Warburgia and thrush
My GP suggested I contact you for advice on clearing the constant bouts of thrush I have been suffering since coming off the contraceptive pill. I know changing my diet would help but cutting out sugar and wheat seems very restrictive. My doctor said I should also tell you I am taking Epilim as this may have some bearing on what you suggest.
In a study of 21 African medicinal plants by scientists at the Department of Botany at the University of Natal Pietermaritzburg in South Africa, researchers who were looking for plants with potent antifungal properties highlighted Warburgia salutaris (also known as pepperbark) as having a specific action against Candida albicans, the organism responsible for your thrush infection.
The other organism that ethnopharmacological screenings have shown Warburgia to act against is Escherichia coli, the bacteria responsible for causing cystitis or bladder infections, which again, can be chronic and difficult to break from a pattern of repeated outbreaks.
These findings would have come as no surprise at all to traditional African healers who have used this plant to fight yeast, fungal and bacterial infections for hundreds of years and this herb is now available here in supplement form.
You can mail order Bioharmony’s Warburgia from Revital (0800 252-875), a UK supplier specialising in African herbs, where 60 capsules cost £19.99 - and because the problem is chronic, you need to take two tablets, every eight hours for five days. Chew each tablet with a little water but do not use this herb if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. You should also start taking a good quality probiotic to help rebuild levels of the good bacteria that can help ward off candida.
If you cannot eliminate wheat and sugar from your diet, try at least to reduce your intake while you tackle the problem since this really will further help you to break the cycle of repeated infections.