LINDA (VA) on 03/22/2025
I had tried everything natural (colloidal silver and apple cider vinegar, really helped with the pain) but still was struggling. Then I read that ivermectin was helpful. I started at 6mg every other day and it stopped the diarrhea and I got my appetite back. There is a die-off (fatigue) but it's worth it. Taking lots of water and binders. Will start taking it every 3rd day soon.
Jeff (WI) on 08/17/2024
Hello EC, I hope you can put this up as an overarching commentary on all stomach, small intestine, and large bowel infections.
That should about do it for... H pylori, small intestine infection or candida, and c diff.
LeAnn (Georgia, USA) on 10/31/2023
In addition, barley has free radical fighting properties. Also, its vitamins and mineral support the immune system. When a squeeze of fresh lemon, lime or orange is used, that's more vit. C. (WebMD, NewMed, HealthLine are my sources.)
Also, I've read on a micro-biologist's site, (can't find the link), that in his research he found chitinase crystalizes toxins in the gut. He used the term "petrifies" and explained the chitinase acts much like amber encapsulating anything it flows onto. He went to say that toxin elimination is done in a variety of processes, but he believes chitinase has tremendous benefits to people with any type of gut issue, especially c diff without having the side effects.
So it seems to be that it stops the diarrhea by adding fiber and hydration, then the chitinase surrounds the toxins and then flushes them out of the body. Also the micro-biologist said that any grain containing silica works well with flushing (his favorites being oatmeal and next lentils), but most grains and beans lack the hydration properties of barley water.
I use one cup of pearl barley to 5 cups of water, bring to a boil, turn it down on simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and drink warm or cool. Add a splash of fresh lemon, lime, or orange and honey if desired.
Morninglaurie (Michigan) on 03/24/2023
I posted this on here a moment ago, but as a reply so I am not sure where it went.
My husband contracted c diff in the hospital…and began a years long battle with it. Eventually had a fecal transplant which took care of it for a while. But with frequent hospitalizations and antibiotics (he has multiple health issues resulting in kidney infections and sepsis) we seldom were off of the vancomycin —-and rarely got to the “taper” part.
We were at the point of wanting another fecal transplant, but during covid, obtaining “clean” fecal matter was a problem. His infectious disease doctor recommended trying kefir and a Vancomycin taper, sending us a study (small, and maybe a pre-study-I tried to find exactly what she sent us, but I believe the link above is it or discusses it).
The conclusion of the small study was that it was as effective or almost as effective as a fecal transplant.
He took 5 oz of Lifeway kefir 4x a day, and did the Vancomycin taper. It worked. He still takes kefir twice daily, and I eventually ordered kefir grains online and began making my own as the store was sometimes out of it. (Homemade is supposed to have twice the probiotics in it)
It has been at least two years now that he has been free of c. Diff.
Recently I was on an antibiotic that gave me diarrhea so I started taking 4 oz of kefir daily….it helped.
I hope this helps someone out there…c.diff is a terribly difficult thing to get rid of.
Lori (Dallas) on 10/07/2021
Beamer (Brisbane, Australia) on 08/15/2021
My dad had been on PPI's and ended up with diarrhea for a number of years. He tried probiotics. He took whole bottles a day of acidophilus and other specialised probiotics. He took antibiotics - different courses of different kinds including a regime of 3 at the same time. (he is a doctor and tried the latest antibiotic treatments).
One day he asked me if I knew of anything that might help his bacterial infection. He believed Proton Pump Inhibitor use was the cause of years of this.
I told him to try raspberries. I remembered listening to an interview of a pig farmer who reduced the mortality of their piglets to almost zero with apple and raspberry cordial. It was 1% real raspberry. I told him it could be cooked or frozen raspberry, it just needed to have real raspberries in it. He changed their strawberry jam to raspberry jam with breakfast and his problem went away. It can be raspberries in any form as long as they are real raspberries.
