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Eric Yarnell.Alternative and Complementary Therapies.Aug 2016.164-174.http://doi.org/10.1089/act.2016.29062.eya
Several coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS]), flavivirus (yellow fever, West Nile, dengue, Zika), and alphavirus (chikungunya, Ebola) infections have, in the past 10–20 years, emerged or reemerged as major problems across large regions of the globe. While, currently, many of these infections are confined to the tropics, global warming, the spread of some mosquito vectors northward, and emergence of temperate-tolerant pathogens such as West Nile virus mean that these problems are increasingly affecting the global north as well. After discussing mosquito-based preventions for the zoonotic infections mentioned in this article, a review of herbal responses to the SARS and MERS epidemics are highlighted. Houttuynia cordata (houttuynia, y? xīng cǎo) and Glycyrrhiza spp. (licorice) stand out as particularly interesting single herbs for addressing these coronavirus infections. Herbal approaches to flavivirus infections, most notably clinical trials of Carica papaya (papaya) leaves for treating dengue fever, are reviewed. A discussion of many of the extensive range of herbs studied to treat flaviviruses in preclinical studies is provided. Potential herbal treatments for alphavirus infections are then presented.
- Published in Volume: 22 Issue 4: August 1, 2016
Several coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], Middle East respiratory syndrome [MERS]), flavivirus (yellow fever, West Nile, dengue, Zika), and alphavirus (chikungunya, Ebola) infections have, in the past 10–20 years, emerged or reemerged as major problems across large regions of the globe. While, currently, many of these infections are confined to the tropics, global warming, the spread of some mosquito vectors northward, and emergence of temperate-tolerant pathogens such as West Nile virus mean that these problems are increasingly affecting the global north as well. After discussing mosquito-based preventions for the zoonotic infections mentioned in this article, a review of herbal responses to the SARS and MERS epidemics are highlighted. Houttuynia cordata (houttuynia, y? xīng cǎo) and Glycyrrhiza spp. (licorice) stand out as particularly interesting single herbs for addressing these coronavirus infections. Herbal approaches to flavivirus infections, most notably clinical trials of Carica papaya (papaya) leaves for treating dengue fever, are reviewed. A discussion of many of the extensive range of herbs studied to treat flaviviruses in preclinical studies is provided. Potential herbal treatments for alphavirus infections are then presented.