The Antiviral Materia Medica Mechanisms and Actions
90 minutes   
 
Herbal internal medicines are not antiviral in their action, in that they do not directly affect the virus or its life cycle. An exception is with topical application to skin infections, where the plant material can come directly in contact with the virally infected cells and environment. However, many plants have been used traditionally to enhance host resistance to viral infection, and recent advances in immunology have uncovered possible novel mechanisms for their action. These mechanisms are reviewed, along with the effect on them of various lifestyle factors. A variety of effects of the following plants on the viral life cycle or antiviral host defenses are discussed: Allium sativum; Astragalus spp; Calendula officinalis; Chamomilla recutita; Curcuma longa; Echinacea spp; Eleutherococcus senticosus; Eupatorium spp; Ganoderma lucidum; Glycyrrhiza glabra; Ligusticum spp; Melissa officinalis; Paeonia spp; Panax ginseng; Platycodon grandiflorum; Sambucus spp.; Saussurea spp.; Schisandra chinensis.
 
Materials
The audio lecture
Lecture notes
 
This lecture is offered as Continuing Education by the NAIMH but has not been pre-approved for CE credits by any professional board.
 
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Infectious disease: Viral Infections