Peyote is mainly thought of as a spiritual or religious medicine with this culminating view being the depth of most people's knowledge of the plant. Peyote can be a powerful spiritual guide. Yet, it is equally powerful as a medicine for the treatment of many physical health problems.
Native Americans were reported to have used it in the treatment of pneumonia, tuberculosis, diabetes, arthritis, influenza, intestinal problems, and even venereal disease. Peyote was also applied as a topical medicine for wounds, burns, slow to heal sores, bites and stings (especially from poisonous creatures).
Around the turn of the century, use of peyote as a medication was no longer limited to Native Americans. White settlers quickly adopted peyote and it soon found its way into the official drug manual of the times. For several years, editions of the United States Dispensatory, contained information on its medical uses under the botanical name, Anhalonium lewinii. In 1895, researchers suggested using peyote buttons as an "antispasmodic" for intestinal problems, irritable cough, nervous headache, restlessness, insomnia, hysteria, convulsions, and as a cerebral stimulant in cases of hypochondria and melancholia.
Modern research has tested the antibiotic effects of peyote extracts. James McCleary and his colleagues at California State University, Fullerton, showed that a peyote extract was effective in killing in-vitro cultures of eighteen penicillin-resistant strains of the bacteria staphylococcus aureus. A peyote extract also displayed an inhibitory effect on the same strains in inoculated laboratory mice. In my herbal practice, I have created peyote extracts which have invigorated the immune system in patients diagnosed with AIDS. There are many herbal medicines that can effectively raise the T-cell counts, but we chose to use an extract of peyote to test its effectiveness.
In a healthy body, a normal T-cell count is 1200. The first patient's, T-cell count was around 200 when he first came to see me. After seven days of steady use (50 to 100 drops of the extract, 4 times a day) his T-cell count increased to over 600. This person also switched to a natural whole foods diet and continued with herbs for the immune system. Within 3 months his T-cell count was above 800. To my knowledge, this patient was not using any standard AIDS medications, such as AZT. Today, four and a half years later, this person is still living with AIDS.
In a second case, the patient's T-cell count was initially at 300 when I began to work with him. After 2 months of similar treatment, his T-cell count was at 1000. This patient is also surviving with AIDS.
In both cases, the T-cell count was extremely low by medical standards. A peyote extract was administered in large enough dosages to affect a significant change, and the T-cell counts increased in a short period of time. Because both patents had been diagnosed with AIDS and are still alive four years later, I believe these cases indicate that peyote can be strengthening and or stimulating to a weakened immune system. I would encourage further detailed investigation by medical researchers.
Michael Cottingham is a clinical herbalist. His finely, crafted extracts and raw medicihals are available through his catalog, Southwest Botanicals
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