Health & Fitness

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and hygiene seem to be having some effect on "flattening the curve" and slowing the spread of the virus. The use of ultraviolet (UV) light to decontaminate medical facilities, proper hand-washing and disinfectants, equipment and even protective facemasks also seems to be useful.

But people will still contract COVID-19, and effective treatments are lacking and needed. That’s why some scientific studies are looking at a natural product that has long been known to have antiviral effects¹ – glycyrrhizin, the major active constituent in licorice root.

Glycyrrhizin was valued in ancient Arabia and Greece for treating coughs and in China for relieving irritation of the mucous membranes. In modern times, glycyrrhizin has been shown to be a formidable antiviral, fighting herpes, HIV, hepatitis, influenza, encephalitis and pneumonia as well as less known viruses like respiratory syncytial virus, arboviruses, vaccinia virus and vesicular stomatitis virus.²

Still, it’s glycyrrhizin's effectiveness against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) that has scientists hoping this important natural substance may be a tool against COVID-19.

Glycyrrhizin Has Medicinal Properties

You may think of licorice as an extract, a sweetener or even a candy, like Good and Plenty, but it’s actually complex biochemically and offers important medical benefits. According to PubChem, a database of chemical molecules maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information,³

"Glycyrrhizic acid is extracted from the root of the licorice plant; Glycyrrhiza glabra. It is a triterpene glycoside with glycyrrhetinic acid that possesses a wide range of pharmacological and biological activities ... potential immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory, hepato- and neuro-protective, and antineoplastic activities.

Glycyrrhizin modulates certain enzymes involved in inflammation and oxidative stress, and downregulates certain pro-inflammatory mediators, thereby protecting against inflammation- and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced damage. Glycerrhizin may also suppress the growth of susceptible tumor cells."

According to Botanical Medicine, the anti-inflammatory actions of glycyrrhizin (GL) may stem from suppression of cytokines:⁴

"As testimony to its anti-inflammatory properties, glycyrrhizin alleviated allergic asthma in an experimental mouse model, increased the IL-4 and IL-5 levels, decreased eosinophil counts and IgE levels, and upregulated total IgG2a in serum.

These results indicated that glycyrrhizin interfered with the production of IgE by decreasing the IgE-stimulating cytokines. It also attenuated lung inflammation and mucus production in mice."

Glycyrrhizin Works Against SARS, a COVID-19-Like Virus

SARS-CoV-2,⁵ the virus that causes COVID-19, is similar to SARS-CoV-1, the coronavirus that surfaced in 2003. Its genome shares 79.5% of the SARS-CoV-1 genome's information and both enter human alveolar epithelial cells through binding with ACE2 receptors.⁶

Early SARS-CoV-1 patients were given the viral compound ribavirin, but it showed little benefit.⁷ Corticosteroids were also tried in SARS-CoV-1 patients and patients with MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), which occurred 10 years later, but there was "no evidence showing that the mortality of SARS-CoV-1 and MERS patients was reduced," as reported in the International Journal of Biological Sciences.⁸

Soon after the SARS-CoV-1 outbreak, the medical journal The Lancet published a research letter suggesting that glycyrrhizin might fight SARS:⁹

"The outbreak of SARS warrants the search for antiviral compounds to treat the disease. At present, no specific treatment has been identified for SARS-associated coronavirus infection. We assessed the antiviral potential of ribavirin, 6-azauridine, pyrazofurin, mycophenolic acid, and glycyrrhizin against two clinical isolates of coronavirus from patients with SARS ...

Of all the compounds, glycyrrhizin was the most active in inhibiting replication of the SARS-associated virus. Our findings suggest that glycyrrhizin should be assessed for treatment of SARS.”

Glycyrrhizin had several positive actions, wrote the researchers:¹⁰

"In addition to inhibition of virus replication, glycyrrhizin inhibits adsorption and penetration of the virus — early steps of the replicative cycle ... Glycyrrhizin was most effective when given both during and after the adsorption period ...

… glycyrrhizin and its aglycone metabolite 18β glycyrrhetinic acid upregulate expression of inducible nitrous oxide synthase and production of nitrous oxide in macrophages.

Nitrous oxide inhibits replication of several viruses — eg, Japanese encephalitis virus, which can also be inhibited by glycyrrhizin. Our preliminary results show that glycyrrhizin induces nitrous oxide synthase in Vero cells [cells used in cultures] and that virus replication is inhibited when the nitrous oxide donor is added to the culture medium."

Glycyrrhizin May Act Differently From Other Substances

According to the Journal of General Virology, glycyrrhizin's method of stopping the replication of SARS viruses may differ from other treatments that have been tried:¹¹

"Unlike IFN-α and ribavirin, there are few clues to the antiviral mechanism of glycyrrhizin. Our data indicate that, as for ribavirin, glycyrrhizin only moderately affects coronavirus replicase functions.

