Stephen Buhner Protocol
The Buhner Protocol as written in Stephen Harrod Buhner’s book ‘Healing Lyme: Natural Healing of Lyme Borreliosis and Its Coinfections’ 2nd Edition (2015), has become an extremely popular and effective approach to treating Lyme Disease worldwide. The Buhner Protocol is laid out into 2 sections, which you will see below: the Core Protocol and the Expanded Core Protocol.
The Buhner Protocol has been designed specifically to ensure a comprehensive treatment approach that is both supportive of the body and simultaneously attacks the infection.
The Buhner Protocol is a comprehensive plan designed to achieve the following:
- Protect endothelial tissue
- Modulate cytokines
- Protect collagen-containing structures
- Balance the immune response
- Protect / restore damaged physiologic structures
- Reduce symptoms
- Kill the infection
Buhner Core Protocol
Below you will find Stephen Harrod Buhner’s Core Protocol. We’ve simplified it as much as possible by creating blended products (such as our Immune Remodulation Blend) that contain all of Buhner’s recommendations in a single convenient bottle. This drastically reduces the size of the Core Protocol, making it less cumbersome financially and physically. *Just add your desired products to cart, or purchase the Buhner Core Protocol Bundle here!
Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1/4 to 1 tsp 3-6x/day
*Recommended Size – 500ml
Red Sage + Chinese Skullcap Blend
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1 tsp 3x/day
*Recommended Size – 500ml
Pueraria lobata (Kudzu)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1/4 tsp 3-4x/day
*Recommended Size – 250ml
Immune Remodulation Blend
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1 to 1.5 tsp 3x/day
*Recommended Size – 500ml
Andrographis paniculata Capsules
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1 cap 3x/day to start, then 2 caps 3x/day
*Recommended Size – 120 caps
Uncaria rhynchophylla (Gou Teng / Chinese Cat’s Claw)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1/2 to 1 tsp 3-6x/day
*Recommended Size – 500ml
Hericium erinaceus (Lion’s Mane) Capsules
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1 cap 2x/day
*Recommended Size – 120 caps
Bovine Gelatin (Organika)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1 tbsp daily
*Recommended Size – 250g tub
Buffered Vitamin C Powder (Thorne)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 1000-3000mg daily
*Recommended Size – 231g tub
Selenium (Thorne)
Buhner’s Recommended Dose: 200mcg daily
*Recommended Size – 60 caps
Buhner Core Protocol Bundle (18% off retail!)
Includes all tinctures and capsules from the Core Protocol, at a discounted rate!
*available while supplies last!
*Note: Dosage recommendations are meant to be used as ‘target doses’. Start at a lower dose and steadily increase based on your tolerance.
How to Get Results from The Buhner Protocol
Stephen Buhner recommends the following:
- Take the entire Core Protocol on a daily basis
- Do not pulse
- Be consistent with your dosing
- Strive to take the full dose, or highest you can tolerate
- Commit to 3 months before stopping any herb
- Expect full results may take 1 – 2 years
- Add in elements of the Expanded Protocol based on your unique symptoms
Expanded Core Protocol
After you’ve adjusted to taking all of the elements of the Core Protocol, browse the recommendations below and follow Buhner’s dosing based on your unique symptoms. Prioritze the symptoms that are most impactful on your daily life, then move on to the next symptoms. Always starting at lower doses with the aim to reach Buhner’s recommended dose, or the highest dose you’re able to comfortably tolerate.
*Note: most products not available on Apex Botanicals can be found on Fullscript, Designs for Health, or iHerb.
