Following are selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List about grapefruite seed extract (GSE). [Not to be confused with GRAPE seed extract]. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

Happy hunting :)

<06 Aug 1998 From wordlady Re Grapefruit seed extract>

Hi List,

<<The only thing people have to be careful with regarding grapefruit seed extract (not to be confused with grape seed extract) is that grapefruit seed extract used internally should be used very judiciosly.  It is strong stuff! Externally, you can experiment but internally, I probably would not use the drops of the extract straight without getting more info as to how much to use.>>

Emily, for sure you're right, it's *very* concentrated, you do have to be careful with dosage, and you should never feed it right from the bottle, always dilute with water or mix with food, whichever is possible. I should have been clearer about that. (Putting a drop on your own tongue will quickly show just how strong it is! <g>) From what I've read, I would think the 1 drop per 10 lbs body weight would be about right for NutriBiotic - or half that for "Citricidal" which is the professional-strength version not usually available to the public.

<<Someone earlier posted that you can take 1 drop per 10 lbs body weight but in the Newsletter I have somewhere on it I believe ther was a reference to a doctor advising a patient to take it internally to treat candidaiasis ( a yeast over
infestation through out the body) beginning with just one drop total per day and working up to more drops.>>

I'm a bit surprised to hear about the doctor's recommendation, and I wonder if there were other factors involved with that specific patient? This is the info I have for treating human candidiasis:

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For humans -
"Candidiasis: 5 - 10 drops 2 - 3 times per day of concentrate.  Depending on the severity and length of time or condition, treatment may last 1 month to three months or more."
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For animals -
"For Internal Use: The rule of thumb for gastrointestinal disorders, including bacterial, fungal, parasitic, or viral, is to use one drop of liquid concentrate or 10 milligrams of powder extract per 10 pounds (5kg) of live weight. Cut the liquid proportion in half if using the "professional-strength" product (available from doctors and some vets).

In acute cases, the dosage can be increased dramatically without ill-effect, but the wisest course is to increase frequency of dosage, rather than increase the size of dose by more than 2 or 3 times."
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Joyce, I don't know of anything that indicates you shouldn't take the GSE with Vit C & cranberry but I'm no expert ... GSE is very acidic so would that help with the UTI?

I have some 20 pages of info on NutriBiotic, be happy to send it on if anyone would like. Just email me privately. (I'm not affiliated with NutriBiotic in any way, nor do I sell it, I just like the product.)

-- Jean,  Saski B & Amber

At 12:33 PM 8/25/98 EDT, Lee wrote:
<<Two questions: Does GSE work like antibiotic drugs, in that it "finds" the infection in the body and acts on it?  I have only used it on tummy bacteria, so it made sense to me that it goes into the digestive tract and kills off the bad stuff.  But what about other kinds of infections, say bladder?  lungs?  Would you still give GSE orally? Also, this ties in with my question about GSE, would that be able to effect the infection in my sinuses?>>

Hi all

Lee, I have about 20 pgs of info on GSE that I've put together from various sources and I can send it to you if you like. However, here's a very short summary. As to *how* it works, I'm no further ahead! <G>  But my understanding is that it affects bacteria throughout the body, so if it's an infection - particularly one caused by staph, strep, salmonella or E-coli - GSE should help to fight it. E-mail me if you'd like anything else!

--Jean, Saski B & Amber

"    Citricidal is an extremely potent and effective alternative to the toxic and environmentally harmful chemicals used in a diverse spectrum of both consumer and commercial applications. Citricidal is currently used in international markets as a sanitizing and disinfectant agent, as a fungicide, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral and preservative in food and cosmetics."

"What is not known is how GSE can affect the cell membranes of such a diverse group of microbes with virtually no toxicity toward animal life. And to complicate matters further, since viruses do not have a cell membrane of their own, how is it that GSE can act as an antiviral remedy as it does?"

"Mode of Activity Studies indicate that the antimicrobial activity of Citricidal is in the cytoplasmic membrane where the uptake of amino acids is prevented and disorganization of the cytoplasmic membrane and leakage of low molecular-weight cellular contents occurs."

"Effective against candidiasis, gastrointestinal disorder, sore throat, gum disorders, ear infection, warts, athlete's foot, nail fungus, vaginal rinse, diarrhea, psoriasis, eczema, allergies (hay fever & food sensitivities), diaper rash & impetigo, cold sores, acne & other skin disorders, poison oak/ivy, gingivitis, sinusitis, ulcers, sore throat"

It is effective against staph & strep, E-coli, salmonella, candida, herpes simplex & others.

