These 5 Antiviral Herbs Will Keep You Healthy - Part 3
Thank you for reading the third and final post in our Antiviral Herbs series. Herbs have been utilized as herbal treatments for a number of viral illnesses from the dawn of time. These 5 plants all have potent antiviral activities.
1. Fennel
A licorice-flavored herb known as fennel may be able to combat some infections.
Fennel extract had potent antiviral activity against herpes viruses and parainfluenza type-3 (PI-3), which causes respiratory infections in cattle, in a test-tube research.
Furthermore, the primary constituent of fennel essential oil, trans-anethole, has shown potent antiviral activity against herpes viruses.
Animal studies suggest that fennel may also strengthen your immune system and reduce inflammation, which may also help ward off viral infections.
2. Lemon Balm
A lemon-flavored herb called lemon balm is frequently used to drinks and spices. It is praised for its therapeutic properties as well.
A rich amount of powerful essential oils and plant substances with antiviral action is found in lemon balm extract.
Test-tube studies have demonstrated that it has antiviral activity against enterovirus 71, which may cause serious infections in young children and newborns, herpes viruses, HIV-1, and avian influenza (bird flu).
3. Echinacea
Due to its excellent health-promoting characteristics, echinacea is one of the most often used herbal medicine constituents. The plant's roots, blossoms, and leaves are only a few of the components that are utilized in herbal treatments.
In reality, Native Americans employed the cone-shaped flowering plant Echinacea purpurea to cure a broad range of ailments, including viral infections.
Some echinacea kinds, notably E. pallida, E. angustifolia, and E. purpurea, may be especially successful at fending off viral illnesses like herpes and influenza, according to many test-tube studies.
Notably, E. purpurea may also have immune-stimulating properties, making it especially beneficial for treating viral infections.
4. Ginseng
Ginseng is a plant of the Panax family, and it comes in Korean and American variants. It has a long history of usage in traditional Chinese medicine and has shown to be very helpful in battling viruses.
Korean red ginseng extract has demonstrated notable efficacy against RSV, herpes viruses, and hepatitis A in animal and test-tube tests.
In addition, ginsenosides, which are found in ginseng, have antiviral properties against hepatitis B, norovirus, and coxsackieviruses, which are linked to a number of severe illnesses, including the brain infection known as meningoencephalitis.
5. Sambucus
The Sambucus plant family sometimes goes by the name elder. Elderberries are used to make a number of medications and elixirs that are used to treat viral illnesses naturally, including the flu and the common cold.
Concentrated elderberry juice was shown to inhibit influenza virus proliferation and boost immune response in a mouse research.
Additionally, elderberry supplements were found to significantly lessen upper respiratory symptoms brought on by viral infections in a study of 4 research involving 180 patients.