Ruth (Alaska) on 04/03/2019
After 6 days, I still had fevers, no appetite, some nausea, and extreme tiredness. I went back to in and saw the on-call doctor, she ordered urine and blood cultures, and gave me a shot of ceftriaxone, and changed the antibiotic to 5 days of ciprofloxacin. The cultures came back clean. I requested they continue to grow out the cultures to see if it was a fungal infection, since they hadn't found any bacteria yet. But that message must have not gone through, because they disposed of my samples. 5 days after finishing the Ciprofloxacin, I went back in for having diarrhea and generally not feeling like I was "better". The on-call doctor (doctor #3) ordered another urinalysis and a stool sample. The next day, the clinic notified me that I had C. diff and that they had called in a prescription for 10 days of oral vancomycin. I thought about it and decided I would get the script as a backup and go all out on trying to heal myself. I have insurance so the script was only $15.
I bought kefir, barley (for barley water), kombucha, sauerkraut, 3 types of chewable probiotics, another big bottle of Asprega probiotics, garlic pills, oil of oregano, beet juice, carrot juice, and organic Miso. The previous day I had also ordered probiotics online, nascent iodine, magnesium chloride cream, iron, calcium, vitamin C and D, and a book by John Brisson titled "Fix Your Gut", which I highly recommend. What a wealth of information. The last day I saw the doctor, let's call it
Day 1, I had 12 bowel movements.
The next day I started my treatment,
Day 2: 8 bowel movements,
Day 3: 7,
Day 4: 4,
Day 5: 3.
Day 6 is today and I'm on 0 at 8am, have been up since 5:30. I have no more cramping unless I eat something I shouldn't. I have now figured out, I take 1 bite and wait. I will get cramps within 15 minutes. I have only tried this on a couple foods, but it works. Eat slow. The first day I drank barley water (quite soothing and not bad at all although it sounds gross), I ate the barley with flavored kefir on it for breakfast and miso for lunch. Lots of water. I continued this diet and am still on it while introducing new foods and liquids like kombucha, carrot juice, beet juice. I am also consuming all of the things I mentioned earlier. I am overdosing on probiotics.
Every 3 hours I take double a full day's dose of each kind that I have. Every morning on an empty stomach, a shot of water with 2 drops of oregano and iodine in it. Plenty of rest and naps. I still have the antibiotics just in case. But I now realize that they should be a backup plan and not the first line of defense. Our medical system is ridiculous. Why was I not warned of this when I started 3 different types of antibiotics in a week? Why was I not given advice from my doctor on dietary changes that could have helped prevent this from happening? It really is a shame. Why was I not warned that this could come back even after taking dangerous antibiotics? Everything I have found out about C diff, I researched and found out myself.
You will beat this! You are your best advocate. You don't have to do everything a doctor tells you. Listen to your body. Take it slow. Do what is making you feel better. Try the barley water. You have to take care of this all day and be on top of it, but you will win.
Florafauna (Frankfurt, Ks) on 07/07/2020
It appears to be full of helpful information, including: https://peggyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/C.-difficile-OMJ-article-lo-res.pdf
I hope this helps someone out there! Both in cure and prevention...
Amanda (Minnesota) on 04/05/2017
A side note that peeps should be aware of. Drink plenty of water. I think the barley kind of dries u up...
Charles Evergreen (Usa) on 03/23/2017
As of February 15,2017 ER hospital Visit, 600MG IV Clindamycin, + 300 mg every 8 hours, the very next morning I had morning Diarrhea typical of a C-diff infection. Everyone who takes Clindamycin, will get C-diff within ten days, with very insignificant 1 out of 250 prescribed. did not. [webMed 2016 clindamycin reviews by patients.]
On the third day I researched SACCHAROMYCES BOULARDII which prevents second infection stages of treatment.
Next I got Florastor Max with Saccharomyces boulardii lyo CNCM I-745. BioCodex France. I took too boxes in 10 hr period, woke up the next morning with a normal bowel movement. Today is March 23,2017 and I have not had another case of Diarrhea.
March 9th,
I have a very fresh stool sample I took right at the ER. Tested by the PCR method. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) Your stool sample degrades to Untestable in 4 hrs or less. Then the way you handle it will adversely affect the results. So get it done right at the hospital so they can run it upstairs to the lab. Timing for all your C-diff feces testing is crucial to your life, which you will get back. That very day my fece sample came back with C-diff B-Toxin. That means it's Virulent, and a killer. 30 days to sudden toxic death syndrome. Only with B-toxin.
