Healthy Food and Medicine
Myers Cocktail IV and Sweet Wormwood
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Healthy Food, Comorbidities, and COVID
Colin Todhunter writes in the U.K.’s Off-Guardian:
“A Western-style diet is characterized by highly processed and refined foods with high contents of sugars, salt, and fat and protein from [I would add “factory-farmed, grain-fed”] red meat. It is a major contributor to metabolic disturbances and the development of obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease – the top comorbidities where ‘COVID deaths’ are concerned.
Impossible burger ingredients
FOOD AS MEDICINE
Ancient Wisdom
In today’s world, many of the things that we call “food” are more like poison. As the website Healthy Hildegard (named for an ancient healer of the 12th Century, Hildegard of Bingen) points out:
“Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, declared ‘let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.’ The concept of food as medicine is ancient. For good reason. What we put into our bodies is the first and most significant part of our overall health and well-being. The relationship between food and health was an essential – and easily observable, part of every healing tradition…”
Myers Cocktail
Back in the 1960s, the late Dr. John Myers developed an infusion of vitamins that he would inject intravenously to patients suffering from a variety of medical disorders. This intravenous infusion of vitamins became known as the Myers Cocktail.
Having administered the cocktail for over 20 years, Dr. Myers found that regularly scheduled vitamin-infused injections could cure medical conditions ranging from asthma, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, migraines, muscle spasms, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disease, as well as other disorders.
After Dr. Myers died in 1984, many of his patients went on to seek treatment from Dr. Alan Gaby who had performed similar injections in the past. These patients who suffered from many chronic ailments including chest pains, heart palpitations, and depression saw their symptoms decrease after receiving the cocktail. However, if they went too long without a dose being administered, they would see their symptoms slowly start to come back.
Ingredients
A Myers Cocktail consists of many vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin C, B-complex vitamins, vitamin B12, calcium, magnesium, zinc, glutathione, and saline solution. These vitamins when administered through an intravenous injection can treat many chronic conditions and can even boost your immune system.
Vitamin B-Complex
B complex vitamins play a key role in things such as your cell health, digestive tract, appetite, hormone production, energy levels, and more. They can also help nausea and illnesses that may affect the liver or inflammation.
This vitamin complex includes several different B Vitamins, such as:
Thiamine
Riboflavin
Niacin
Pantothenic acid
Pyridoxine
Biotin
Folic acid
Cobalamin
Vitamin B-12
The largest benefit of Vitamin-B12 is its important function in brain, tissue, and nervous system health. More specifically, the production of red blood cells, which decreases if your B-12 levels are too low. Vitamin B-12 deficiency can result in anemia, low energy, and neurological difficulties.
Fortunately, Vitamin B-12 is often found in meats, making it an absolute staple for those eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. Other sources include eggs, some nutritional yeast items, and dairy products. Consuming this vitamin will ensure your organs are functioning optimally, helping keep you healthy.
Vitamin C, Vitamin B, and Zinc
It is common knowledge that vitamin C is great for boosting immunity and is a primary ingredient found in the Myers Cocktail. In addition to vitamins C and B, the inclusion of zinc also contributes to regulating your immune system.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps your body’s immune and cardiovascular systems. It has many benefits, such as protecting your body from free radicals, leading to chronic disease and inflammation. It’s also been linked to help high blood pressure, lower the risk of heart disease, prevent certain deficiencies, and help your memory. It is also known to be excellent for eye health.
Calcium
Aside from those essential ingredients, the calcium in the cocktail has been shown to help bone formation and strength. Strong doses of calcium can also assist in controlling an irregular heartbeat.
Magnesium
Another essential mineral found in the Myers Cocktail is magnesium. This mineral has been shown to greatly help in reducing fatigue, migraines, muscle spasms, as well as being beneficial to those suffering from cardiovascular disease.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a mineral that affects your heart, bones, and blood pressure. It works to help our enzymes function correctly and can help with inflammation, diabetes, migraines, and anxiety. It helps your body convert food to energy, form proteins, repair genes, relax muscles, and regulate the nervous system.
Glutathione
Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in the body. It has properties that can prevent cancer, cystic fibrosis, HIV, and even our normal aging process.
