Hibiscus Tea Kills Deadly Avian Flu Virus, Study Finds

July 23rd, 2017

By Sayer Ji

Contributing writer for Wake Up World

An exciting study reveals that Hibiscus tea may be far more powerful than pharmaceuticals in combating deadly flu viruses.

The search for safe and effective treatments for drug- and vaccine-resistant forms of influenza, including H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs), has lead a group of researchers to investigate whether commonly used herbal tea extracts might provide a viable natural alternative.

In the new study titled, “High antiviral effects of hibiscus tea extract on the H5 subtypes of low and highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses,” researchers investigated the anti-viral properties of the following herbal extracts, which were prepared through boiling in ultrapure water for 2 hours:

• Hibiscus
• Black tea
• Tencha
• Rosehip tea
• Burdock tea
• Green tea
• Jasmine tea
• Ginger tea
• Lavender tea
• Rose tea
• Oak tea

The experiment was conducted using canine kidney cells which were pre-treated with extract and then exposed to the virus to ascertain their differing anti-viral potential.

While many of the teas tested had some degree of observable anti-viral activity, hibiscus extract (and its fractionated extract (frHibis)) alone was found to “highly and rapidly” reduce the cell culture titers of all low and high pathogenic strains of avian influenza virus tested.

The researchers pointed out that this is the first study they are aware of showing such a high degree of effectiveness against any previously tested form of influenza:

Several studies have been conducted to discover potential anti-influenza agents against H5N1 HPAIV derived from plants. The extracts of Cistus incanus [9], Echinacea purpurea [23], Eugenia jambolana [26] and pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) [27] showed only direct antiviral effects against viral particles. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) extracts reduced the number of foci in infected MDCK cells; however, the effect was limited [14]. Thai herbal plant extracts (Terminalia bellirica, Salacia chinensis, Zingiber montanum and Peltophorum pterocarpum) moderately reduced viral infectivity in MDCK cells simultaneously inoculated with the extract and virus [13]. In contrast, Pelargonium sidoides extracts showed no antiviral effects [18]. Thus, not all plants exhibited high antiviral effects against H5N1 HPAIV. However, our study indicated that in addition to the crude hibiscus extract, the fractionated component (frHibis), which has a low molecular weight (<3 kDa), also exhibited strong antiviral effects against H5N1 HPAIV strains, irrespective of origin.

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