Next step treatment, Vancomycin. A nuke for the second stage of C-diff Treatment. I have it right here on my desk and decided not to take it.
I found another study that said 5 % to 25% of every one who did not enter their second stage treatment, but instead worked night and day at replenishing their friendly intestinal flora, the only way to keep C-diff Bacterium safely at bay, they were later tested, and found to have neutralized the C-diff toxin producing mode.
[Never take Flagil. It's not an antibiotic. It's a deadly poison only used to kill deadly amobias that you ate out in the jungle or drank the water from the river, or you got Giradia from a Spiffy up scale restaurant that got into your water via an Ice machine which hadn't been cleaned. Yes, amoebas can grow in a commercial restaurant setting Ice Machine. I never since then Giardia and Flagyl ever allow a server to give me water or anything else with ice in it or as a base for like your shrimp. Period.]
About research. If you didn't it's not to late, but Ya gotta note, if you had. what would you have missed out on with your C-diff. Huh So if you research Vancomycin, you will find it is like Aspirin. It is an Ototoxic drug. This means that you must get a Base line hearing test before you take it, and then the hospital can monitor your hearing to see if Vancomycin is adversely affecting it.
You get tinnitus with vancomycin, then you go completely irreversibly deaf. Period. It's always something. If I have to, I will take it, however not until mid April after my hospital gives me my base line hearing test we just scheduled. With monitoring, you can prevent total deafness. without, you lost your hearing forever. Take flagyl then. You research that and you will find it never works, not even the third time around. It gives you skin cancer, and destroys the visual purple of the eye. I know, I had to take 10 days of it.
So now I have nothing else to tell you, except go purchase Perisept 62. 4 fluid OZ to one gallon of water.
Read the instructions first. then make it stronger so you can wash all your clothes in the machine.
The guys and girls who sell it to you are well informed about it. I just finished washing all my black clothes in it, my black interior in my car, my lap top, my Led screen 39 inch Viso, no worries mate. the stuff just goes on, it must be moist for 2 minutes, and then so, it kills all the C-diff highly contagious bacterium.
You in third stage you will have to spray everything down with that, or continue to be RE-INFECTED.
Right now clostridium difficile is living for up to 90 days on everything you touched, Everything, plus it loves the washer and dryer. You are prime time to purchase and use Perisept 62.
Only that name is EPA rated to kill C-diff in two minutes. 2, not one, not 1 and 1 half minutes but 2.
If you wipe it off, or it dries before that time. You wasted your time, your money and your peace of mind.
Charles.
Pickles and Pickle Juice Helping C. Diff Marcus (Houston, Texas) on 02/23/2017
I was warned about future antibiotics use and such, they ordered Metronidazole along with the warning of it might not cure the C. Diff. I am slowly going backwards experiencing pain, cramps, diarrhea so I have returned to using deli style pickle juice and eating a slice of pickle twice a day. I know the vinegar is acidic and boy does it work.
Kubakuba (Ohio) on 01/11/2017
Tommyboyss (Pennsylvania) on 01/01/2017
I couldn't walk and spent almost a year in a wheel chair.
What helped get me to where I am today is : Saccharomyces Boulardii with mos, barley water, bentonite clay, and activated charcoal. I also ate a lot of fermented foods.
Mel (Southern Utah ) on 01/01/2017
Minnie (Mn) on 12/20/2016
Word to the wise, do NOT eat any chocolate, caramel, or any thick syrupy sweet for at least 6 months! Keep sweets to a minimum (make your own from gluten free mixes or recipes online).
Eat rice approx. 3x a week in a hot dish or with steamed veggies and chicken etc. Try to eat all of your meals from your home.
Once your gut is healed you should be able to eat out occasionally but beware of the restaurant you are eating at because some of them are just filthy.
Bleach your bathroom head to toe 2x a week for the first 6 weeks, then once a week. Do not reuse any towels for anything. Use paper towels to dry your hands and a clean washcloth for your face each and every time. Do not have a towel hanging and reuse it!
I have had this 2x since 2012. I hadn't been on antibiotics once. I did not have a relapse for almost four years after the first.
