Viral Infections

Viral Infections

Viruses are very strange. They are incredibly small--so tiny that while ordinary microscopes can see the body's cells and the bacteria that may infect them, you need much more powerful electron microscopes to see virus particles.

I use the word particle because by most definitions of life, viruses aren't really alive. They contain only genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein capsule. Viruses don't ingest food, breathe oxygen or eliminate wastes. All they do is reproduce after they've infected cells that are susceptible to them.

Antibiotics are generally useless against viruses; they work most actively against bacteria. Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, mainstream medicine has come up with dozens of antibiotics. But today we still have only a handful of antiviral drugs, among them acyclovir for herpes, AZT for AIDS and interferon, the body's own virus fighter.

Green Pharmacy for Viral Infections

The good news is that several herbs used in traditional herbal medicine have scientifically documented antiviral effects. They're what I use when I have colds, flu and other viral infections. I discuss many of these herbs in the chapter on colds and flu (see page 133), but I want to devote one chapter to a look at herbs that can be tried as a treatment for any viral infection.

Echinacea (Echinacea, various species). This is by far the most popular antiviral herb, and for good reason. Echinacea fights viruses in two ways. It contains three compounds with specific antiviral activity--caffeic acid, chicoric acid and echinacin. Root extracts of echinacea have also been shown to act like interferon, the body's own antiviral compound. In addition, echinacea is an immune stimulant that helps the body defend itself against viral infection more effectively.

Herbalists are quick to tout echinacea as an immune booster, but the fact is, scientists still don't fully understand how it stimulates the immune system. Some suggest that it increases the body's levels of a compound known as properdin, which activates the specific part of the immune system, called the complementary pathway, that is responsible for sending disease-fighting white blood cells into infected areas to battle viruses and bacteria.

Other researchers maintain that other compounds in the herb, lipophilic amides and polar caffeic acid derivatives, are at the root of its immunostimulant activity. One compound, chicoric acid, inhibits integrase, an enzyme that's important in viral reproduction.

I'm generally impressed with the way all the compounds in a plant have a way of working together harmoniously, so I'm inclined to believe that all of these immune-boosting properties work together.

Commission E, the German expert committee that judges the value of herbal medicines for the German government, has approved echinacea for treatment of influenza-like symptoms. That constitutes a significant scientific endorsement of this herb, which is native to America.

Echinacea Echinacea, the Plains Indians' primary medicine, today is the world's best-recognized herbal immunity booster.

Astragalus (Astragalus, various species). Also known as huang qi, this is an immune-boosting herb from China. In one small Chinese study, ten people whose heart muscles were infected by Coxsackie B virus, which causes the heart inflammation known as myocarditis, received injections of astragalus extract for three to four months. The activity of their natural killer cells, a component of the immune system, rose 11 to 45 percent. They also showed increased levels of alpha- and gamma-interferon, the body's own antiviral compounds. Not surprisingly, their symptoms improved. European studies suggest that, as with echinacea, many of the immune-stimulating compounds in astragalus are active when taken orally.

Dragon's blood (Croton lechleri). This herb is also known as sangregrado or sangre de drago. There's a good reason why dragon's blood is on the back cover of the Amazonian Ethnobotanical Dictionary, which I co-authored in 1994 with Rodolfo Vasquez, botanist at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Several compounds in it, among them dimethylcedrusine and taspine, have antiviral and wound-healing properties that may be especially useful against the viral sores caused by herpes. The natural mixture of all three compounds heals wounds four times faster than the individual compounds alone.

I use dragon's blood when I get cuts or abrasions in tropical Peru. Unfortunately, this herb is not yet widely available in the United States, although I expect that it will be soon. It is applied externally.

Garlic (Allium sativum). In addition to its well-known antibacterial action, garlic is also antiviral. Several of the sulfur compounds in garlic are active against the flu virus, according to Heinrich P. Koch, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and biopharmaceutics at the University of Vienna, and Larry D. Lawson, Ph.D., a research scientist at an herb company in Utah, authors of Garlic: The Science and Therapeutic Application of Allium Sativum and Related Species.

Again, I'm reluctant to point to any specific compounds in garlic, because I suspect that they all somehow work together.

Some physicians who use herbs recommend taking two garlic capsules a day to treat colds, flu and other viral infections. But I prefer fresh garlic to capsules, and so does naturopath Jane Guiltinan, N.D., chief medical officer of Bastyr University in Seattle. She recommends consuming up to a dozen cloves a day. I'd have trouble with taking that many, except in salad dressing, garlic bread, soups and vegetable juice.

To avoid colds, I'd suggest you go ahead and eat a lot of garlic as a preventive. The other food to favor is onion, a close relative of garlic, which has similar though less potent antiviral action.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). Like echinacea, goldenseal is an immune stimulant, thanks to the berberine it contains. I often use it in combination with echinacea.

Juniper (Juniperus, various species). Even among herbalists, it's not widely known that juniper contains a potent antiviral compound (deoxypodophyllotoxin). Juniper extracts appear to inhibit a number of different viruses, including those that cause flu and herpes. Sometimes when I feel a cold coming on, I make a juniper tea.

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis). Also known as melissa, this herb is highly recommended as an antiviral, especially against herpes. I would try lemon balm for treating any viral infection. It makes a very pleasant tea.

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Among its many other medicinal uses, licorice is active against many types of viral infections. One of its eight active antiviral compounds, glycyrrhizin, inhibits a number of processes involved in virus replication, among them penetration of the body's cells and replication of viral genetic material.

You could try a tea made by adding a few teaspoons of chopped dried root per cup of boiling water; steep for about ten minutes.

Shiitake (Lentinus edodes). This tasty Asian mushroom contains a compound called lentinan that has antiviral, immune-stimulating and anti-tumor properties, according to a report published in the Lawrence Review of Natural Products, a respected newsletter. Its antiviral action has been demonstrated in experiments with laboratory animals. Shiitake extract helped protect mice against viral encephalitis.

Shiitake capsules are available, but I personally prefer to use the whole mushroom as food.

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus.) Several compounds in eucalyptus, hyperoside, quercitrin and tannic acid, have virus-killing properties, according to pharmacognosist (natural product pharmacist) Albert Leung, Ph.D.

Forsythia (Forsythia suspensa) and honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Whenever I feel a cold or flu coming on, I mix up a revered Chinese tea combo with honeysuckle and forsythia. Sometimes I add a little antiviral lemon balm. Like lemon balm, honeysuckle and forsythia contain compounds that are proven virus killers. I find the combination of honeysuckle, forsythia and lemon balm especially nice in hot tea just before bed.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Good old ginger is good for more than just motion sickness and upset stomach. According to my database, it contains ten antiviral compounds. So if you have a viral illness, you could try some ginger tea or add ginger liberally to dishes you cook. Many of the antiviral compounds in ginger also appear in turmeric.