Benefits
Here are some of the Myers cocktail benefits:
Refreshing full-body hydration
Boost of necessary vitamins and nutrients
Rejuvenating increase in your energy levels
Reduce stress, anxiety and tiredness
Improve mood
Alleviate chronic symptoms like inflammation, migraines and cramps
Strengthen immune system
Restore balance in your body
Helps mitigate the effects of seasonal allergies
Who Should Get a Myers Cocktail?
If you’re someone who suffers from constant fatigue and chronic migraines, the Myers Cocktail might be a great option for you. Even if you don’t have chronic fatigue but generally suffer from low energy, a dose of the Myers Cocktail could help you regain the energy you once had.
How is Myers Cocktail Administered?
This cocktail is administered intravenously. A medical profession will insert an IV in your veins, and the IV drip will be allowed to flow. The vitamins and nutrients will directly go to your bloodstream; no need to through the digestive system. This is an ideal treatment for patients with digestive problems.
The therapy takes approximately 30 minutes. You may start feeling the benefits immediately after and sometimes even before the drip is complete.
How Often Can You Get a Myers Cocktail?
This will depend on the individual. Some patients seek to receive their dose once or twice a week for three weeks, while others opt for a shot once every three to four months.
Depending on your condition and your objectives, you may only need a dose once per month over a longer duration of time. But those with more chronic issues might want to take a targeted approach receiving multiple injections throughout a shorter period.
This is a conversation you should have with your healthcare professional who can better assess your individual needs.
In a detailed medical journal, Dr. Gaby outlines the exact dosages that work best for each of the different ailments that could potentially benefit from a Myers Cocktail. In this paper, he highlights how IV nutrient therapy specifically alleviated symptoms of depression, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue among many other medical disorders.
Sweet Wormwood Again Shows Effectiveness Against COVID-19
Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua) is a traditional plant-based medicine with antiparasitic, antiviral and anticancer properties. Studies show it’s also an effective remedy in the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19
In April 2020, China added three Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas to its standard of care for COVID-19, including one containing sweet wormwood, called Jinhua Qinggan
In one COVID-specific study, Jinhua Qinggan granules were found to significantly alleviate fever, cough, fatigue, sputum, anxiety and need for hospitalization. Most recently, a Pakistani trial found the TCM remedy was 82.6% effective when used in COVID-positive patients treated at home for mild to moderate infection
In February 2022, Saudi Arabian researchers published a paper detailing how one of its main components, artemisinin, and its derivatives inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection by binding to an enzyme the virus uses to multiply within the cell and disarm the host’s immune defenses
Artemisia annua is also bioactive against other viruses, including cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, and members of the herpes family, including herpes virus type 1 and Epstein-Barr
Several traditional antimalarial remedies have been shown to effectively tackle COVID-19. In addition to the drugs hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, there's also sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua, not to be confused with Artemisia vulgaris, a related but moderately poisonous plant).
Sweet wormwood is a traditional plant-based medicine with antiparasitic, antiviral and anticancer properties. In April 2020, China added three Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas to its standard of care for COVID-19, including one containing sweet wormwood, called Jinhua Qinggan. All three formulas had previously been used against seasonal influenza, SARS, and pandemic swine flu (H1N1) influenza in 2009.
…Artemisinin and its derivatives have been recently explored for their capacity to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and broad-spectrum antiviral characteristics ...
Artemisinin and its derivatives bind to the target enzyme with favorable binding energies and the interactions are mediated through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The three top-ranked leads identified in the studies were Artesunate, Artemiside and Artemisone which demonstrated higher binding affinities to Nsp1 than the reference drug.
The compounds show favorable drug-like properties. The molecular dynamics simulations ... reveal that Artesunate significantly caused conformational changes in the target protein and stably bonded to it via hydrogen bond interactions."
Antiviral Activity Demonstrated
In late 2020, a collaborative effort between researchers at Columbia University, University of Washington and Worcester Polytechnic Institute demonstrated that a hot water extract of Artemisia annua had antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. The extracts were tested on the virus propagated in human cells.
