Functional Herbal Medicine and Phytonutrition

People have been seeking traditional herbal medicines for various viral respiratory disorders, including the common cold, influenza, bronchitis, and pneumonia for hundreds of years. However, the bioactive ingredients in traditional herbs have only recently come to light in the past few decades. In Functional Herbal Medicine and Phyronutrition, we will investigate the synergistic use of potent plant compounds in common foods, traditional herbs, and formulas for viral respiratory infections. We will also review virtual screening and molecular docking analyses of individual herbs, network pharmacology analyses of herbal formulas, and clinical studies that shine a new light on potent compounds in traditional herbs and their actions. Some of the most effective compounds, including glycyrrhizin, baicalin, scutellarin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin, emodin, amygdalin, forsythoside A, saikosaponin B2, platycodin D, ginsenosides, lonicerin, and chlorogenic acid, will be explored. Combining these compounds in herbal formulas provides a three-hit antiviral, immune-modulating, and anti-inflammatory effect to help decrease the severity of infections, modulate immune activity, and reduce inflammation.One purpose of this book is to encourage practitioners to learn to identify the potent plant constituents found in traditional formulas for viral respiratory infections that make them so useful. For example, flavonoids such as the flavone luteolin, and the flavonols kaempferol and quercetin, are ubiquitous in Chinese herbs used for viral respiratory infections. Another purpose of this book is to encourage practitioners to identify the common foods that contain these same compounds. As you will discover, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin, and other potent polyphenols in everyday fruits and vegetables, can be included in the diet to add to the synergistic effects of traditional herbs. This herbal and dietary approach has been used for centuries yet has only recently been described in phytochemical and epigenetic terms that may even surprise many acupuncturists.