Grapefruit Seeds May Kill Common Cold and Flu Viruses

As winter sets in it's time to think about stopping the inevitable colds and flu that are a significant contributor to work absenteeism at this time of year. When it comes to winter infections many people think Echinacea. But now there's another effective remedy for colds and flu.

Many different viruses can cause the common cold and the flu. Many of these are resistant to treatment or mutate so quickly that no treatment can be made to treat them without being immediately obsolete.

Grapefruit seed extract is a powerful, broad-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-viral agent. As its name implies, it is the concentrated extract of the seeds of the grapefruit. In reality it also contains concentrated extracts from the pulp of the grapefruit.

The anti-microbial effects of grapefruit seed extract can easily be observed in your garden's compost bin. Have you ever noticed that grapefruit placed in a compost bin takes months to degrade? This is because the anti-microbial components of grapefruit are fighting off the microbes in the soil, preventing them from attacking the grapefruit.

What makes grapefruit seed extract so special is its broad spectrum of action as an antimicrobial. This means that it is capable of fighting off a large number of diverse types of common cold or influenza-causing viruses. This ability is particularly important as we are often not sure of the exact invader or combination of invaders that are causing the common cold or the flu. Unknown to most people, the common cold can be caused by any one of about 120 different types of viruses.

Grapefruit seed extract is more powerful than most other natural virus and bacteria fighters. In a recent study at the Bio Research Laboratories in Washington, USA, grapefruit seed extract was compared to iodine, tea tree oil and colloidal silver in order to determine which substance worked best against viruses and bacteria. In this comparison, grapefruit seed extract came out on top against all of the microbes tested - it was found to be ten times more potent than colloidal silver.

How does Grapefruit Seed Extract Work?

Currently, researchers know more about what grapefruit seed extract can do, than they do about exactly how grapefruit seed extract works. This is often the case, however, with new substances, whether they be artificial pharmaceuticals or natural supplements. Researchers in Korea, however, are close to an answer. From their observations, they believe that the way grapefruit seed extract interacts with microbes alters their cell membrane and inhibits enzyme activity.

The Take-Home Message

• At the first sign of a cold or the flu, take fifteen drops of grapefruit seed extract diluted in juice, three times per day. Alternatively, take three 150 mg grapefruit seed extract capsules (for a total of 450 mg of grapefruit seed extract) three times per day.
• Either of these treatments should be continued until the symptoms of your bout of the common cold or the flu have resolved.
• Grapefruit seed extract is even more effective against the common cold and the flu when it is used in conjunction with other infection fighting herbs such as echinacea, olive leaf extract, goldenseal, andrographis or astragalus.
• If you don't have a cold or flu but want to use grapefruit seed extract to prevent the occurrence of these infections, use five to fifteen drops of grapefruit seed extract diluted in water two to three times per day.