Anaplasma and Ehrlichia are two bacteria that can be transmitted to humans by the blacklegged tick, lonestar tick, and brown dog tick.

Babesia, on the other hand, is a parasite – also transmitted by the blacklegged tick.

Compared to other tick borne coinfections like Bartonella and Mycoplasma, they are better known and more widely recognized.

This doesn’t mean they’re WELL known diseases, however.

There is much progress that needs to be made in the realm of tick borne infections in the medical community. Coinfections are rarely tested for, under diagnosed, and poorly understood, and the FDA cleared tests that exist for them are very poor.

Medical students receive very little education on Lyme Disease in all their years of study, and virtually nothing about other tick-borne infections. If you have Lyme Disease and/or a coinfection, you probably know more about the subject than your doctor does, unless you’re seeing a Lyme Literate practitioner.

If you’re lucky enough to have your Babesia, Ehrlichia, or Anaplasma infection detected by your doctor, you can expect to be prescribed a course of antibiotics (probably Doxycycline) or a combination of anti-parasitic prescriptions (for Babesia).

But what happens next? If you caught the infection in the early stages (which is very unlikely, because knowledge of tick borne coinfections is so poor), you might feel better.

More likely though, didn’t catch the infection early and you still feel just as sick, because the parasites or bacteria will have spread in your body and caused systemic infection, inflammatory cytokine cascades, autoantibodies, organ damage, and buildup of endotoxins that can’t be solved with a short course of antibiotics or anti-parasitic medication.

Knowledge of late-stage Lyme Disease and Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) is just starting to grow, but there is still no FDA cleared or approved treatment for either condition.

As you can imagine, the outlook is even worse with other tick borne infections. Most doctors have barely heard of Babesia, Anaplasma, or Ehrlichia infection. Much less are they familiar with residual symptoms after a course antibiotics or anti-parasitic medication. Most likely, your doctor will tell you that your infection isn’t related to your ongoing symptoms. They might refer you to a specialist or two for symptom control, all while the microbes continue to wreak havoc on your body.

To successfully treat your Babesia, Anaplasma, or Ehrlichia infection, you’ll need to look for a Lyme Literate practitioner. You can find Lyme Literate Physicians, Naturopathic Doctors, Functional Medicine Doctors, and Herbalists in my blog post about finding the right practitioner.

Your other option is to self-treat. Several all-in-one treatment plans exist for Lyme Disease and coinfections, such as Cowden, Byron White, Vital Plan, and BioPure.

My favorite self-treatment option for Lyme and coinfections are the herbal protocols by Stephen Harrod Buhner for several reasons.

Buhner’s books are extremely thorough and scientific. I guarantee you won’t be able to make it through the entire bibliography section at the end of the book, no matter how much you love to research.

He has separate protocols for each tick borne bacterial infection. These protocols include botanicals that have evidence demonstrating their ability to reduce cytokine cascades, modulate the immune system, protect and repair damaged organs, bind and flush endotoxins, and reduce the bacterial load.

Moreover, the herbs he includes have a high success rate for helping Lyme and coinfection sufferers reach remission. Approximately 75% of people recover completely, 10-15% are relieved of most or all symptoms, 5-10% are relieved of some symptoms, while only 5% have no response.

*Jonathan spent about 5 years with a mystery chronic illness from age 12-17. Different practitioners, at different times, diagnosed him with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. He vaguely remembers a tick bite on his head. At age 17, a Lyme Literate ND first suggested that Jonathan might have Lyme Disease and coinfections, but did not determine the exact infection(s). Jonathan spent 6-7 years afterward on general Lyme Disease treatments like Cat’s Claw, Chaga, and Japanese Knotweed; Results RNA, BioPure CockTail, Cowden, and DesBio; and lots of detoxification therapy – like supplements for methylation, epsom salt baths, and infrared sauna. At first, he experienced some significant improvement, but then plateaued and worsened until he was again barely able to function. Keeping even a part-time job was a herculean feat for him, because the illness affected his body and brain so severely.