With Neuroborreliosis (Neurological Lyme Disease), add:
With severe brain/CNS involvement, add:
Chinese Skullcap – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Greater Celandine – 1/4 tsp 3x/day
Kudzu – 1/4 tsp 3-4x/day
NAC – 2000mg 2x/day
Motherwort – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp up to 6x/day
With sensation of brain feeling ‘toxic’, add:
Gotu Kola – 1/4 tsp 2x/day
With ‘low brain energy’, add:
Acetyl L-Carnitine – 500mg 2x/day
With brain pressure, add:
Kudzu – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
With tremors, add:
Sida – 5-40 drops, 3x/day
Chinese skullcap – increase dose
Macuna pruriens – 500mg, once daily
With brain hypoperfusion (of blood), add:
Ginkgo biloba – 1/4 tsp 3x/day
With nerve pain, add:
Greater Celandine – 1/4 tsp 3x/day
Kudzu – 1/2 tsp 3-4x/day
Lemon Balm – 1/2 tsp 3-4x/day
Kali Phos homeopathic – 30C 4 pellets 4x/day
With buzzing or electric feelings in the nerves, add:
Sida – 5-40 drops, 3x/day
With epilepsy/seizures, add:
Cat’s Claw – up to 1 tablespoon 6x/day (dose based on severity of seizures)
Red Sage – up to 1 tablespoon 3-6x/day
Cannabis oil –
Cryptolepis – 1/2 tsp 3-6x/day
Taurine – 125mg 3x/day
Frankincense essential oil – topically applied to temples and base of skull
With left temporal strokes, add:
Red Sage – up to 1 tsp 6x/day
Chinese Cat’s Claw/GouTeng – 1 tsp 6x/day
Ginkgo biloba – 1 tsp 3-6x/day
With memory/cognitive dysfunction/poor-word finding/brain fog, add:
Phosphatidylserine – 100mg 3x/day
Ginkgo Biloba – 1/2 to 1 tsp 2x/day
Gotu Kola – 1/4 tsp 2x/day
Taurine – 125mg 3x/day
Phosphatidylcholine – 500mg 3x/day
Kudzu – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Bacopa – 1/2 tsp 2x/day
With subarachnoid hemorrhage, add:
Melatonin – 3-9mg nightly
With unrestrained rage, add:
Chinese Cat’s Claw/GouTeng – 1 tsp 6x/day
Cryptolepis – 1/2 tsp 3-6x/day
Tryptophan – 1000mg – 1500mg 3x/day
With behavioural outrage in children, add:
Dimethyl Glycine (DMG) – 125-375mg 2x/day
Chinese Cat’s Claw/Gou Teng – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Tryptophan – 1000mg – 1500mg 3x/day
With sensation of brain on fire, add:
Gelsenium homeopathic – 30C, 4 pellets 4x/day
With OCD, add:
Inositol – 600mg 2x/day
Vitamin D3 – 5000 – 10000iu daily
Cod Liver Oil – 1 tsp 2x/day
Dimethyl Glycine (DMG) – 125-375mg 2x/day
Zeolite – 15 drops 3-4x/day
With heavy limbs, add:
Gotu Kola – 1/4 tsp 2x/day
With difficulty swallowing, add:
Tree of Heaven – 5-10 drops 4x/day
With anxiety, hysteria and/or extreme fear, add:
Motherwort – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp up to 6x/day
Chinese Skullcap – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Vervain – 30 drops up to 6x/day
Chinese Cat’s Claw / Gou Teng – 30 drops up to 6x/day
Tryptophan – 1000mg – 1500mg 3x/day
With inconsolable anxiety, add:
Aconite homeopathic 30c – 4 pellets dissolved in 1/2 cup of water, sipped throughout the day
With depression, add:
Siberian Ginseng – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Melatonin – 3 – 9mg nightly
Mucuna pruirens – 500mg once day, in the morning
Motherwort – 1/4 to 1 tsp as often as needed
SAMe – 200mg 1 – 2x/day
Tryptophan – 1000mg – 1500mg 3x/day
Kratom powder – 1/2 tsp mixed in warm water 1 – 3x/day
With sleep disturbance / insomnia, add:
Melatonin – 3-9mg nightly
Ashwagandha – 1/2 tsp 1 hour before bed
