Rabies.

Newsgroup: alt.folklore.herbs
From: brumstik.interaccess.com (broomstick)
Date: 01 Jan 1996 21:48:58
Subject: Re: Rabies

>Question: is there a bona fide herbal remedy for rabies prior to onset of the disease?

Prior to the work of one Louis Pasteur and his rabies vaccinations and shots, the standard remedy for rabies exposure was to apply red-hot irons to the wounds as soon as possible after exposure in order to "burn the madness out". Aside from the third degree burns and subsequent infections resulting from this, the technique did not work.

In other words, no, there is no herbal remedy for rabies once exposure has occurred.

>I may have been exposed ... waiting for lab results on the animal in question.

I sincerely hope the results are negative.

>I've never been to a medical doctor, so I called one just to get some info. She was very nice and helpful. She told me that the rabies series is three shots, $200 each.

Are you sure about that price? When my dad got his rabies series (many, many years ago) it was free, through the local health service. Granted, that was decades ago.

Contact your local county or other regional board of health - that price seems awful steep to me. Even if it is the "going rate" you might qualify for some sort of assistance. Regardless IF YOU NEED THESE SHOTS GET THEM REGARDLESS OF PRICE. (see below)

>I was really curious if I could begin doing something at home with my herbs to help offset this if I really have contracted the disease. I understand that the incubation period is anywhere from 6 days to 6 weeks.
>Any suggestions? Knowledge? Experience?

Yes. Not that I mean to alarm anyone, but this is a very serious matter.

1) KNOWLEDGE:

Untreated rabies is 100% fatal. Yes, 100%

Prior to onset of symptoms, rabies *IS* curable. There are some side effects to this treatment, including intense pain, nausea, and other side effects. But remember, if you DON'T treat it you WILL die.

Once symptoms have arrived it's usually too late. Medical science will attempt to save you, but rabies DOES inhabit the brain and nervous system. Exactly ONE (1) person in all of recorded history has come down with symptomatic rabies and recovered. It is believe that his youth (he was, if I recall, no more than 8) allowed his brain and central nervous system to repair some of the damage caused by the rabies. There was another survivor, but she was severely and permanently brain damaged.

2) EXPERIENCE:

Not direct. My father was bitten by a dog and required to undergo rabies vaccinations. They were so painful he stopped before they were completed. Fortunately, it turns out the dog in question did not have rabies.

The vaccinations are not as bad as they used to be, but they are still so unpleasent that some people refuse them or stop them in mid-course, despite the risk of death. Since actual rabies infections are rare, such people do usually survive - because they never had rabies. However, if you ARE infected with the virus (rabies is caused by a virus, in case you didn't know) refusing the vaccinations entirely, or stopping them before you're finished, will have one result and one result only, because then you are no longer treating the infection. It will run rampant through your brain and.... well, I've already mentioned the outcome.

3) SUGGESTIONS:

Don't screw around with this. Don't wait for symptoms to appear. Your SAFEST course is to start the rabies shots NOW - if the lab results are negative you can always quit. If you want to wait for the lab results, fine - but if they're positive you have one and ONLY one treatment open to you.

I am sorry if I have alarmed you but this is a very serious matter. Time is important here. Good luck and best wishes.

From: normanr.primenet.com (Sharon Rust)

>Question: is there a bona fide herbal remedy for rabies prior to onset of the disease?

I do not know of any herbal remedy but have read some old medical journal studies on the use of vitamin C it is not preventive in the sense of keeping you from getting rabies but was useful in preventing death. ALONG WITH GETTING THE SHOTS IF THE DOG PROVES TO HAVE RABIES, you could take vitamin C and probably some echnieaca for your immune system. I do not recall the dose of V.C in the studies but I would probably take a near bowel tolerance dose, for a few weeks.