Herbal Antibiotics – 15 Natural Infection Fighters

Herbal antibiotics have long been used to fight infections and speed wound healing.

Now, they are gaining interest as treatments for bacteria that have become resistant to synthetic antibiotics. Many antibiotic herbs also fight viruses, like colds and flu.

We’ll start with some background information and then discuss antibiotic herbs and their use.

Note: Not all bacteria are harmful – many are essential to our health and well-being. Always exercise caution with the use of herbal antibiotics, just as you would with pharmaceutical antibiotics.

In food doses, they are generally benign, but in therapeutic doses they can have side effects just like any medication.

Please see a trained healthcare provider for severe or prolonged illness or injury.

What is an antibiotic?

MedicineNet.com defines an antibiotic as:

A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. Originally, an antibiotic was a substance produced by one microorganism that selectively inhibits the growth of another.

Synthetic antibiotics, usually chemically related to natural antibiotics, have since been produced that accomplish comparable tasks.

Most of us think of antibiotics as liquid or pills you pick up at the pharmacy. Originally, they came from naturally occurring sources.

Plants have antibiotic substances serving a beneficial role around their root systems. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria.

Many foods and herbs act as antibiotics, such as honey, garlic, onions, licorice root, ginger, sage and many others.

How do bacteria become antibiotic resistant?