Hi Donna,

<< I'm not happy at the prospect of throwing out 12 pounds of food from the freezer and having to make a new batch, but I will if that is the problem. I'm open to any suggestions or comments you all might have.  Thanks for being there and listening.
Donna, Sasha, and Corky>>

Couldn't you just treat the food you have already made up w/ diluted GSE, just in case?  I treat the meat w/ diluted GSE, but I don't see how it would hurt to just stir in 3/4 cup purified water w/ 4 drops GSE (per lb of food) into the whole mix.  I did have a cat get food posioning from untreated raw hamburger many years ago, so this does happen occasionally.  I hope Sasha is still keeping her food down.  Has the  diarrhea stopped also?
Susan

Hi all

Nancy wrote:
<<Do you know if Nutribiotics sells just the GSE without it being in  glycerin?>>

I don't think so. Here is the info I have on the process:

"Pure vegetable glycerin is added to reduce the bitterness and acidity to a tolerable level and to reduce the possibility that incidental contact could cause irritation to the skin or mucous membranes."

"Grapefruit Extract Production
    1) Grapefruit pulp and seeds (the by-product of expeller-extracted grapefruit juice) is dried and ground into a fine powder.
    2) The grapefruit powder is dissolved in purified water and distilled to remove the fiber and pectin.
    3) This distilled slurry is spray dried at low temperatures forming a concentrated grapefruit bioflavonoid powder.
    4) This concentrated powder is dissolved in vegetable glycerine and heated.
    5) Food grade ammonium chloride and ascorbic acid are added, and this mixture is heated under pressure.
    6) This material undergoes catalytic conversion using natural catalysts (including hydrochloric acid and natural enzymes).
    7) This slurry is cooled, filtered and treated with ultraviolet light.

The amount of Ammonium Chloride remaining in the final product is between 15% and 19%.

The amount of Ascorbic Acid remaining in the final product is between 25mg/g and 30mg/g.

There is no residue of hydrochloric acid in the final product."
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--Jean, Saski Basket & Amber Sweet T'ing

Hi everyone,

Finally heard from Nutribiotics on their GSE with glycerin. Sounds to me like it's used as a preservative too. Something turning brown can usually indicate that it is spoiling.  I think it would be much nicer to use without the glycerin on the animals' fur. Even very diluted I found the glycerin based stuff really gummed up the fur.

Be well,
Nancy and the furkids

NUTRIBIOTICS MESSAGE:

Hi Nancy,

Thank you for your interest in our products. The reason we use glycerin in the Citricidal products is to prevent discoloration. The
extract turns brown over time in water. We do have a product called Traveler's Friend, which is Citricidal based in deionized water, made for ease of use during travel. It is smaller in size and is more readily dispersible than the NutriBiotic liquid concentrate.

Sincerely,
Trisca - NutriBiotic

<< Another thing you could do is make up a grapefruit seed extract and water solution and dip a q-tip in and swab your kitty's gums. Or you >>

Please be aware that there have been several reports of cats with badly burned mouths and tongues from Grapefruit seed extract and that if it is used it should be diluted quite a bit. Since you are mixing an oil (GSE available here is an essential oil) with water this is very hard to do as the oil will not break up enough; and you run the risk of GSE being deposited full strength in the cat's mouth.  Vodka would break the oil up better, or mix the GSE with olive oil would be the best solution. For myself, I do not deem this an acceptable risk and would use something else... raw honey (Manuka honey especially), as does garlic
have high antibiotic properties, Vit C dissolved in  water...

Cheers! Marnie:)

[snip]
I got information from the manufacturer of my GSE that straight GSE will burn a cat's skin or mucous membranes horribly if applied straight.  The fact that I put another med. on the skin 12 hours later, they said, probably did not make a difference. [snip]

Lee

Candy.  I went through this with my cat for several months.  I gave him Lysine in his food every morning.  I mixed a vial of GSE and purified water and gave him 1 dropper full 3 times a day.  The green chunks are a build up of mucus that get caught in the nasal passage.  It is probably irritated up there so the mucus stays until the cat gives a real good sneeze.  After a couple of months the sneezing went away.  His left eye runs, just a little.  I don't do the GSE anymore, but I still put Lysine in the food.

Is the cat vaccinated?  Mine was not.  I used the Heska 3-1 and I was told by several vets and an immunologist that even though he had the herpes virus, giving that vaccine would help him fight it off, and it did.

Jill