Zeitschrift für Infektionskrankheiten und Therapie

Abstrakt

Herbal Therapies for Prevention and Treatment of Influenza and Influenza-Like Illness

Haider Abdul-Lateef Mousa

The frequent alterations in the antigenic structures of respiratory viruses make obstacles in the development of a novel vaccine or lead to ineffectiveness of an established one especially for RNA viruses. The unavailability of optimal medication and shortage of effective vaccines suggests the requirement for alternative therapies. Traditional herbal remedies were utilized by societies for prevention and treatment of viral respiratory illnesses. Several herbal extracts were proved effective on scientific bases such as maoto, licorice roots, antiwei, North American ginseng, berries, Echinacea, pomegranate, guava tea, and Bai Shao. The active ingredients of the plants (neuraminidase inhibitors, glycyrrhizin, polyphenol, baicalin) and the mechanism of action are well established. The herbal extracts could fight influenza by neuraminidase inhibition, preventing virus budding, assistance of viral bounding to natural antibodies, stimulation of IFN-gamma production by T cells, inhibition viral hemagglutination activity, inhibition viral binding to and penetration into host cells, enhancement production of anti-influenza virus immunoglobulin, synthesis inhibition of both viral RNA and protein, replication suppression of influenza virus, secretion induction of type I IFN and pro-inflammatory cytokines with subsequent stimulation of the antiviral activity, and exertion virion structural damage.