bacteria from muscle tissue (where antibiotics and the immune system cannot reach) into the blood stream so that the immune system can do its work.

Adult Dosage:
For Lyme Disease - Dosage recommendations vary. Consult educated health care providers along with educational resources. "Healing Lyme Disease Naturally" by Wolf D Storl with foreword by Matthew Wood is an excellent reference book. Here is a summary of dosage information from the book. According to long time herbalist and author, Matthew Wood, M.S., his homeopathy-oriented view proposes that the tincture is given as "information" for the organism, and for this reason his dosage suggestion is quite low: 3 drops, 3 times a day. [ref: p 177] Borrelia spirochete activity peaks every month or twenty-eight days and that the duration of dosage should thus be at least one month, then gradually decreasing the dosage over the next weeks. [ref: p. 179]

Teasel may be taken in water, or on the tongue. In the event that the Lyme Disease is affecting your heart, be sure to have competent medical care to monitor these conditions.

To understand how Teasel works in the treatment of Lyme Disease, you can read about it at the Lyme Disease Research Database website.

Warnings: Teasel causes wakefulness when taken in large doses and may cause nervousness. Because Teasel invites the Lyme bacteria into the bloodstream, where the body can then detox and the immune system can go to work, you may experience undesirable effects during treatment known as a Herx reaction.