Chinese Skullcap – 1/2 to 1 tsp 3x/day
Motherwort – 1/4 oz of tincture in liquid before bed (yes that’s right)
Glycine – 125mg – 375mg daily
Tryptophan – 1000mg before bed
For bolting awake in the middle of the night, add:
Phosphatidylserine – 100mg 3x/day
Ashwagandha – 1/2 tsp 1 hour before bed Schisandra – 1/2 tsp before bed
With low libido, add:
Pine Pollen Tincture – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day – held in mouth for one minute, then swallowed
Ashwagandha Powder – 1 tsp am, 1tsp pm before bed
Maca Powder – 1 tsp 2-3x/day
With fever, add:
Boneset as hot tea – as often as needed
Elderflower as hot tea – as often as needed
Peppermint as hot tea – as often as needed
Yarrow as hot tea – as often as needed, or tincture – 10-30 drops as often as needed
Cryptolepis – 1/2 to 1 tsp 3-4x/day
With eye involvement, add:
Stephania – 1/2 tsp 3x/day
For photosensitivity, add:
Melatonin – 3-9mg nightly
Motherwort – 1/2 tsp 3-6x/day
Lion’s Mane Capsules –
With pain, add:
Bryonia homeopathic – 30c, 4 pellets 4x/day
Arnica – 30c, 4 pellets 4x/day
Hypericum – 30c, 4 pellets 4x/day
Motherwort – 1 tsp – 1oz in water as needed
If severe, add:
Angelica & Red Sage, equal parts – 1 tsp every 15 mins, reducing frequency and dosage as pain lessens
With Lyme Arthritis, add:
Frankincense – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 2x/day
Teasel Root – 10 drops – 1 tsp 3x/day
Devil’s Claw – 1 to 2 tsp 3x/day
For Arthritis with pain, add:
Curcumin – 500mg 3x/day
White Willow – ½ tsp 3x/day
Sleep Blend (equal parts Valerian, Passionflower, Jamaican Dogwood) – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3-6x/day
With Morgellons, add:
Sida – 5-40 drops 3-4x/day
Cryptolepis – ½ – 1 tsp 3-4x/day
Artemisinin – 100mg 3-4x/day
Andrographis Tincture – applied topically to lesions
With muscle twitches/tingling/crawling sensations/numbness in extremities, add:
Vitamin B6 – 50mg 2x/day
B12 – 1000mcg daily
Folate (Folic Acid) – 400mcg daily
Magnesium Glycinate – 200-400mg up to 3x/day
Sida – 5-40 drops 3x/day
With numbness, add:
Japanese Knotweed – 1/2 tsp 6-10x/day
Ginkgo bilboa – 1 tsp 3-6x/day
Ginger 2oz fresh juice with cayenne & honey in 8-10oz hot water – 3-4 cups per day
With Lyme Carditis, add:
With angina, add:
Japanese Knotweed – 1 tsp 3-6x/day
Red Sage – ½ tsp 3-6x/day
Astragalus – 1000-4000mg 3-4x/day
Stephania – ½ tsp 3x/day
Hawthorn – 120 – 900mg 3x/day
L-Carnitine – 500mg 3x/day
With arrhythmia, add:
Stephania – ½ tsp 3x/day
Hawthorn – 120-900mg 3x/day
Taurine – 125-375mg 3x/day
Motherwort – ¼ tsp 4x/day
With palpitations, add:
Japanese Knotweed – ½ tsp 3-6x/day
Astragalus – 1000-4000mg 3-4x/day
Nettle Leaf Tincture – ½ tsp 2x/day
With shortness of breath, add:
Japanese Knotweed – ½ tsp 3-6x/day
Astragalus – 1000-4000mg 3-4x/day
Cordyceps – 1 tsp 3x/day
Tree of Heaven – 10 drops – ½ tsp 4x/day
With hypotension (low blood pressure), add:
Licorice – 1 tsp up to 6x/day depending on severity (max 60 days)
With hypertension (high blood pressure), add:
Chinese Cat’s Claw / Gou Teng – 1/2 tsp up to 6x/day
Hawthorn – 120-900mg 3x/day
Motherwort – 30 drops – 1 tsp up to 6x/day
Mimosa pudica – 20-60 drops once daily
With poor circulation (ie/and cold extremities), add:
Ginger 2oz fresh juice with cayenne & honey in 8-10oz hot water – 3-4 cups per day
With headaches, add:
The Core Protocol should help immensely, however..
