(Excerpts from a Study abstract presentation
noted at the Avian Flu Talk Forum, Aug 11, 2009)

Background

There are so many children in summer camps coming down with the new H1N1 summer-spread flu that it ruins vacations. But can monolaurin, a nutrient from coconut oil, lauric acid also keep the H1N1 flu virus as well as herpes simplex from reproducing/replicating?

For some it’s a sore on the lip or in the mouth. For others, getting ocular herpes (in the eye) or encephalitis due to a herpes infection in the brain requires emergency medical attention. Herpes Encephalitis (herpes inflammation of the brain) is no joke – (neither is Shingles blisters and pain).

What do the flu and herpes have in common other than both being contagious viruses? Maybe monolaurin, a food supplement extracted from lauric acid in coconut oil might be of help in preventing certain virus-related diseases from worsening. Here are the results of some studies on monolaurin and flu viruses as well as monolaurin studies on other viruses.

Monolaurin is not effective against Rhinovirus, the most frequent cause of the common cold. Some colds, however, are caused by enveloped viruses; in these cases, monolaurin will be effective.  Monolaurin has been “able to dissolve the protective membrane from 14 types of human viruses.”  One of those 14 viruses mentioned in the physician’s book is the flu virus. Another source on swine flu breaking news is the Science Insider blog on science agencies reporting the latest news on swine flu that’s not in the usual mass media.

Check out the lauric.org site at the Center for Research on Lauric Oils, Inc. Lauric acid also is found in mothers milk.  Nature puts antibodies in mother’s milk, why not also anti-viral substances?  And monolaurin from coconut oil has a substance in it that works similarly to mother’s milk to crack open the shell of several viruses.

A sentence on page 82 of The High Blood Pressure Hoax notes, “Monolaurin actually disintegrates the lipid envelope or membrane of viruses, destroying their main defense.” Rogers cites the study, “In vitro effects of monolaurin compounds on enveloped RNA and DNA viruses,” by Hierholzer, JC, Kabara, JJ. Journal of Food Safety, 4:1, 1982.

It’s the lauric acid in monolaurin that binds to the virus’s lipid (fat)-protein envelope.  That’s how monolaurin inactivates the virus. You see, monolaurin binds to the membrane that covers the virus and prevents the virus from ‘uncoating.’  At this point, there’s no way the virus is able to reproduce itself. The shell or “viral envelope” of the virus is disintegrated. Now the virus can no longer get into more of your cells or attach. The virus’s envelope is gone.

According to page 82 of Dr. Roger’s book titled, The High Blood Pressure Hoax, “two capsules of monolaurin are often taken three times a day (6-10 capsules often recommended vs our 1-3 tsp) at the first sign of infection and continued for a few days or weeks until the virus is completely gone.” Dr. Rogers cites as her resources (on page 91 of her book) the Hierholzer, Ismail-Cassim, Sands, Karbara, and Boddie studies. Look at the scientific journal research article titled, Monolaurin and Superstrain

Infections & Herpes

Read the full study of Characterization of Monolaurin Resistance in Enterrococcus Faecalis. (2007, American Society for Microbiology).  Monolaurin, a food grade glycerol monoester of lauric acid, has been reported to have the greatest antimicrobial activity of all of the monoglycerides (but others are good for some specific attacks).

What else can it do or can’t do? The study suggests that “monolaurin requires access to the cytoplasmic membrane and/or the cytoplasm to exert its antimicrobial activity.” Monolaurin kills cytomegalovirus and flu viruses as well as the Epstein-Barr virus, named as the culprit in chronic fatigue syndrome, by turning the fatty coat of both the flu and Epstein-Barr viruses into a liquid and then flushing which then disintegrates the bits of virus particles that had been inside their fatty shells or membranes that had enveloped those viruses. (Viruses can live in stored fat and in the fat in your liver.)

Monolaurin, according to studies is supposed to be effective against these viruses by breaking down the shell, membrane, or outer wall of the viruses so that they are chopped into bits, turned to liquid, and eventually are removed from your body.

“Monolaurin is one of the most popular nutrients to assist in combating various viruses. It is believed to work by interacting with the lipids and phospholipids that form the envelope of the virus, causing it to weaken or disintegrate.”

Research suggests that monolaurin offers some degree of immune support for the influenza virus and also for the following viruses:

• Measles virus
• Herpes simplex virus-1
• Herpes simplex virus-2
• Herpes viridae (all)
• Human lymphotropic viruses (type 1)
• Vesicular stomatitis virus
• Visna virus
• Cytomegalovirus
• Epstein-Barr virus
• Influenza virus
• Pneumonovirus
• Sarcoma virus

Safety

Monolaurin has antiviral properties that allows its use without significant toxicity. No significant abnormalities have been noted in liver enzymes, leukocytes, red cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin, or platelets with Monolaurin therapy. A suggested Monolaurin dosage is 6 (300-mg) capsules daily with some food.