In late 2019-early 2020, we ordered labs and finally learned which specific infections Jonathan has – Ehrlichia Chafeensis, Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, and Cytomegalovirus with complications. It was a game changer, in the best way. These infections require a different type of treatment that we had never tried before, so we felt hopeful that we were about to make some real progress. Since beginning the full Buhner protocols for Ehrlichia, Mycoplasma, and Cytomegalovirus, Jonathan has felt a significant improvement in chronic fatigue, pain, brain fog, and other symptoms.

On to the protocols.

*Note: The herbal regimens are designed to be followed until all symptoms resolve. When you have remained symptom-free for a fair amount of time, you have likely reached remission. Some people choose to stay on a lower maintenance dose of the protocols once in remission, to help prevent relapse. Testing to monitor progress is not a good approach. You will likely retain antibodies to the bacteria for life, so the only way to differentiate between an active or past infection is whether or not symptoms are present, not by re-testing.

BABESIA

Most common symptoms:

Fever (often very high), fatigue, chills, sweats, air hunger, headache, muscle pain, loss of appetite, cough, joint pain, and/or nausea. Similar symptoms as Malaria.

Where to order labs:

IGeneX
DNA Connexions
Vibrant Wellness
Armin Labs (a great option for people in Europe)

Note: Under each of the below herbs, I will include links to the prepared tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, and powdered versions. Mountain Rose Herbs has the best prices, so whatever Buhner herbs I can find there, I order. For more rare herbs, I order from Herbie’s Herbs. Hawaii Pharm sells a wide range of glycerin extracts.

Prepared tinctures are best for people who have no alcohol sensitivity and have more money to spend on treatment than time to make their own tinctures.

Bulk dried herbs are best for making tinctures or glycerin extracts at home, for people who have limited funds (this is 90% cheaper than purchasing prepared tinctures).

Glycerin extracts are best for people who have alcohol sensitivity but can tolerate trace amounts of alcohol and have more money to spend on treatment than time to make their own extracts.

Powdered herbs are best for people who have severe alcohol sensitivity and cannot tolerate trace amounts in glycerin extracts. The dose for powdered herbs is approximately 2x the dose for tinctures and glycerin extracts, so keep that in mind as you read the below protocol.

THE CORE BUHNER PROTOCOL FOR MILD TO MODERATE BABESIA INFECTIONS:

Including herbs for immune modulation, organ support and protection, and antimicrobial action. (Follow regimen for 30-60 days, can repeat if necessary)

1. Cryptolepis sanguinolenta tincture, 1/2 tsp 3x daily
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
2. Bidens pilosa tincture, 1/2 tsp 3x daily
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
3. Artemisinin (or artesunate or artemisone), 100-200 mg daily (Note: DO NOT take any form of Artemisinin or Artemesia plant long term, or it will become neurotoxic in your system. 1-2 weeks is ideal, but 1-2 months can be acceptable if necessary. If you need to follow the rest of the protocol longer than this, just leave the Artemisinin out.)
   
   
4. Sida acuta tincture, 1/4 tsp 3x daily (Note: Some people are highly sensitive to this herb; it may, under certain circumstances, increase symptoms; if so, reduce the dose to just under the dosage that increases symptoms)
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
5. Red Sage tincture (Salvia miltiorrhiza), 1/2 tsp 3x daily
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
6. Milk thistle seed, standardized (to 80 percent silymarin) capsules, 600-1200 mg 3x daily
   
   
7. L-arginine, 2000 mg 3x daily
   
   
8. Ashwagandha tincture (Withania somnifera), 1/2 tsp 3x daily (Note: may cause drowsiness)
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
9. Riboflavin (B2), 30-40 mg 3x daily
   
   
10. Tincture combination of Panax ginseng, Licorice root, Schisandra (equal parts each), 1/2 tsp 3x daily
    Panax ginseng: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
    Licorice root: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
    Schisandra: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
    

Extended Repertory

• With severe anemia, use: Sida acuta tincture (see above), at an increased dosage of 1/2 tsp 3-6x daily until the condition resolves, plus NAC, 4000 mg 2x daily until the condition resolves, Bidens pilosa (see above), 1/2 tsp 6x daily, and Angelica sinesis, 1 tsp 3x daily.
  