The researchers used extracts sourced from four different continents, all of which demonstrated antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2, including two of the then-newer variants. Although it did not appear to block viral entry into the cell, the extract did decrease the inflammatory response and inhibited infection "by targeting a post-entry step."
The researchers hypothesized that the active component in the extract may actually be something other than artemisinin, or that it acts synergistically with some other component to block post-entry infection.
Interestingly, the data revealed that the concentrations could vary by nearly 100-fold and still be effective. In an interview with Spectrum News 1, one of the researchers noted that11 "this looks like it could be a therapy [against COVID] and very easy to implement globally ..."
Other studies suggest artemisinin can help in the treatment of COVID by inhibiting the activity of certain enzymes, stimulating your adaptive immunity, downregulating proinflammatory cytokines,12reducing the inflammatory response and blunting fibrosis.
Artemisia annua is also bioactive against other viruses, including cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and C, and members of the herpes family, including herpes virus type 1 and Epstein-Barr.
Treat COVID Symptoms Immediately and Aggressively
The fact that there are easily-obtainable over-the-counter remedies against COVID-19 is good news. None will do you any good, however, unless you have them when you need them. Remember, you want to begin aggressive treatment immediately at the first sign of symptoms. Don't wait.
Considering how contagious the Omicron variant is, chances are you're going to get it, so buy what you'll need now, so you have it on hand if/when symptoms arise. And, remember, this applies for those who have gotten the jab as well, since you're just as likely to get infected — and perhaps even more so.
While it's possible you might have the common cold or a regular influenza, it's hard to tell these infections apart, so your best bet is to assume it's COVID and treat accordingly.
Herbal remedies like sweet wormwood can be a worthwhile addition to your medicine cabinet, but I would not recommend relying on it as a sole remedy. At this point, we have several early treatment protocols with demonstrated effectiveness, so I would strongly advise you to follow one of those (see below), and use any herbal formulas as an adjunct.
The Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance's (FLCCC's) prevention and early at-home treatment protocol. They also have an in-hospital protocol and long-term management guidance for long-haul COVID-19 syndrome. You can find a listing of doctors who can prescribe ivermectin and other necessary medicines on the FLCCC website
Tess Laurie's World Council for Health protocol
Dealing with Long Haul COVID from Dr. Teitelbaum
Sweet Wormwood
Dr. Axe
In ancient Egyptian times, it was a commonly used medicinal plant, specifically for anal pain, and as an additive to wine. Later on it was used in European folk medicine to induce labor. The plant, when steeped into a strong wormwood tea, has been used traditionally in Europe as well as a bitter stomach stabilizer to stave off indigestion and loss of appetite.
A favorite alcoholic beverage in 19th century France, absinthe was said to be addictive and associated with a collection of serious side effects known as absinthism or irreversible damage to the central nervous system.
Absinthe was made popular by some very well-known writers and artists, such as Ernest Hemingway, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Oscar Wilde. The manic depressive painter Vincent van Gogh was addicted to absinthe, and some say his continual drinking of it led to many of his paintings having a green or yellowish tint (due to the thujuone’s hallucinatory effects) — and that the wormwood actually enhanced his epilepsy.
Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit derived from several botanicals. Absinthe ingredients include the flowers and leaves of wormwood, anise and fennel. It’s illegal in the U.S. as well as many other countries. However, it’s not banned in some European Union countries as long as the thujone content is less than 35 milligrams per kilogram.
Thujone is the potentially poisonous chemical found in wormwood. Distilling wormwood in alcohol increases the thujone concentration. Thujone-free wormwood extract is currently used as a flavoring in alcoholic beverages like vermouth.
Beats Malaria
Malaria is a serious disease caused by a parasite that is transmitted by the bite of infected mosquitoes and invades human red blood cells. Artemisinin is an extract isolated from the plant Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood.
Artemisinin is an herbal drug that’s the most powerful antimalarial on the market. It’s known for quickly reducing the number of parasites in the blood of patients with malaria. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.
Recent experiments have shown that artemisinin is effective against the malaria parasite because it reacts with the high levels of iron in the parasite to produce free radicals. The free radicals then destroy the cell walls of the malaria parasite.
