Definition of anthrax, from Meriam-Webster's dictionary: "An infectious disease of cattle, sheep, and other mammals caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, transmitted to humans through wool and other animal products. "

Anthrax comes in four separate clinical forms:

1. Cutaneous- A skin lesion evolving over 2 to 6 days from a papule, through a vesicular stage to a depressed black eschar. About 20% of untreated cases of cutaneous anthrax will result in death.
2. Inhalation- Initial symptoms may resemble a common cold. After several days, the symptoms may progress to severe breathing problems and shock. Death occurs in 80-90% of all cases, and usually occurs in 1-2 days after onset of acute symptoms.
3. Intestinal- The intestinal disease form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated meat and is characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs of nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever are followed by abdominal pain, vomiting of blood, and severe diarrhea. This form is deadly in 25-60% of cases.
4. Oropharyngeal- Symptoms include a muscosal lesion in the oral cavity or oropharynx, cervical adenopathy and edema, and fever. This form is very rare, and death rates are unknown.

Anthrax could be just another disease, if it wasn't that deadly, and if it hasn't been used in recent terrorist attacks. All forms of disease are treated with antibiotics, but they are usually effective only if the disease is recognized early and treatment is prolonged. Penicillin and tetracycline are usually the drugs of choice, although amoxycillin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and gentamycin are other drugs that some doctors are starting to use because some anthrax strains have become resistant. However, treatment for inhaled anthrax is unlikely to occur. For treatment to be effective it must start before symptoms begin appearing. In most of cases, when symptoms occur, it is too late.

There is also a vaccine available. It is a weakened spore vaccine combined with potent hyperimmune anthrax serum (that is, one that contains a large amount of antibodies). Anthrax bacterins (killed spore vaccines) are also very useful in some situations, although antibody levels are not quite as high. Although not exactly a vaccine, antianthrax serums give immediate, but short-lived, immunity, and are useful for both prompt protection and for treatment.

However, the anthrax is not a modern disease. It has been known since the ancient times, and the folk medicine had its treatments for it. Serbian folk doctors are known to have been developed remedy for anthrax, and some people who were treated with this cure are still alive. Unfortunately, those who knew the recipe for the cure aren't. Only several ingredients are known, and they don't seem to be the important ones. Natural Cure shall continue the search for the cure, because it is the only known remedy that works after the symptoms appear. Also, treatment duration is much shorter than with the antibiotics, which often have to be used for 50-60 days. Progress of our search shall be reported here, on Natural Cure web site.