Usnea - a Natural Antibiotic

by John E Smith
(England, UK)

usnea longissima - snowdon (UK) photographed by author

Usnea (usnea longissima, hair lichen)
This is a herb rarely used by British herbalists but very popular in the U.S. It is one of the earths oldest plants.

Usnea combines the properties of both lichen and algae. It is anti-viral, antiseptic, antibiotic, antibacterial and anti-tumour. It is found to be more powerful than penicillin against both staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria and works by changing cellular metabolism.
As usnea has no known contraindications or side effects it is becoming one of my most used antibiotic remedies (often combined with golden seal, wild indigo, myrrh etc. depending on the nature of the problem treated).