However, in contrast to ribavirin, glycyrrhizin has been shown to inhibit SARS-CoV replication in tissue culture. This indicates that glycyrrhizin may not target the coronavirus replication machinery and that antiviral effects may be exerted, for example, during virus adsorption or release.”¹²

Stopping replication is especially challenging because of the peculiarities of the SARS virus. According to General Cell Biology & Physiology:¹³

"These analyses revealed that SARS-CoV-2 reshapes central cellular pathways, such as translation, splicing, carbon metabolism and nucleic acid metabolism. Small molecule inhibitors targeting these pathways were tested in cellular infection assays and prevented viral replication."

Glycyrrhizin's upregulation of nitric oxide and nitric oxide synthase in macrophages, which was noted in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, may explain its ability to stop replication of SARS and hopefully other coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2.¹⁴

Glycyrrhizin May Be Effective Against COVID-19

The failure of Western pharmaceutical treatments for SARS has put the spotlight on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a practice in which glycyrrhizin is a staple. According to the International Journal of Biological Sciences:¹⁵

"Ranging from case reports, case series, controlled observational studies and randomized clinical trials, clinical studies aiming to examine the effect of TCM on SARS have been carried out and reported. There are quite compelling evidences support the notion that TCM has beneficial effect in the treatment or prevention of SARS ...

For example, the rate of fatality in Hong Kong and Singapore was approximately 18%, while the rate for Beijing was initially more than 52% ... The dramatic reduced fatality from late May in Beijing was believed to be associated with the use of TCM as a supplement to the conventional therapy."

As COVID-19 reportedly first surfaced in China, The Globe and Mail reported that many nationals were turning to traditional treatments, while health leaders reported “’significant’ benefits from mixing Chinese and Western medicine:”¹⁶

"For authorities in Wuhan to counsel use of traditional Chinese medicine 'makes sense,' so long as it is in conjunction with Western drugs, said Jindrich Cinatl, a virologist who co-authored the 2003 [Lancet] study. 'In Western medicine, we have drugs that attack just a concrete target,' he said in an interview. 'With traditional medicine, you can prevent virus absorption to cells, virus replication and so on.'"

Jakkapong Watcharachaijunta, a medical researcher, told Thailand Medical News he thinks glycyrrhizin is a promising COVID-19 treatment:¹⁷

“Though the new 2019-nCov virus [since renamed SARS-CoV-2] is a different strain, it is very close to the SARS coronavirus genetically wise and maybe this should be an interesting starting point."

In a Pandemic, New Drugs or Vaccines Won’t Be the Answer

With COVID-19 now present on every continent except Antarctica, it is clear that treatments are needed immediately, but rushing new drugs to the market could cause adverse side effects to be missed. Further, a commentary written by Derek Lowe, who holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry and has worked for several major pharmaceutical companies, expresses little hope for the existing medications being tested or for the development of entirely new ones:¹⁸

"A drug discovery program from scratch against a new pathogen is … not a trivial exercise ... Many such efforts in the past have come to grief because by the time they had anything to deliver the epidemic itself had passed. Indeed, Gilead’s remdesivir had already been dropped as a potential Ebola therapy.

You will either need to have a target in mind up front or go phenotypic. For the former, what you’d see are better characterizations of the viral protease and more extensive screens against it. Two other big target areas are viral entry (which involves the “spike” proteins on the virus surface and the ACE2 protein on human cells) and viral replication."

There are many challenges to developing a new antiviral drug and the process is extremely complex and slow, which means even if they end up being effective, they may be too late to be of use. According to Lowe:¹⁹

"Phenotypic screens are perfectly reasonable against viral pathogens as well, but you’ll need to put time and effort into that assay up front, just as with any phenotypic effort, because as anyone who does that sort of work will tell you, a bad phenotypic screen is a complete waste of everyone’s time."

It has recently been determined by Nextstrain.org, which tracks viral genomes across the planet, that SARS-CoV-2 is mutating 1,000 times faster than influenza viruses and 36,000 times faster than influenza virus. This strongly suggests that vaccines’ efforts will fail 1,000 times worse than the miserable flu vaccine.

The Benefits of Glycyrrhizin Are Already Available

One of glycyrrhizin’s advantages is that it has a long history of medicinal use and could potentially help those in need much sooner than an experimental drug just entering testing, but the fact remains that infectious disease that emerges in any country or continent has the potential to spread swiftly and cause a pandemic. According to Antiviral Research, the SARS outbreak produced greater world cooperation and reporting:²⁰

"One legacy of the outbreak was the formulation of the international Health Regulations (IHR) in 2005 and their acceptance by the World Health Assembly in 2007. The IHR require countries to report unusual and unexplained outbreaks of infectious disease and to develop the public health capacity to detect and respond to such diseases ...