2. Fights Cancer Cells
According to recent studies, artemisinin can battle iron-enriched breast cancer cells similar to the way it eliminates malaria-causing parasites, making it a potential natural cancer treatment option for women with breast cancer.
Cancer cells can also be rich in iron since they commonly soak it up to facilitate cell division. Researchers in a 2012 study tested samples of breast cancer cells and normal breast cells that had first been treated to maximize their iron content. The cells were then treated with a water-soluble form of artemisinin, an extract of wormwood.
Results were quite impressive. The normal cells showed little change, but within 16 hours, almost all of the cancer cells were dead and only a few normal cells were killed. Bioengineer Henry Lai believes that because a breast cancer cell contains five to 15 more receptors than normal, it absorbs iron more readily and hence is more susceptible to artemisinin’s attack.
3. Gets Rid of Parasites
Wormwood is used to eliminate intestinal worms, including pinworms, roundworms and tapeworms. Pinworms are the most common worm infection in the U.S. with pinworm eggs spread directly from person to person. Roundworms, or nematodes, are parasites that also infect human intestines, and tapeworms are long, flat worms that infect animal and human intestines.
A 2018 animal study published in the Journal of Helminthology indicates that wormwood induced worm paralysis, death and ultrastructural alternations.
And a study conducted in Sweden shows that for the purpose of deworming farm animals, a combination of wormwood, mugwort, chicory and common tansy are believed to have anti-parasite properties.
Treats Crohn’s Disease
In Germany, a double-blind study examined the effectiveness of an herbal blend containing wormwood at a dose of 500 milligrams three times per day versus a placebo over 10 weeks in 40 patients suffering from Crohn’s disease who were already on a steady daily dose of steroids.
This initial stable dose of steroids was maintained until week 2, after that a defined tapering schedule was started so that by the beginning of week 10 all the patients were steroid-free.
Researchers found that there was a steady improvement in Crohn’s disease symptoms in 18 patients (90 percent) who received wormwood in spite of the decrease of steroids. After eight weeks of treatment with wormwood, there was almost complete remission of symptoms in 13 (65 percent) patients in this group as compared to none in the placebo group. This remission lasted until the end of the observation period, which was 20 weeks (12 weeks later), and the addition of steroids was not necessary.
The results were truly impressive and suggestive of wormwood being able to decrease or eliminate the need for steroids in Crohn’s disease patients. Additionally, results indicate that wormwood has positive effects on mood and quality of life, which is not achieved by other standard Crohn’s disease medications.
5. Contains Antimicrobial and Antifungal Abilities
In vitro studies have shown that the essential oils of wormwood have antimicrobial activity. Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that wormwood oil exhibits a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against several bacterial strains, including E. coli and salmonella.
Every year, salmonella is estimated to cause 1 million food-borne illnesses in the U.S. alone, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths. E. coli is another concerning type of bacteria that can cause a range of issues from diarrhea to urinary tract infections to pneumonia and other illnesses.
Not only can wormwood kill bacteria, but it’s also been shown to kill fungi. Research shows that essential oil distilled from the aerial parts of Artemisia absinthium inhibited the growth of a very broad spectrum of tested fungi (11 to be exact). The wormwood essential oil also showed antioxidant properties during testing.
Another study published in Planta Medica concludes that A. absinthium oil inhibits the growth of Candida albicans. This is the the most common type of yeast infection found in the mouth, intestinal tract and vagina, and it may affect skin and other mucous membranes.
6. Treats SIBO
Many people turn to natural and alternative treatments when it comes to problems with their gastrointestinal health, and for good reason. Studies show that herbal remedies like wormwood tea or capsules are as good or even better at fighting small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIBO symptoms.
Today’s typical treatment of SIBO is limited to oral antibiotics with varying rates of effectiveness. A 2014 study had 104 patients who tested positive for newly diagnosed SIBO take either a high dose of rifaximin or an herbal therapy daily for four weeks.
The herbal products were specifically chosen because they contained antimicrobial herbs like wormwood, oregano oil, thyme and berberine extracts, which have been shown to provide broad-spectrum coverage against the types of bacteria most commonly involved in SIBO.
