(Phytochemicals in) Foods to Prevent and Treat diseases - Genital herpes

Genital herpes is defined as an sexual transmitted infectious disease caused by  caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). People with multiple partners are at higher risk to develop the disease with no symptoms or symptoms of sores or lesions on the penis or outside the vagina, etc.


Types of food to prevent and treat Genital herpes
1. Green tea 
EGCG has greater anti-HSV activity than other green tea catechins and inactivates multiple clinical isolates of HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2. EGCG reduced HSV-2 titers by >or=1,000-fold in 10 to 20 min and reduced HSV-1 titers by the same amount in 30 to 40 min(1).

2. Garlic
Dr. Weber ND and the research team at the Brigham Young University, in the study of antiviral effects (including, herpes simplex virus type 1, herpes simplex virus type 2, parainfluenza virus type 3, vaccinia virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and human rhinovirus type 2. ) of fresh garlic extract, showed that virucidal activity and cytotoxicity may have depended upon the viral envelope and cell membrane, respectively. However, activity against non-enveloped virus may have been due to inhibition of viral adsorption or penetration(2).

3. Peppermint oil 
In the study of the virucidal effect of peppermint oil, the essential oil of Mentha piperita, against herpes simplex virus, and the inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was tested in vitro on RC-37 cells using a plaque reduction assay, found that peppermint oil affected the virus before adsorption, but not after penetration into the host cell. Thus this essential oil is capable to exert a direct virucidal effect on HSV. Peppermint oil is also active against an acyclovir resistant strain of HSV-1 (HSV-1-ACV(res)), plaque formation was significantly reduced by 99%. Considering the lipophilic nature of the oil which enables it to penetrate the skin, peppermint oil might be suitable for topical therapeutic use as virucidal agent in recurrent herpes infection(3).

4. Turmeric
In the study to investigate Curcumin, a phenolic compound from the curry spice turmeric in exhibiting a wide range of activities in eukaryotic cells, including antiviral effect, found that curcumin affects VP16-mediated recruitment of RNA polymerase II to IE gene promoters by a mechanism independent of p300/CBP histone acetyltransferase activity(4).

5. Skin and seed of grape and red wine
Resveratrol, a phytochemicals found in skin and seed of grape and red wine esveratrol  (i) suppresses HSV induced activation of NF-kappaB within the nucleus and (ii) impairs expression of essential immediate-early, early and late HSV genes and synthesis of viral DNA(5).

6. Etc.

 
Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18195068
(2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1470664
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13678235
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=turmeric%20herpes%20simplex%20virus