SARS and other contemporary zoonotic threats, such as H5N1 avian influenza, have highlighted the need for collaboration among those responsible for human and animal health, and the environment.

This led to the formalization of the concept of ‘"One Health," which fosters collaborative effects of multiple disciplines to attain optimal health for people, animals, and the environment."

The relevant international organizations now have formal working agreements and a framework within which they can coordinate activities to assess risks at the animal/human/ecosystem interface, according to the review. There is also an improved understanding of inter-species transmission and zoonotic pathogens that are behind many pandemics.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, a natural product like glycyrrhizin, with known medical benefits and few of the risks associated with harsh medications, is good news.

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In this time when many are seeking ways to disinfect their homes to avoid infection with COVID-19 and flu, some may be tempted to mix cleaning chemicals. Stress from the lack of disinfectants on grocery store shelves is compounded by daily headlines referencing the number who are infected or who have died from either of the viruses.

It’s important to stay focused on what you can do to reduce your potential risk for infection. Cleaning surfaces at home and frequently washing your hands are two essential strategies, as you work to build your immune system to ward off any infection.

The COVID-19 virus, also named SARS-CoV-2, is encased in a lipid envelope, which means it's a single strand of RNA wrapped in a bubble of fatty molecules. This makes it, and others like it, highly susceptible to soaps and disinfectants. This is good, since you may only have soap and elbow grease at home at the moment. Good Housekeeping warns that:¹

"… before you reach for every cleaning product under your sink and start playing chemist, take caution. ‘People often think that if one product works, mixing it with another one will make it even better,’ says Carolyn Forte, Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab."

The truth is, most over-the-counter cleaning products have more than one ingredient and are designed to be used alone. When mixed, they may produce unhealthy chemical reactions or dangerous, and sometimes fatal, fumes. Let’s look at the top six chemicals you should never mix.

Sodium Hypochlorite and Acetic Acid

You know these chemicals by the common names — bleach and vinegar. Mixing them together will produce chlorine gas, which sometimes has fatal results.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) reported on the tragic death of a restaurant employee who died from inhaling fumes after two products containing acid and bleach were mixed. Ten others from the restaurant also became sick as a result. Samara Geller with EWG said:²

“Our thoughts are with the family, friends and co-workers of this gentleman. No one should be put in a situation where simply coming to work and doing their job could result in serious injury or even death from toxic cleaning products. Unfortunately, this is a persistent issue that triggers tens of thousands of illnesses and poisonings each year in the U.S.”

While vinegar is a common household cleaner and bleach might be found under your sink or in your laundry room, they are not safe when used together. Chlorine gas is poisonous and once was used during World War I as a chemical weapon.³ Exposure to chlorine gas can result in long-lasting changes to your lung tissue.

The key to this chemical reaction is an acid-acid mixture. When bleach is mixed with other acid-based chemicals, such as drain openers, toilet bowl cleaners and oven cleaners, chlorine gas is released.⁴

The gas irritates the pulmonary tract and may cause significant damage to the upper and lower lungs. Toxicity is related to the concentration of the gas and time you are exposed. The gas has a strong odor so it's easily detected and will quickly cause burning in your eyes, throat and upper respiratory tract.

Combining Bleach and Ammonia Is a Common Mistake

This combination of chemicals releases chloramine gas. Ammonia is found in many glass and window cleaners as well as urine.⁵ This means you should not use bleach to clean litter boxes, diaper pails or toilet bowls. Exposure to chloramine gas can trigger symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain, wheezing and chemically induced pneumonia.

The symptoms may appear after taking just a few breaths and can last as long as 24 hours, or longer if you have an underlying respiratory condition. In one case study,⁶ two separate groups of military personnel were treated in an emergency room after they were exposed to the combination of bleach and ammonia while cleaning the barracks.

In the first group 36 male soldiers were treated and one week later 36 female soldiers were treated, also after cleaning the barracks. Nebulized sodium bicarbonate solution had been used to treat chlorine gas, but when tried after exposure to chloramine on 22 patients there wasn’t any difference in the outcome.

Before moving on, let’s cut to the chase. If you choose to use bleach, then at no time should you ever mix it with any other chemical, household product or food. In nearly every instance, it produces a reaction. The only time it’s safe to mix bleach with anything is when you’re diluting it with water.

Mixing Drain Cleaners Could Destroy Your Plumbing, and More

You've probably come across a stopped-up drain or two in your home. Sometimes it's running slowly and at others it's just completely clogged. While you may be tempted to purchase an over-the-counter drain cleaner to get the job done, know that most contain toxic ingredients and you can easily unclog your drain using what you already have at home.

However, if you do choose to use drain cleaner and the first bottle doesn't finish the job, remember to buy the same one for the second go-round or you may get burned, breathe toxic gas or cause an explosion.

