[tired&retired]

MIR2911 represses influenza viruses by targeting PB2 and NS1, two genes that are known to be required for influenza viral replication.

With its broad-spectrum, anti-viral activity against influenza viruses, MIR2911 and MIR2911-containing honeysuckle tea may represent a new effective therapeutic strategy that can be used to subdue deadly infections.

Perhaps this is what we should have been researching for the next Ebola outbreak.

Eager to discover the virus-inhibiting properties of the honeysuckle plant (lonicera japonica), a team of researchers headed by Dr. Chen-Yu Zhang of Nanjing University in China has identified a molecule within the plant known as MIR2911 (honeysuckle-encoded atypical microRNA2911). This molecule is said to be the first active component directly targeting various influenza viruses, including the swine flu H1N1, highly pathogenic avian H5N1 and H7N9 infections.

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/ebola-scientists-discover-first-virological-penicillin-honeysuckle/#ixzz3H4T2FXEd

Zhen Zhou et al. Honeysuckle-encoded atypical microRNA2911 directly targets influenza A viruses. Cell Research, published online October 07, 2014; doi: 10.1038/cr.2014.130

Full article at the Journal of Cell Research at this link:

http://www.nature.com/cr/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/cr2014130a.html

Now I know why I kept that 1/4 acre thick patch of honeysuckle below my top field and never mowed it down. I love the smell every time I go there and it is the only place on the farm that I see quail.

[tired&retired]

This is also being considered as a possible Ebola treatment along with large doses of vitamin C.

[knittnmom]

Ellendra - looks like you need to make more honeysuckle jelly. ;-)

[Will88]

Honeysuckle doesn’t just grow in China. It’s all over the South and probably other areas of the US. Always heard the local variety came from Japan along with kudzu.

There are other herbs believed to have antiviral properties.

[TurboZamboni]

“Ancient Chinese secret!”

[spokeshave]

Encyclopedia of Medicinal herbs by Andrew Chevallier

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[Georgia Girl 2]

My Mom’s entire fence line is covered in it. We have some in our yard too. Gotta figure out how to make that tea.

[BenLurkin]

Interesting.

[Moonman62]

This could be good news, but I don’t trust any scientific PR coming out of China.

[GBA]

Hmmm...I wonder what bee honey from honeysuckle would do for a body.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping...

A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread

[tired&retired]

There are nearly 180 different know honeysuckle species, most native to Europe and Asia, with only about twenty indigenous to the US. Honeysuckle is most often a vine, usually growing to a max of 20 feet. Some grow in a shrub-like form. Many species (especially those from Asia) are sold in the US for their beauty and for there attractiveness to hummingbirds.

The honeysuckle used in the research article is Lonicera japonica or Japanese Honeysuckle, which is one of the two exotic invasive species of honeysuckle found growing wild in the United States (the other being the shrub Lonicera maackii). In the eastern United States and Hawaii Lonicera japonica is responsible for significant environmental damage, destroying and displacing native forest species.

Most cultivated (ornamental garden) honeysuckle is no longer edible, but wild honeysuckle (Japanese Honeysuckle or Lonicera Japonica) contains a sweet nectar that’s just like… you guessed it, honey.

Some honeysuckles have poisonous berries and some do not. Red Tartarian (pinkish flowers and orange/red berries) is definitely poisonous, as is Lonicera Japonica (Japanese honeysuckle with the yellowish flowers and black berries).

Edible Parts

Leaves

Flowers

Leaves - cooked. The parboiled leaves are used as a vegetable. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity.

Warning: The leaves contain saponins. Saponins are quite toxic but are poorly absorbed by the human body and so most pass through without harm. They can be found in many common foods such as some beans. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will normally remove most of the saponins.

Flowers - sucked for their sweet nectar, used as a vegetable or made into a syrup and puddings. A tea is made from the leaves, buds and flowers.

Medicinal Uses

The stems and flower buds are alternative to antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, depurative, diuretic, febrifuge.

The plant is also used to reduce blood pressure. The stems are used internally in the treatment of acute rheumatoid arthritis, mumps and hepatitis. The stems are harvested in the autumn and winter, and are dried for later use. The stems and flowers are used together as an infusion in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infections (including pneumonia) and dysentery.