Fill up your kitchen sink in the morning and add dish soap and a cup of bleach, have a pair of gloves sitting right next to your sink and wipe down all high traffic areas such as garbage disposal switch, light switches, handles on the appliances, handles on your doors into your home and the counter tops. Your cellphone, mouse, keyboard, tablet. Anything you use for electronics but be careful the washcloth is not dripping but wrung out pretty good. I do this all the time and have had no problems with my electronics.
Put your underwear in a small garbage bag you keep inside a basket with a lid and only your underwear in there. After putting them in your washing machine (with bleach) wash your hands thoroughly and get a new bag (throw the used one away). You can use the plastic bags you get at places like Target, the grocery store etc. or buy a roll of small plastic garbage bags.
Use bleach to wash the washing machine and dryer really well, the floor in your laundry room with bleach as well.
If you have a steam cleaner such as the Tancs you can use that, it is certified to kill this spore. I use this steamer and it hurt to pay for it but in the long haul it has been a life saver! I personally use bleach and the steamer both, I want all spores DEAD!
Wash your jackets and coats frequently. It's easier to pay a little more for a better brand you can wash and dry frequently than a cheap one you can't. Columbia or North Face wash and dry like new. Don't wear your clothes more than once a day until you have this program under control for a good couple of months.
Do not keep your toothbrush on your bathroom counter but inside a drawer on top of a washcloth and change that out once or twice a week. No make up or blow dryer either. Do those in your bedroom.
I know this sounds like a lot but it's really not once you get a system it goes really fast and remember, you are in charge! This infection is a dangerous infection and one I don't wish on anyone for sure. The first time I had this I felt great after 3 days on flagyl, I kept the system I described for about six months and then relaxed some with such stringency other than the bleaching of the bathrooms and the towel situation. The second infection was brutal. I'm still on my regimen I described above and doing well. My intentional tract does get sore on occasion depending on if I had something to eat I should not have.
I wish you all well.
Oh one more thing, your keys and your cars! Wash those weekly as well with clorox wipes (the steering wheel, blinker handles and door handles etc.).
Dandelion Root Cured C. Diff Overnight! Joly (Arkansas) on 12/06/2016
Kim (Il) on 10/25/2016
Esa (Edmonton, Alberta) on 09/21/2016
A.R.E. (Edgar Cayce) site is where I learned of the castor oil packs. I'm sure that is what kept him alive long enough to receive the organ transplant in 2006.
Helpwithcdiff (Savannah Ga) on 08/22/2016
I was put on a course of Flagyl for five days; it worked but then five days later C Diff came back. Another longer, stronger course of Flagyl was prescribed; 500 mg for 10 days 2X a day; it worked but five days later C Diff it came back. I've since found that Flagyl isn't very effective in general. C Diff has become a superbug - and Flagyl has been used so much it is losing effectiveness.
The third time it came back, I was put on TAPERED or PULSED Vancomycin, which doctor said was normal protocol when Flaygl fails twice. This is not a normal ten day or even twenty day course of Vancomycin, which is better than Flagyl but not as effective as tapering or pulsing it. With Vancomycin "tapered" or "pulsed, " you take it 4X a day for ten days, then 2X a day for 7 days, then 1X a day for a week, then every other day for four weeks. Total of seven weeks. There are variations - sometimes 8 weeks, sometimes weeks of every 3 days included.
The strategy is this: C Diff has found a way of surviving, protecting itself, by planting little spores (its babies) in protective colonies covered in biofilm. The antibiotic can kill the adult C Diffs floating around freely - so you get better. But it can't penetrate and kill the biofilm colonies of babies. So when you go off the antibiotic, you're OK until the biofilm colonies break open, grow up and became adults and guess what? You get full-on C Diff again. The babies are all grown up now, and planting their own babies even.
What tapered Vancomycin does is kill off the adults - then when you slow down your dosages, and the babies start to hatch and grow - but you hit them with dose of antibiotic. So the idea is to get rid of the baby colonies this way (I assume before they plant their own babies?).
I'm only at the end of the once a day week - no diahrrea but I can feel the C Diff pains in my tummy, feel it starting to come back, before I take my morning pill. Soon I will go to every other day - a bit worried.
But the other strategy of tapered/pulsed Vanco is that you have time to replenish your gut with the good bacteria. That is ESSENTIAL - some docs don't recommend that enough. You need a two pronged approach - kill the bad, replenish the good - to really fix the imbalance in your gut allowing C Diff to flourish.
