Study Finds Stevia Kills Lyme Disease Pathogen Better Than Antibiotics

by Organic & Healthy

For those of us who suffer from Lyme disease, we know just how complicated treatment can be – even if none of the related complications, such as Bell’s Palsy, manifest. We know just how awful treatment can be – especially if it takes time to properly diagnosis our bacterial infection.

Fortunately, there may be an easier solution coming.

As a recent study published in the European Journal of Microbiology and Immunology seems to suggest, the natural sweetener Stevia has shown potential in fighting late state or chronic Lyme disease.

This is a big deal, as Lyme disease affects quite a few people. The CDC notes that roughly 300,000 patients are diagnosed with Lyme disease – with the vast majority (96%) coming from just 14 states in the Midwest and Northeast.

If caught quickly, Lyme disease is frequently treated successfully with antibiotics, but not everyone gets the tell-tale bullseye – meaning some patients can go as long as years without a proper diagnosis.
In such late state or in chronic cases of Lyme disease – which may be as high as 15% of all Lyme disease patients – antibiotics have been found far less successful, which is where Stevia comes in.

The study on Stevia, titled “Effectiveness of Stevia Rebaudiana Whole Leaf Extract Against the Various Morphological Forms of Borrelia Burgdorferi in Vitro,” was conducted by researchers from the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at the University of New Haven in West Haven, Connecticut. The researchers concluded that “Stevia whole leaf extract, as an individual agent, was effective against all known morphological forms of B. burgdorferi.”

Stevia leaf extract is rich in many phytonutrients that are known antimicrobial agents. For this study, the antimicrobial effect of stevia extracts was examined in comparison to doxycycline, cefoperazone, daptomycin, as well as a combinations of these antibiotics, as they were revealed to be effective against the persistent forms of Lyme disease. Results showed that the stevia leaf extract was effective against all forms of the bacteria in lab tests. Four extracts were tested, and one was chosen as the most potent, thought to be the outcome of its growing conditions and the agricultural practices utilized.

The stevia extract was found to work against even the most antibiotic-resistant of the bacteria, known as the biofilm. The individual antibiotics, on the other hand, actually increased the biofilm rather than eliminating it.

Obviously, more trials are needed, but this is a very promising development for those of us who suffer from chronic Lyme disease.

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