In fact, there is no effective treatment for influenza. Perhaps ginseng can fill this gap. An American study attributes healing and protective powers to the herbal remedy.
Korean red ginseng extracts can help in the future flu To fight and prevent infections. As reported by “The Epoch Times”, among others, researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University in Atlanta, in collaboration with scientists from a South Korean research institute, discovered that the natural product of ginseng has a positive effect on the immune system. Researchers working with Sang-Moo Kang published their findings in the journal Nutrients.
Enhance the immune response to influenza infection
Experiments on mice, for example, showed that animals infected with influenza A virus showed various improvements in the immune response. The basic requirement is that the rodents be regularly fed orally with red ginseng extract over a prolonged period of time. The researchers found that the mice increasingly produced certain proteins that are an important part of the immune response. They also found a small number of inflammatory cells in the walls of the airways.
However, the positive effects of ginseng were not only found in treating influenza virus strain, but also in preventing infection. According to the assumptions of scientists, these are also caused by the improvement of immune defense after taking ginseng extract. It also increases the chances of survival of influenza virus-infected lung epithelial cells.
Does ginseng also help against RSV?
But ginseng can prove effective not only against influenza. The plant material can also have a protective effect in case of infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can lead to a serious development of the disease, especially in young children. Ginseng is believed to prevent the virus from reproducing and multiplying in the body. Results of this additional study appear in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.
Kang tested ginseng on mice not only for influenza infection, but also for respiratory syncytial virus infection. Here, too, positive effects can be identified, primarily related to improving and strengthening the immune system.