This means dosing yourself with huge amounts of probiotics. I mean a lot. I was taking some - but just a regular amount. I've realized with this tapering that to stop the tummy pains (indicating C Diff returning) I needed to take way more than was recommended, and have found certain dietary changes (through this website and other research and just my own experimenting) that help.
Probiotics - (forgive spelling) S Boolardi is most important, but also Rhamnosus, L. casei, and L. Acidilophous. I have the Jarrow brand Boolardi 5 billion, and the Flora Udo's Choice Hi Potency 8 - 43 billion. These are the refrigerated kinds you get at the health food stores. My mistake was only taking it once or twice a day. NO. You have to super dose it. I am now taking two tablets of the Jarrow Boolardi and two of the Flora Udo's three to four times a day. That's huge but I am trying to replenish my good bacteria.
Kefir - I take Lifeway shots with 20 billion probiotics. Also have the big bottles with 12 billion.
Yogurt - the kind that has probiotics in it. Organic is good. When C Diff is full-on, Kefir and yogurt are the only thing I can drink.
Kumbacha Gingerade - another drink you can get at the health food store - it's great!
Barley water - never heard of that before I read this website. It works. Recipe I found was 1 cup barley (groats or pearled barley) to 6 cups water. Bring to boil, then let simmer for half hour or so. Drain the water off.
Activated Charcoal capsules - also highly recommended here at this website.
Tumeric and Ginger Root capsules - I was putting tumeric in tea but not enough.
Slippery Elm - someone recommended this and I am trying it.
Saurkraut, Kimchi, Miso - these are fermented foods with probiotics. I got these but haven't been very diligent about eating them. Honestly I think the above protocol is sufficient.
Beer - I'm a drinker and like my wine. Before I knew I had C Diff, I noticed that I was way worse after having some wine. C Diff loves sugar, and wine has lots of sugars. But beer is fermented (and if you make it yourself, it probably has probiotics in it) and what does it have in it? Barley! Barley has Chitin in it which breaks open the biofilm colonies. So don't have a wheat beer or rice beer (some of the cheaper beers are made from other grains). Make sure you have a beer made from barley. Malted beers are barley. Craft beers tend to have more barley in them. Check it out.
Avoid sugar, meat (has C Diff - I can eat seafood and sometimes chicken but that's it), raw veggies, nuts, wine, liquor.
But what few people are mentioning on this thread is DIFICID. I am surprised that more doctors aren't aware of or prescribing this. That is supposed to be the next step after failed Flagyl and failed Vanco. Dificid is almost always effective and stops C Diff for good. It is the only thing that cured my dad's C Diff. (He also had Flagyl (failed) and regular (not tapered) Vancomycin.) If, for me, the tapered Vancomycin and diet above does not work, I will go on Dificid. However it's expensive - $4000 for ten day course of it. I don't have insurance but plan on getting some soon. Even with RX coupons, it's still around $3500. But there's a manufacturer's coupon if you have insurance (not Medicare) that will make it affordable. Besides, with C Diff - as we all know - it's worth it. Anything is worth it to recover.
The final almost always effective treatment, besides Dificid, is a fecal matter transplant. This has 93-97% effectiveness rate.
So if you've not gotten rid of your C Diff on Flagyl or Vanco, try tapered Vano with the diet above, and the Dificid, and finally, a fecal matter transplant. The FMT is kinda gross, but again, worth it if you get rid of C Diff.
Good luck my friends!
Pamela (Williston, Florida) on 12/02/2014
It (C Diff) was not responding to lower doses of apple cider vinegar (w/the mother inside) and peppermint essential oil so I had to increase the dose and then it became effective. Sometimes you do have to use a stronger does to kill some things. This is what I used and it worked.
Now for the Protocol.
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (with mother, unpasteurized and unfiltered, I used Braggs brand) and 12 to 15 drops of peppermint oil in 16 oz of water (once a day - Twice a day for the first two days. And then only once a day after that. And follow this protocol for 3 to 5 months. Listen to your own body here. But wouldn't go less then 2 months on the protocol for sure.
