Elderberry fights bird flu virus in lab

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Dan - 29 Jan 2006 19:58 GMT

A team at Retroscreen Virology, an institute associated with the
University of London, said that the (Sambucol Elderberry) extract was
at least 99 per cent effective against the H5N1 virus and significantly
neutralized the infectivity of the virus in cell cultures.

http://debunkbigpharma.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2006/1/29/1729858.html

Reply to this Message

Will - 30 Jan 2006 06:57 GMT

The research linked to the item below also says Elderberry increases the
inflammatory cytokine response. The main reason for high fatalities in
bird flu is that the disease causes a huge cytokine response (i.e.,
"cytokine storm") that overhelms the respiratory system with an inflammatory
response, suffocating the patient. So probably you would playing with fire
to self-administer such a drug in that it might accelerate the effect most
likely to kill you.

Signature

Will

> A team at Retroscreen Virology, an institute associated with the
> University of London, said that the (Sambucol Elderberry) extract was
> at least 99 per cent effective against the H5N1 virus and significantly
> neutralized the infectivity of the virus in cell cultures.
>
> http://debunkbigpharma.blognation.us/blog/_archives/2006/1/29/1729858.html

Reply to this Message

Dan - 30 Jan 2006 09:57 GMT

Dr Madeleine Mumcuoglu, the virologist that developed the extract,
said: "Flu viruses are covered by tiny protein spikes of hemagglutinin,
which they use to attach to, and infect, healthy human cells. While
working on my doctoral thesis we isolated key active substances within
black elderberry that disarm hemagglutinin and thus stop the first step
of viral invasion."

from "Black elderberry extract may reduce flu symptoms"
http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/ng.asp?id=48460

http://debunkbigpharma.blognation.us/blog

Reply to this Message

Bob - 31 Jan 2006 07:25 GMT

>Dr Madeleine Mumcuoglu, the virologist that developed the extract,
>said: "Flu viruses are covered by tiny protein spikes of hemagglutinin,
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
>http://debunkbigpharma.blognation.us/blog

Please learn to post properly, quoting what you reply to, so we know
what you are talking about.

Bottom line is that there is nothing here but a research lead. It may
do A (good) and it may do B (bad). Might be interesting. How that all
plays out in real humans (or even in lab animals) is completely open.
No evidence has been presented, one way or the other.

bob

Reply to this Message

Will - 02 Feb 2006 09:12 GMT

The drug is claimed to have two different effects that are possibly
independent of each other:

1) Reduce the effectiveness of the virus spikes that are used to penetrate a
healthy cell.

2) Increase inflammatory cytokine response of the immune system.

Effect 1) could in theory work against a bird flu.

Effect 2) could in theory make a bird flu even more lethal by accelerating
the primary mechanism by which the bird flu kills humans (i.e., a cytokine
storm in a healthy immune system that overwhelms the respiratory system with
an inflammation, suffocating the patient).

So even at the level of self-interested heresay, the evidence presented does
not make a very persuasive case for any conclusion.

Signature

Will

> Dr Madeleine Mumcuoglu, the virologist that developed the extract,
> said: "Flu viruses are covered by tiny protein spikes of hemagglutinin,
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> http://debunkbigpharma.blognation.us/blog

Reply to this Message