Of the patients who received herbal therapy, 46 percent showed no evidence of SIBO on follow-up tests compared to 34 percent of rifaximin users. Adverse effects reported among those taking rifaximin included anaphylaxis, hives, diarrhea and C. difficile colitis, while only one case of diarrhea and no other side effects were reported in the herbal therapy group.
The study concluded that herbal therapies are at least as effective as rifaximin for eradication of SIBO. Additionally, the herbal therapy with wormwood appears to be just as effective as triple antibiotic therapy for individuals who don’t respond to rifaximin.
How to Use
Wormwood is commercially available at health stores and online as an essential oil, as well as in capsule, tablet, tincture and liquid extract forms. It can also be used in fresh or dry form to make an infusion or tea.
It’s best used in dried form, which contains little, if any, thujone. To make an infusion, follow this wormwood tea recipe:
Steep a half teaspoon to one teaspoon of dried or fresh wormwood in one cup of boiling water for five to 15 minutes.
It’s important that you use no more than one teaspoon of the leaves as they’re very strong and bitter. Longer steep time will make for a stronger wormwood tea, but also a more bitter tea.
Wormwood tea should be taken unsweetened to have the best effect, but you can counter the bitterness by adding dried peppermint or anise.
Wormwood tea can be especially helpful for digestion, specifically before heavy meals that may likely cause gas and bloated stomach. Research even suggests that wormwood helps to relieve symptoms of Crohn’s disease.
Wormwood tea dosage varies, depending on what you’re using it for. Wormwood tea preparations are typically sipped because the strong bitter taste is an important component of its therapeutic effect on stomach ailments. It can also be taken as an occasional energy tonic.
For intestinal concerns like worms or parasites, it’s best to take powdered wormwood in pill form. You can also use wormwood and other botanicals in a homemade bitters recipe. Bitters make an excellent digestive aid.
Wormwood tea or other products should only be taken under the supervision of a professional. It should always be taken in small doses as directed and for no longer than four weeks at a time.
Side Effects, Allergies and Drug Interactions
Wormwood herb is not meant for long-term use. Make sure you don’t exceed recommended doses because excessive consumption could be highly toxic. It may be best to use wormwood in dried form, which contains little, if any, of the volatile oil thujone.
The FDA lists wormwood unsafe for internal use due to the toxicity of thujone oil. However, it’s considered to be safe when taken by mouth in the amounts commonly found in food and beverages, including bitters and vermouth, as long as these products are thujone-free.
Using wormwood for longer than four weeks or at higher than recommended doses may lead to nausea, vomiting , restlessness, insomnia, vertigo, tremors and seizures.
Wormwood products that contain thujone, like absinthe, can be unsafe when taken by mouth. Absinthe effects/thujone effects can include restlessness, difficulty sleeping, nightmares, seizures, dizziness, tremors, muscle breakdown, kidney failure, vomiting, stomach cramps, urine retention, thirst, numbness of arms and legs, paralysis, and death.
Don’t take this herb in any form if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding. There have been documented abortifacient and emmenagogue effects of wormwood.
If you’re allergic to ragweed and other plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family, then wormwood may cause an allergic reaction.
If you have porphyria (a group of disorders that result from a buildup of natural chemicals that produce porphyrin in your body), then you should know that the thujone present in wormwood oil might increase your body’s production of chemicals called porphyrins, which could make your porphyria worse.
If you have epilepsy or any other seizure disorder, speak with your doctor before using this herb. The thujone in wormwood cause cause seizures, especially in people who have a tendency toward seizures.
Wormwood is not recommended for people with kidney disorders. The oil might cause kidney failure. If you have kidney concerns, don’t take this herb before talking with your doctor.
It’s not advised to use the essential oil in aromatherapy since it contains an extremely high amount of thujone, which is a convulsant and neurotoxin.
Be cautious and speak with your doctor before combining wormwood with any anticonvulsant, which is a medication used to prevent seizures. Since these medications and wormwood can both affect brain chemicals, this herb may decrease the effectiveness of anticonvulsants.
Loved this article. I am very interested in vitamins, minerals, and natural remedies. This is right up my alley.