An infusion of the flower buds is used in the treatment of a wide range of ailments including syphilitic skin diseases and tumours, bacterial dysentery, colds, enteritis, pain, swellings etc. Experimentally, the flower extracts have been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and are antibacterial, antiviral and tuberculostatic.

Externally, the flowers are applied as a wash to skin inflammations, infectious rashes and sores. The flowers are harvested in early morning before they open and are dried for later use.

The plant has a similar action to Forsythia suspensa and is usually used in combination with that species to achieve a stronger action. This plant has become a serious weed in many areas of N. America, it might have the potential to be utilized for proven medical purposes.

The Japanese Honeysuckle flower is of high medicinal value in traditional Chinese medicine, where it is called “winter enduring vine”) or literally “gold silver flower”).

Alternate Chinese names include Er Hua and Shuang Hua. It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and is used (often in combination with Forsythia suspensa) to dispel heat and remove toxins, including carbuncles, fevers, influenza and ulcers. In Korean, it is called geumeunhwa. The dried leaves are also used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Jin Yin Hua (Japanese Honeysuckle, Flos Lonicerae Japonicae) is notable for its inclusion in the traditional Chinese medicine herbal formula Honeysuckle and Forsythia Powder. In pinyin, this formula is called Yin Qiao San. Traditional indications for use of this formula include fever, headache, cough, thirst, and sore throat.For indications such as this, it is common to find Japanese Honeysuckle paired in Chinese medicine herbal formulations with Forsythia (Lian Qiao, Fructus Forsythiae Suspensae).

According to Chinese medicine, these herbs, when combined, have a synergistic medicinal effect to address indications such as fever with headache and sore throat. This is why these two herbs are considered “paired herbs.”

[tired&retired]

Here is a pdf of the entire research article. If you read the references there are a lot of other excellent journal articles showing research related to this.

http://www.nature.com/cr/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/cr2014130a.pdf

[tired&retired]

Thought you folks would find humor in the list of authors on the article. I think they included the entire family!!!

Zhen Zhou1, Xihan Li1, Jinxiong Liu, Lei Dong, Qun Chen, Jialing Liu, Huihui Kong, Qianyi Zhang,Xian Qi, Dongxia Hou, Lin Zhang, Guoquan Zhang, Yuchen Liu, Yujing Zhang, Jing Li, Jin Wang,Xi Chen, Hua Wang, Junfeng Zhang, Hualan Chen, Ke Zen, Chen-Yu Zhang

[tired&retired]

Conclusion from the Journal Article:

In conclusion, the present study provides the first evidence that the highly stable plant MIR2911 can directly target multiple viral genes of various IAVs and thus suppress viral infections. With its broad-spectrum, anti-viral activity against IAVs, MIR2911 and MIR2911-containing HS decoction may represent a new effective therapeutic strategy that can be used to subdue deadly IAV infections. It is important to note that since Fleming discovered penicillin nearly a century ago, antibiotics have been developed to target various bacterial infections and have saved the lives of millions of people. Unfortunately, no natural product that is effective against viral infection has been identified thus far. We suggest that as the first natural product to directly target IAVs, MIR2911 is the “virological penicillin” that serves as a novel therapeutic and preventive agent against not only influenza A but potentially also other types of viruses.

[PA Engineer]

Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) has become invasive around my land. It appears to come in both bush and vine form. I guess I’ll leave it alone for now.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

And to think, a possible Ebola-killer might be growing along my back fence . . .

[Ellendra]

Good article. The only part I question is the “first”. Several plants have been shown to have anti-viral properties. I’ll have to consult my books to see if the compound in the article shows up in other plants. The article mentioned a few others: Poplar, tobacco, and sunflowers.

Elderberry extract has also been proven in lab tests to have several anti-viral compounds. One reason I’ve recently become a bit elderberry-crazy. I have the leaves and stems brewing into tinctures right now. If you prefer the mass-produced version, look for Sambucol. It’ll be in the same section as the cough drops.

I’ll have to add honeysuckle to my medicinal herbs garden.