Herpes antiviral, echinacea

Benefits Echinacea is held to be one of the most effective detoxifying herbs in Western medicine for a range of ailments, and is now used in ayurvedic medicine. The polyynes and cichoric acid components are reported to have antibacterial and virostatic effects. Echinacea also demonstrates an anti-inflammatory effect due to the alkamides component. As an immune stimulant, it significantly raises immunoglobulin M levels. Antiviral activities against both the Herpes simplex virus Type I and the influenza-A virus have been observed. 

The CAP have been reported to inhibit HIV type 1 (HIV-1) integrase and HIV-1 replications at concentrations as low as 10 p,M (McDougall et al., 1998 King et al., 1999 Reinke et al., 2002). Cichoric acid inhibited 50% of the integrase activity and blocked HIV-1 infections by 50% at concentrations of 0.3 and 4 p,M, respectively (Robinson et al., 1996a,b). Hexane extracts of Echinacea roots were found to have antiviral activity against the Herpes simplex virus type 1 at a 0.12 mg/ml concentration (Binns et al., 2002d). 

Binns, S., Hudson, J., Merali, S., and Arnason, J. 2002d. Antiviral activity of characterized extracts from Echinacea spp. (Heliantheae Asteraceae) against Herpes simplex virus (HSV-I). Planta Med. 68, 780-783. 

Eight different varieties of Echinacea were found to have antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus (HSV) Type I in vitro. The two most potent inhibitors found were ethanol extracts of E. pallida var. sanguinea and n-hexane extracts of E. purpurea (13). 

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