IMPORTANT!! NOW WHEN YOU FIRST START THIS PROTOCOL START WITH USING ONLY 5 DROPS OF PEPPERMINT OIL AND 2 TABLESPOON OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR (WITH MOTHER) with 16 oz of water. TO TEST YOUR TOLERANCE of this protocol FOR THE FIRST DAY OR TWO. Lay down after taking the dose for safe measure in the beginning. (I didn't have any problem, but better to be safe) Actually the peppermint was kinda nice it soothed my upset stomach.
But after the first two days, proceed to the 15 drops of peppermint oil, with the apple cider vinegar. Please understand sometimes it does take a stronger dose to kill some pathogens. I unfortunately did not get good results on lower drops of peppermint oil and needed to use 12 to 15 drops, 20 drops sometimes, however, "do not" not under any circumstance exceed 20 drops of peppermint oil per dose, diluted in 16 oz of water. These are pretty darn tough pathogens and this higher does is needed to kill them. If you simply can't handle 15 drop lower it to 10. I don't think less then 10 drops will help you though, but better to do this for sure than nothing. These are very virulent pathogens and can lead to death if untreated.
Doses should be taken at a minimum 3 hours apart. No more than 2 doses a day.
ALSO VERY IMPORTANT. Please do get all of the items listed in this protocol before starting it as you will need all of them to get well. This includes the food items like kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt, Apple Cider Vinegar Unpasteurized and unfiltered with the mother, peppermint oil, specific probiotics and enzymes listed, baking soda, Turmeric, and other supplements listed in this document.
After you're well (3 to 5 months), twice a week for maintenance. (2 tablespoon of apple Cider vinegar (w/mother) and 5-10 drops of peppermint oil with 16 oz of water. Not that it should come back. It's just an effective pathogen killer for so many organisms. So it is better to stay ahead and keep yourself cleaned up. Stay with the turmeric daily, it has so many health benefits. Remember death starts in the colon. This is just a great program to keep your stomach, organs and intestines in good shape. By the way I have 35 years experience in studying alternative medicine just for the record.
Also you need to add Turmeric (curcumin 95%) at 1000 mg twice a day. Or 2,500 mg. twice a day, with the peppermint oil and apple cider vinegar protocol. Take at separate times of the day not at the same time. And always use baking soda apart from vinegar and oil protocol (a few hours)
Other items essential to this program are: (Through the week) Kefir (the best most strains of probiotic), yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles. cottage cheese, fresh fruit, raw flaxseed and fresh veggies too (eat as you wish just try to include them daily and weekly. Course you can have cooked meals with meat if you like too. These probiotic and enzymes food are important for your recovery.
MUST HAVE: Garden of Life RAW probiotics women 50 & Older (Because it has 33 probiotic strains and is a broad spectrum probiotic, and potent). Garden of Life Primal Defense Ultra ( It has 13 strains but it also has soil based probiotic which is very important), Any brand name of Saccharomyces boulardii, Nature's Plus Acti-zyme (1 daily). Futurbiotic Daily Enzymes complex 2-3 times a week.
For the first three days of your protocol simply use the food type probiotics, like yogurt and kefir, and Saccharomyces boulardii. Be careful adding Primal Defense Ultra and the other brand probiotics listed here. Better to only take one and see how you respond to it, and maybe only once a day. Or every couple of days. The key here is listen to your body. They are needed very much to help you, but sometimes people in really weakened states need to go slow. The food probiotics like kefir and yogurt in the beginning may be the easiest to tolerate. The 3 probiotic supplements are necessary, as well as the enzymes and can not succeed with out them.
To help with keeping ph levels in balance I use 1 tsp. of baking soda twice a day every 3 days. But you can use it everyday if you like. Make sure it doesn't contain aluminum or any other items.
After your feeling a little better a good daily multivitamin supplement is a good idea. My favorite is Nature's Plus Source of Life RED mini (of course find one you like as this is not essential to this program), And try to eat mostly low sugar (glycemic) whole foods as often as possible. Best of luck to you.
The names of these products are only listed because they contain the essential items needed for this program. If you can find them in other products be my guest, but I couldn't.
This program is also used and very successful for IBS, IBD, H pylori. Ulceration Colitis, Ulcers, Constipation, Diarrhea, and a pretty darn good parasite cleanser. It is a good program for general health as well and can be used for general upkeep and well being.
