Home Remedies and Herbs for Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease of a bacterial infection.^1,2 Syphilis can affect the genitals, anus, lips, or mouth, leading to sores and other serious complications if left untreated.¹ In the early stages, syphilis can be cured.² It’s possible for syphilis to remain dormant in your body for many years, resulting in no symptoms or in symptoms that come and go.^1,2

What Causes Syphilis?

Syphilis is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum.³ It is usually transmitted from person to person through sexual intercourse, such as through vaginal, anal, or oral sex.⁴ This is what’s known as acquired syphilis.³ 

Infected mothers may pass on the infection to their children. This is known as congenital syphilis.⁵ Congenital syphilis is more common when the mother has been infected during pregnancy, though it can also occur if the mother has been infected prior to becoming pregnant.⁵

Individuals who use latex condoms are at lower risk of contracting syphilis, but this practice can’t completely eliminate the chances of contracting or spreading the disease.¹ Monogamy also helps reduce the spread of syphilis.⁴

Syphilis Symptoms

There are four stages of syphilis, each resulting in their own set of symptoms. These stages include:

• Primary Syphilis - The first stage results in a sore known as a chancre, which is the site where the bacteria entered the body. It typically appears three weeks after exposure and lasts three to six weeks. These sores are usually painless and often go unnoticed.
• Secondary Syphilis - Symptoms in the secondary stage include rashes and mucous membrane lesions in the mouth, vagina, or anus. Other symptoms include fever, muscle aches, hair loss, sore throat, headaches, weight loss, fatigue, and swollen lymph glands. These syphilis symptoms usually disappear on their own, but you should still seek treatment.
• Latent Syphilis - Without treatment, many patients go through a latent phase in which no syphilis symptoms appear, though the infection remains in the body.
• Tertiary (Late) Syphilis - In some individuals who haven’t been treated, late syphilis can occur up to 10 to 30 years after initial exposure. The infection can spread to the nervous system, causing a condition known as neurosyphilis. Symptoms include severe headache, dementia, numbness, difficulty controlling muscles, and paralysis. If syphilis spreads to the eye, known as ocular syphilis, it can lead to vision change and blindness. Untreated syphilis can be life-threatening.

In the case of congenital syphilis, symptoms may not appear until weeks, months, or years after birth.⁵ Symptoms typically appear around two to five years of age, but the bacteria may remain dormant until adulthood.⁵ Early symptoms include low birth weight, fever, and various skin problems.⁵

References

1. https://medlineplus.gov/syphilis.html
2. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syphilis/home/ovc-20234440
3. http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/nord1083
4. https://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/stdfact-syphilis.htm
5. http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/nord1084
6. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/syphilis/symptoms-causes/dxc-20234443