HOW ARE HERBAL ANTIBIOTICS DIFFERENT FROM PHARMACEUTICAL ANTIBIOTICS?
Many pharmaceutical antibiotics are isolated chemical constituents. They are one compound/one chemical – penicillin is penicillin, tetracycline is tetracycline and so on. This makes them easier for bacteria to adapt to and counteract.
In contrast, herbs are much more complicated. Garlic has over 33 sulfur compounds, 17 amino acids and a dozen other compounds. Yarrow has over 120 identified compounds. (This makes me look at my herbs with a new appreciation.)
In plants, the whole appears to be more than the sum of its parts. The different compounds work together to combat bacterial infections, often to produce better than expected results.
Herbal antibiotics may be one of our best options for fighting methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). ...read more