Spirochetes are bacteria that are usually spread by tick bites, and they are often accompanied by other associated microbes that can make recovery especially challenging. Cryptolepis and its main alkaloid, cryptolepine, have shown microbial balancing activity for inhibiting unwanted bacterial organisms. Furthermore, cryptolepine has demonstrated potent activity against spirochetes. In another study, Cryptolepis showed strong activity against both growing and non-growing stationary phase spirochetes.