The core protocol – numbers 1 through 10 – is designed to take care of nearly all types of Babesia infections, however Buhner does include an expanded protocol with options for treating individual issues in his book, Natural Treatments for Lyme Coinfections. I have included a small portion of those suggestions above. To read the rest, purchase the book. I cannot recommend Buhner’s books on Lyme and coinfections enough.

ANAPLASMA AND ERHLICHIA

Most common symptoms:

Fever, headache, muscle pain, nausea, joint pain, vomiting, rash, cough, pharyngitis (inflammation of the throat), diarrhea, lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes), abdominal pain, confusion. Acute untreated infections have a fatality rate of 2-5% for Ehrlichia and 1% for Anaplasma, and can cause sepsis and septic shock. But, HGA and HME can also cause chronic illness without a fatality risk.

Where to order labs:

IGeneX
DNA Connexions
Vibrant Wellness
Armin Labs (a great option for people in Europe)

Note: Under each of the below herbs, I will include links to the prepared tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, and powdered versions. Mountain Rose Herbs has the best prices, so whatever Buhner herbs I can find there, I order. For more rare herbs, I order from Herbie’s Herbs. Hawaii Pharm sells a wide range of glycerin extracts.

Prepared tinctures are best for people who have no alcohol sensitivity and have more money to spend on treatment than time to make their own tinctures.

Bulk dried herbs are best for making tinctures or glycerin extracts at home, for people who have limited funds (this is 90% cheaper than purchasing prepared tinctures).

Glycerin extracts are best for people who have alcohol sensitivity but can tolerate trace amounts of alcohol and have more money to spend on treatment than time to make their own extracts.

Powdered herbs are best for people who have severe alcohol sensitivity and cannot tolerate trace amounts in glycerin extracts. The dose for powdered herbs is approximately 2x the dose for tinctures and glycerin extracts, so keep that in mind as you read the below protocol.

THE CORE BUHNER PROTOCOL FOR NON-SEPTIC EHRLICHIA AND ANAPLASMA INFECTIONS:

Including herbs for antibacterial action, immune modulation, and bone marrow, liver, and spleen/lymph node protection and modulation. (Follow protocol for 12 months, or until infection resolves)

1. Red Sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) and Houttuynia tincture combination (equal parts of each), 1/2 tsp 6x daily
   Red Sage: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   Houttuynia: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
2. Quercetin, 1,000 mg 2x daily
   
   
3. Chinese Scullcap, Cordyceps, Kudzu root tincture combination (equal parts of each), 1/2 tsp 3-6x daily
   Chinese Scullcap: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   Cordyceps: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   Kudzu root: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
4. Astragalus, Angelica, Licorice root tincture combination (equal parts of each), 1/2 tsp 6x daily
   Astragalus: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   Angelica/Dong Quai: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   Licorice root: tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
5. Ashwagandha tincture, 1/2 tsp 3x daily (may cause drowsiness)
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
6. Panax ginseng tincture, 1/4 tsp 3x daily
   Tincture, bulk dried, glycerin extract, powdered
   
   
7. Milk thistle seed, standardized, 1200-2400 mg daily, depending on severity of condition (function: protection of liver)
   
   

Extended Repertory

• For early, acute Anaplasma or Ehrlichia infection, substitute Chinese Scullcap, 1/2-1 tsp 3-6x daily, for the Ashwagandha.
  
  

The core protocol is designed to cover most aspects of a non-septic Ehrlichia or Anaplasma infection, but Buhner also includes an expanded repertory with suggestions for specific problems caused by these two bacteria in his book Natural Treatments for Lyme Coinfections. I’ve included one of the suggestions above. To explore the rest, please don’t hesitate to buy the book.

Reference: Natural Treatments for Lyme Coinfections: Anaplasma, Babesia, and Ehrlichia.

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