In your research, first look at the The Big Picture Book of Viruses so you can read a description of the flu virus. Then click on the article at the Web Shop Emporium.  Read about monolaurin there. Also, see the Health Care Industry site articles. Monolaurin may stop the flu virus before symptoms appear and is also helpful at breaking the shell of the virus that causes chronic fatigue syndrome (the Epstein-Barr virus).

Monolaurin is made from lauric acid in monolaurin that you buy from a supplements store or online comes from coconut milk.  Lauric acid also is found in mothers milk.  According to the Health Care Industry article, “Monolaurin possesses anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal and anti-bacterial properties.  It has been found to destroy lipid coated viruses such as the flu, HIV, HHV-6 (strains A and B), EBV, CMV and h.pylori to name a few.  It may also be helpful in improving the immune system’s anti-inflammatory response. ”

You take it at the first sign of any symptoms of flu such as the beginning of a sore throat or uneasy breathing or at the time you’re exposed to people with the flu virus.  For example, when you come to work or have to stay in a crowded place, exposed to people with flu symptoms such as coughing on public transportation, in theaters, markets, schools, or other places where people gather indoors.

How It Does It

At the Avian Flu Talk Forum, according to the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients article titled, “Antiviral intervention for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome”, monolaurin has been shown to be “active against influenza virus, pneumovirus, paramyxovirus (Newcastle), morbillivirus (rubeola), coronavirus (avian infectious, bronchitis virus), herpes simplex I & II,CMV, EBV, and HIV.

They state that it is also effective against yeast and fungi, staphylococcus aureus and streptococcus agalactiae, chlamydia trachomatis, candida albicans, giardia lamblia, ringworm, H. pylori and gonorrhea.”

In previous research studies, “Monolaurin had virucidal activity against 14 human enveloped RNA and DNA viruses. Monolaurin removed all measurable infectivity by disintegrating the viral envelope as evidenced by electron micrographs. By disrupting the conformation of the lipid bilayer (or the envelope),

Monolaurin prevents viral attachment to susceptible host cells. Viruses that contain an envelope are termed enveloped, whereas those that lack an envelope are referred to as naked.”  The study noted that “DNA viruses (including herpes viruses) have a loose, outer envelope, which contains lipids.  RNA viruses are similar in that they have a double outer envelope or bilayer which contains essential lipids and glycoproteins structurally embedded in this envelope.”

The term virucidal, means to have virus-killing ability. The act of making fat or oil (lipids) soluble in water (or liquids) is called solubilization. That study noted, “Solubilization of the lipids and phospholipids in the envelope are key mechanisms by which Monolaurin’s virucidal activity is expressed. It was calculated that Monolaurin had a >99.9% success rate against all 14 viruses tested.” This means in plain language that monolaurin has the ability to kill the 14 viruses tested.

Monolaurin is called a virustatic agent. What virustatic agents do is “directly block the replication of viruses.”  The good thing is that monolaurin doesn’t let you develop any type of drug resistance.  So you can use it over and over again to fight flu viruses without a prescription.  According to the study abstract noted at the Avian Flu Talk Forum, “Monolaurin alone has no effect on lymphocyte or macrophage functions.

What monolaurin actually does is to “potentiate immunological events initiated by other triggering agents (mitogens, antigens, phagocytic stimuli, and lymphokines). ” There’s a study reported as: Cohen et al. 1977; Sands et al. 1979; Kabara, 1980; Kohn et al. 1980, described at the Avian Flu Talk Forum.

What clues were found at the Avian Flu Talk Forum is the excerpt that is posted up there that states that,

   “Monolaurin is regarded as a virustatic. Virustatic agents directly block replication of viruses, so there is no subsequent development of drug resistance, but do not kill the virus. Monolaurin is effective against HSV-1 and -2, EBV, and CMV (which share lipid envelope characteristics).”

References:

The authors of the monolaurin study noted at the Avian Flu Talk Forum are noted as: (Cohen et al. 1977; Sands et al. 1979; Kabara, 1980; Kohn et al. 1980). Watch the videos below and keep on reading the studies. It’s possible that the monolaurin you buy from health food stores or online if you check out the quality and standardization, may help you in your fight against viruses without harming the good bacteria your body uses.

According to the Center for Research on Lauric Oils, Inc., press release of August 1, 1999, “fatty acids in coconut have always been found to both raise the HDL levels and improve the total cholesterol to HDL ratio, both of which are desirable, and (ii) these saturated fatty acids significantly lower the levels of the undesirable lipoprotein.”

See the article “Cytomegalovirus and Herpes Simplex Virus in Cardiovascular Disease.”Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century, Infections and the Cardiovascular System: New Perspectives, 10.1007/0-306-47926-5_7, by I. W. Fong.

Also see the book, The High Blood Pressure Hoax, by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D. (2005), pages 81, 82, and 87.