With Migraine like headaches, add:
Vervain – 1/4 to 1 tsp as needed
Kudzu – 1/2 tsp 3-4x/day (also for migraine prevention)
Chinese Skullcap – 1/2 tsp 6x/day
Lithium orotate – 5-20mg daily
With Headache at back of head, add:
Vervain – 1/4 to 1 tsp as needed
With headache at front of head, add:
Milk Thistle – 1/2 tsp every 3 hours
Yellow Dock – 1 tsp in water at bedtime
Caster oil pack over liver
With fatigue, add:
For chronic fatigue, add:
Siberian Ginseng – 1/2 tsp 3-6x/day
For adrenal fatigue, add:
Pine pollen – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Licorice – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day (do not exceed 30 days)
Maca powder – 1 tsp 2-3x/day
Rhodiola – 10 – 40 drops 2-4x/day
Codonopsis – 1/4 tsp 4x/day
For thyroid fatigue, add:
Black Walnut – 5-10 drops 2x/day
Selenium – 200mcg daily
Kelp – 500mg every other day
Rhodiola – 10-40 drops 2-4x/day
For mitochondrial fatigue, add:
Motherwort – 1/2 to 1 tsp 3x/day
NADH – 10-20mg 2x/day
D-Ribose – 1 scoop 2x/day
L-Arginine – 1000mg 3x/day
L-Carnitine – 500mg 3/xday
Alpha Lipoic Acid – 200-600mg daily
CoQ10 – 60-150mg daily
With swollen/sluggish Lymph Nodes, add:
With Candida overgrowth from antibiotics, add:
Caprylic acid – 2 capsules 3x/day
Undecenoic acid – 50mg 2 caps 3x/day
With liver pain (under rib cage), add:
Red Sage – 1 tsp 3x/day
Red Root – 1/4 to 1 tsp 3x/day
Schisandra – 1/4 to 1/2 tsp 3x/day
Milk Thistle – 1200mg every 4 hours
For collagen support
Vitamin B Complex – 1 cap daily
Vitamin E – 400-800iu/day
Zinc – 25 – 50mg daily
Copper – 2-3mg daily
Echinacea – 1 tsp 3-6x/day
Pine Pollen – 1/4 tsp 2x/day
Kudzu – 1/2 tsp 3x/day
For remyelination of neurons, add:
Remyelination Blend – 1 tsp 3x/day
For Relapsing Fever Borreliosis red blood cell protection, add:
Sida – 5 – 40 drops 3x/day
For Spleen/Lymph node protection, add:
Red Sage – 1/2 tsp 3x/day up to 1 tsp 6x/day if spleen damage is severe
For liver protection, add:
Milk Thistle standardized extract – 1200mg 3x/day
For additional endothelial protection, add:
EGCg Capsules – 400-800mg daily
For Septic Shock, add:
Dong Quai & Astragalus, equal parts – 1tsp each hour
Red Sage – 1 tsp each hour
Kudzu & Cordyceps, equal parts – 1 tsp each hour
Licorice & Chinese Skullcap, equal parts – 1 tbsp each hour
For Herxheimer reactions, add:
Zeolite – 15 drops 3-4x/day
Activated charcoal – 2 capsules 1-2x/day
Chlorella – 1 tbsp 3x/day
Increase doses of Red Root & Red Sage
Castor oil packs over liver
For Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, add:
Lion’s Mane Capsules – 1-2 caps 3x/daily
Nux Vomica homeopathic – 30C, 4 pellets 4x daily or as needed
Melatonin – 3-9mg nightly
To reduce Borrelial neurotoxins, add:
To lower Histamine, add:
Butterbur – 1/4 tsp 3x/day
Inositol – 600mg 2x/day
Anti-Histamine Blend – 1 tsp 3x/day
