Stevia Kills Lyme Disease

As I’ve said before, I tend to watch Survival Lilly shows. First on EwTube, then lately she duplicates her stuff on Rumble (“for that day”…)

Well, in some of her videos, she partners with another woman “survivalist” in various outdoors “adventures”. Vanessa Blank of Wild Woman Bushcraft

Vanessa is not as “spunky” as Lilly. A bit more afraid of bears, for example. She also likes to “show a bit of skin” more, with the occasional bikini dip in a pond or river. Being German, she’s got a stronger accent and sometimes struggles for just the right English word. (Then again, her English is far far better than my broken German). But still sometimes fun to watch her shows.

Well, lately she was not posting for a while. Then one month ago, posting shared that she had been bitten by a tick and had a horrible case of neurological lyme disease. I didn’t even know a neurological form existed. Since it gets into the brain and spinal column, some drugs that can not cross the blood brain barrier must be directly injected into the spinal fluid.

She presently has a little residual facial paralysis (droop on right side) and had to wear an eye patch to keep her right eye moist while recovering since she could not blink. Pretty horrific.

In her video, she states that Lyme is permanent and can not be eradicated. That’s only partly true. Caught very early, it is typically easily cured with tetracycline family antibiotics. Left to develop longer term before treatment, it can get into joint capsules (and apparently the nervous system) and be harder to deal with. For this reason, when my Son was about 5 and we found a tick in his scalp, I had to insist with the Doctor to prescribe antibiotics PRIOR to waiting for symptoms. Kill it while it is still circulating and not embedded in hard to reach tissues. (Heck, they hand out tetracycline like chocolates to teens for pimples…)

Here’s her story:

Interested, I did a bit of looking at Lyme and treatments. that turned up this item:

https://rumble.com/v24huhw-stevia-kills-lyme-pathogen-new-study.html

Dr. Berg is not an M.D., but a Chiropractor. But he cites medical publications. He advocates for various Natural Medicinals, so EwTube is after him…

I don’t know if this is the study he cites, as I would have to “log in” to read comments to the video.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4681354/

Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp). 2015 Dec; 5(4): 268–280.
Published online 2015 Nov 12. doi: 10.1556/1886.2015.00031
PMCID: PMC4681354
PMID: 26716015
Effectiveness of Stevia Rebaudiana Whole Leaf Extract Against the Various Morphological Forms of Borrelia Burgdorferi in Vitro
P. A. S. Theophilus, M. J. Victoria, K. M. Socarras, K. R. Filush, K. Gupta, D. F. Luecke, and E. Sapi*

Abstract
Lyme disease is a tick-borne multisystemic disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Administering antibiotics is the primary treatment for this disease; however, relapse often occurs when antibiotic treatment is discontinued. The reason for relapse remains unknown, but recent studies suggested the possibilities of the presence of antibiotic resistant Borrelia persister cells and biofilms.

In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of whole leaf Stevia extract against B. burgdorferi spirochetes, persisters, and biofilm forms in vitro. The susceptibility of the different forms was evaluated by various quantitative techniques in addition to different microscopy methods. The effectiveness of Stevia was compared to doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin, and their combinations. Our results demonstrated that Stevia had significant effect in eliminating B. burgdorferi spirochetes and persisters. Subculture experiments with Stevia and antibiotics treated cells were established for 7 and 14 days yielding, no and 10% viable cells, respectively compared to the above-mentioned antibiotics and antibiotic combination. When Stevia and the three antibiotics were tested against attached biofilms, Stevia significantly reduced B. burgdorferi forms. Results from this study suggest that a natural product such as Stevia leaf extract could be considered as an effective agent against B. burgdorferi.

This M.D. talks about trial use in his practice (i.e. not in vitro as in the study):

https://www.bottomlineinc.com/health/lyme-disease/should-i-treat-my-chronic-lyme-disease-with-stevia

HOW I USE STEVIA WITH MY PATIENTS
While stevia on its own as a Lyme disease treatment is not ready for prime time, it is not a harmful substance taken in reasonable amounts and seems worth considering for many people trying to beat this disease. I have had success treating my patients who have chronic Lyme with a brand of stevia made by NutraMedix—the same whole-leaf extract used in the study—together with antibiotic combinations effective against persisters (doxycycline, rifampin and dapsone) along with supplements that are known to disrupt biofilms. Examples of these supplements: The enzyme serrapeptase…monolaurin, a coconut oil derivative…and/or Biocidin, a commercially available product that contains oregano oil. A typical dose I use for my patients is 15 drops of stevia extract twice a day, which I advise my patients to work up to. As bacteria are killed off, it’s not uncommon to have an inflammatory reaction (called a Herxheimer reaction)—an indication that the treatment is working but which can make patients feel worse in the short term. Note: People with Lyme disease also can be coinfected with other tick-borne infections, such as babesiosis, without knowing it. Before trying stevia or any new treatment, it’s important to have a doctor test your blood to determine exactly what’s causing your symptoms.
HOW SAFE IS STEVIA?

In Conclusion

There’s a significant “Lyme Sufferers Community” with various discussion groups of things that work, or might work. I’m sure Stevia will be showing up there, too.

I hope that Vanessa finds out it can at least sometimes be cured.

I’m also now interested in maybe growing some Stevia as a general antibiotic source, possibly.

The Wiki makes it sound like it ought to grow OK in Florida. Along with many other places

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia_rebaudiana

Cultivation
Begun in the 1960s, commercial cultivation has spread to Japan, Southeast Asia and the US, but also in mildly tropical climates in hilly areas of Nepal or India (Assam region). The plant prefers warm, moist and sunny conditions. The plant cannot survive frost during the winter and therefore greenhouses are used to grow stevia in Europe.

Stevia rebaudiana is found in the wild in semiarid habitats ranging from grassland to mountain terrain, do produce seeds, but only a small percentage of the seeds germinate.

Stevia rebaudiana has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario, Canada, since 1987 to determine the feasibility of commercial cultivation. Duke University researchers developed a strategic plan to assist farmers and exporters in Paraguay to compete in the global market for stevia.

Were I a Lyme suffer, or prone to hiking in tick areas, I’d be growing some Stevia… and eating it. IMHO, it needs a bit of a “Dig Here!” on general purpose antibiotic properties.