(Phytochemicals in) Foods to Prevent and Treat diseases - Herpes

Herpes is defined as a viral disease caused by both Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), type 2 (HSV-2).

Types of food to prevent and treat Herpes
1.  Orange juice
Vitamin C is found abundantly in orange juice said to suppress replication of Herpes simplex virus type I. 2-O-glycoside of ascorbic acid, displaying marked antiviral properties against Herpes simplex virus type I, is also capable of inhibiting fragmentation and recombination reactions of α-hydroxyl-containing carbon-centered radicals while not affecting processes involving oxygen-centered radicals.according to the department of Chemistry of the Belarusian State University(1).

2. Green tea
Researchers at the Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities in the study of

Digallate dimers of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate inactivate herpes simplex virus, found that all EGCG dimers inactivated enveloped viruses with class I, class II, and class III (HSV-1, HSV-2) fusion proteins more effectively than did monomeric EGCG. EGCG had no activity against the nonenveloped viruses tested, but TF-3 reduced the titer of 4 of 5 nonenveloped viruses by ≅2 to 3.5 log(10). Results also showed that HSV-1 glycoprotein B (gB) was aggregated more rapidly by theasinensin A than EGCG, which, when taken together with the nonenveloped virus data, suggests that dimers may inhibit the function of viral proteins required for infectivity. Digallate dimers of EGCG appear to have excellent potential as microbicidal agents against HSV at acidic and neutral pHs(2).

3. Peppermint oil
In the study of the virucidal effect of peppermint oil, the essential oil of Mentha piperita, against herpes simplex virus, showed that peppermint oil exhibited high levels of virucidal activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in viral suspension tests. At noncytotoxic concentrations of the oil, plaque formation was significantly reduced by 82% and 92% for HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. Higher concentrations of peppermint oil reduced viral titers of both herpesviruses by more than 90%(3)

4. Coffee
Caffeine and N-methyl-pyridinium formate have been shown to exhibit marked antiviral and virucidal activities against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). In the study of Inhibition of multiplication of herpes simplex virus by caffeic acid at the Wakayama Medical University, found that that caffeic acid inhibits HSV-1 multiplication mainly before the completion of viral DNA replication, but not thereafter. Although caffeic acid showed some cytotoxicity by prolonged incubation, the observed antiviral activity is likely not the secondary result of the cytotoxic effect of the reagent, because the inhibition of the virus multiplication was observed before appearance of the notable cytotoxicity(4).

5. Spinach and Lentils
In the investigation of the effects of arginine on the multiplication of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and the potential of arginine as an antiherpetic agent, found that In the presence of 30 mM arginine revealed that: i) the latent period was significantly extended, ii) the rate of formation of progeny infectious virus decreased and iii) the final yield of progeny virus decreased to 1%. The addition of arginine at 8 h p.i., after the completion of viral DNA replication in the virus multiplication, allowed the normal formation of progeny virus in the subsequent 4 h, confirming that arginine does not directly interfere with the formation of progeny infectious virus. In addition, arginine also inhibits several RNA viruses(5).

6. Etc.

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22390834
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21947401
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13678235
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21725588
(5) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19288025