There is some limited evidence that mint and certain other herbs may have antiviral properties, but the research is still quite preliminary:
Peppermint oil and its main active compound menthol have shown some ability to inhibit the replication of certain viruses in laboratory studies. This includes influenza viruses, rhinoviruses (common cold), and even some coronaviruses.
Other mint species like spearmint and wild mint have also demonstrated antiviral effects against viruses like herpes simplex, influenza, and HIV in test tube and animal studies.
The proposed antiviral mechanisms include disrupting viral entry into cells, inhibiting viral enzymes, and modulating the immune system.
However, it's important to note a few caveats:
Most of this research has been done in controlled lab settings, not in human clinical trials. The real-world antiviral efficacy in humans is still unclear.
The antiviral effects tend to be relatively mild compared to pharmaceutical antiviral drugs.
Mint and other herbs are not a substitute for proven antiviral medications or vaccines for serious viral infections.
So while mint and related herbs may have some potential as complementary or supportive treatments, they should not be relied upon as primary therapies for fighting viruses without further clinical validation. More research is needed to determine their true antiviral capabilities.
Importantly, Perplexity links to its sources. That might be its most useful feature. Of course, I'm paying for a Perplexity subscription so it's not really a fair fight.
It's sad that the AIs still aren't seeing caffeic acid versus Covid. Google beats them on this question - my formal peer reviewed Mint versus Covid publication is Google's sixth hit and Viruses Must Die is proudly number seven. Here, let's bait Google some more:
It starts on the ground, not high up. Duckduckgo is the way to go. They even have an AI chat in beta that seems not too bad:
___________________
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=DuckDuckGo&ia=chat
"Can mint and similar herbs fight viruses?"
There is some limited evidence that mint and certain other herbs may have antiviral properties, but the research is still quite preliminary:
Peppermint oil and its main active compound menthol have shown some ability to inhibit the replication of certain viruses in laboratory studies. This includes influenza viruses, rhinoviruses (common cold), and even some coronaviruses.
Other mint species like spearmint and wild mint have also demonstrated antiviral effects against viruses like herpes simplex, influenza, and HIV in test tube and animal studies.
The proposed antiviral mechanisms include disrupting viral entry into cells, inhibiting viral enzymes, and modulating the immune system.
However, it's important to note a few caveats:
Most of this research has been done in controlled lab settings, not in human clinical trials. The real-world antiviral efficacy in humans is still unclear.
The antiviral effects tend to be relatively mild compared to pharmaceutical antiviral drugs.
Mint and other herbs are not a substitute for proven antiviral medications or vaccines for serious viral infections.
So while mint and related herbs may have some potential as complementary or supportive treatments, they should not be relied upon as primary therapies for fighting viruses without further clinical validation. More research is needed to determine their true antiviral capabilities.
Interesting - thanks! At a glance, Perplexity looks reasonably accurate on this question and it offers a lot more detail.
https://www.perplexity.ai/search/Can-mint-and-z2GQ2iboTMGLnChSQcaP4w
Importantly, Perplexity links to its sources. That might be its most useful feature. Of course, I'm paying for a Perplexity subscription so it's not really a fair fight.
It's sad that the AIs still aren't seeing caffeic acid versus Covid. Google beats them on this question - my formal peer reviewed Mint versus Covid publication is Google's sixth hit and Viruses Must Die is proudly number seven. Here, let's bait Google some more:
https://cbuck.substack.com/p/viruses-are-supervillains-herbs-are