Myrolea-B

Chinese herbs for treating infections remain a major part of the Chinese medical system, especially for viral infections, since there is a lack of modern medical treatments, A commonly used formulation in modern clinical practice is Shuanghuanglian, comprised of lonicera, forsythia, and scute extracts. The use of lonicera and forsythia together is a common anti-infection therapeutic approach, represented by Yin Qiao San (patent version: Yin Qiao Jie Du Pian; see Pine mountain), used for treating influenza and common cold. Scute, long known as a heat-clearing herb, has become one of important anti-infection agents of modern Chinese practice because of its safety and broad spectrum of action; the active ingredients are flavanoids, mainly baicalin. In Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine, Terminalia chebula, the chebulic myrobalans fruit, is widely used and has been shown to have anti-viral properties. It is classified in the Chinese Materia Medica as an astringent, most often indicated for diarrhea and dysentery: part of its function is antibacterial; it also protects the mucosal membranes from ulceration. In Western herbal practice, olive leaf has emerged as an anti-infection agent. Olive leaf and forsythia, both of the Oleaceae family, contain a variety of ingredients that inhibit infections. In vitro studies indicate that olive leaf and its component oleuropein have potent effect on many viruses and on mycoplasma; the clinical utility is still being investigated, but olive leaf has been identified as the main antiviral component of another member of Oleaccea Family, ligustrum (nuzhenzi), where this compound is present in only small amounts.*