Potential of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Preventive Management of Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Pandemic: Thwarting Potential Disasters in the Bud

Abstract

The emergence of novel H1N1 has posed a situation that warrants urgent global attention. Though antiviral drugs are available in mainstream medicine for treating symptoms of swine flu, currently there is no preventive medicine available. Even when available, they would be in short supply and ineffective in a pandemic situation, for treating the masses worldwide. Besides the development of drug resistance, emergence of mutant strains of the virus, emergence of a more virulent strain, prohibitive costs of available drugs, time lag between vaccine developments, and mass casualties would pose difficult problems. In view of this, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers a plethora of interesting preventive possibilities in patients. Herbs exhibit a diverse array of biological activities and can be effectively harnessed for managing pandemic flu. Potentially active herbs can serve as effective anti influenza agents. The role of CAM for managing novel H1N1 flu and the mode of action of these botanicals is presented here in an evidence-based approach that can be followed to establish their potential use in the management of influenza pandemics. The complementary and alternative medicine approach deliberated in the paper should also be useful in treating the patients with serious influenza in non pandemic situations.

Screening of ethnic medicinal plants of South India against influenza (H1N1) and their antioxidant activity

“…Comparing the IC 50 and TI values of MP11, it can be a potential source for new therapeutic developments even though its CC 50 value was low when compared to the control drug. A. paniculata (MP10) was reported for respiratory problems and H1N1 flu preventive management in a slowdown of the cold infection time (Arora et al, 2010;Coon and Ernst, 2004). But in our study, it resulted in poor activity against H1N1 and this may be due to some toxic compounds which highly react with the cells and weaken them and hence their attachment to the walls was disturbed and because of that the IC 50 values are not calculatable.…”

“…paniculata was reported for use against flu and possesses antiviral activity (Arora et al, 2010;Coon and Ernst, 2004). Apart from A. paniculata all other plants were reported for antioxidant properties and not against antiviral properties.…”

Virgin Coconut Oil and Its Antimicrobial Properties against Pathogenic Microorganisms: A Review

“…The positive antiviral action was seen not only with the monoglyceride of LA but with coconut oil itself indicating that coconut oil was metabolised to monoglyceride forms of caprylic acid, capric acid, and LA to which it must owe its antipathogenic activity. A year later, Enig [68] claimed that monolaurin could inactivate viruses including HIV, measles virus, HSV, VSV, VV, and cytomegalovirus (CV) to some extent.…”

Synthesis and Antibacterial Activity of 2-Monolaurin

“…Monolaurin showed have antifungal activity against Aspergillus sp, Penicillium sp., Cladosporium sp., Fusarium sp., Alternaria sp., Candida albicans, Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Cryptococcus neoformans 5 . Monolaurin also have antiviral activity and works actively to dissolve lipids and phospholipids in the hulls of viruses that cause damaged of viral envelope 6 .…”