Not all drain cleaners use the same caustic ingredients to clean your pipes. Some are made with sodium hydroxide, bleach, sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid — mixing these is dangerous.

For example, mixing one made with sodium hydroxide and another made with sulfuric acid creates an exothermic acid-base reaction. Steaming hot water may come shooting from your drain and you may be burned by excess acid or base in the liquid.⁷

When a drain cleaner made with bleach is mixed with one containing hydrochloric acid it produces chlorine gas.⁸ While you may think this is the easiest way to clean your pipes, there are good reasons to use other options, as explained by Angie’s List:⁹

• Cleaners are toxic, especially the inexpensive varieties — Even when you don't mix chemicals, the fumes from all drain cleaners must be avoided as they irritate your eyes, nose and mucus membranes. Run the fan in the bathroom as the fumes stick around long after the cleaner has been poured down the drain.
• They damage your pipes — The caustic chemicals used to eat through the clog will also damage your pipes. If it accidently gets on your finishes, they will eat through those as well.
• They’re bad for the environment — Those caustic chemicals you don't want in your home are now flushed down the drain, out to the wastewater treatment plant and into the environment.
• Drain cleaners are not always successful — Depending upon why your drain is backed up, the cleaner may not be successful in getting the water flowing again. When the clog is thick, there is trouble in the sewer line or pipes are broken, drain cleaners won't fix the problem.

When you're stuck at home with a backed-up drain you probably have what you need to unclog the drain and get things moving again. Here are several options that can be used together since there are no dangerous chemicals involved:¹⁰

• Bent wire hanger — Use a regular wire hanger. Straighten it and then create a hook on one end. Place the hook end down the drain and start pulling up what was stopping the water. Have some paper towels handy to throw the mess in the garbage. Follow this up with hot water and the drain should clear.
• Boiling water — This is a good way to unstick a drain. Using boiling water, pour it down the drain in stages, allowing 15 seconds between each pour.
• Baking soda and salt — Place half a cup of salt and half a cup of baking soda in a jar or bowl and mix well. Pour this down the drain and wait for 20 minutes. Follow it up with boiling water.
• Baking soda and vinegar — You are probably familiar with the resulting fizzle and foam when these are combined. While it's not effective as a cleaner, the foaming action does help break down grime on the pipe. Pour baking soda down the drain, followed by white vinegar. Follow this up with hot water after 10 minutes.
• Plunge it — Use a different plunger than the one you use in the toilet. If the above suggestions aren’t working fast enough, you can try plunging the drain, followed by a second strategy as needed.

MacGyver Mixture Makes Corrosive Peracetic Acid

While hydrogen peroxide and vinegar are effective when used separately, don't mix them. When combined they produce peracetic acid, a toxic caustic acid. Exposure to your eyes, skin and respiratory system produces irritation.¹¹

According to Susan Sumner from Virginia Tech, the combination of these two ingredients can kill over 100,000 types of germs, including E. coli and salmonella. However, there's a method you use to avoid the toxic reaction when the chemicals are mixed.¹² She offers this recipe at Cleaning Business Today:¹³

• Pour 3% hydrogen peroxide into one spray bottle and distilled white vinegar (5% ascetic acid) into a second bottle. Do NOT mix them together in one bottle as they will create an unstable and highly corrosive form of peracetic acid
• Clean the surface with soap and water. Dry it with a clean cloth or paper towel
• Spray the surface with either the hydrogen peroxide or the vinegar. The order does not matter; just don't spray them on at the same time as when mixed they will create an unstable form of peracetic acid
• Let it set for at least five minutes before wiping off with a clean cloth or paper towel
• Repeat with the second bottle

Baking Soda + Vinegar = Ineffective for Cleaning

It bubbles and looks like it’s working hard, but it essentially has no cleaning power. Both products work well independently, but when combined they lose all power and effectiveness, except when you’re using the foaming action to help clear your drain as described above.

Used separately, baking soda adds scrubbing power and it doesn’t scratch the surfaces of your home. It can be used to clean out grime from bathtubs and sinks, as well as to remove stubborn cooked food in your pots and pans. Avoid using it over large areas, such as floors, as it requires time and water to remove the granules.

White vinegar is a simple floor and counter cleaner. Before using it on your floor, be sure it can withstand the acidic pH. Add a cup to your wash to help keep your washing machine free of mineral deposits. A mixture of vinegar and dish soap can remove some of the worst grime and dirt you can throw at it.¹⁴

While it’s a good cleaner, be sure to keep it away from solid wood, granite, marble or soapstone as it ruins the finish. Don’t put it in your iron, either, because it will ruin it. Interestingly, you should avoid cleaning up spilled egg with vinegar as it changes the consistency and will make cleaning up even more difficult.

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There are large parts of the DNA that are not used for making proteins. This is called 'junk DNA', because its function remained unclear for a long time. However, a certain type of junk DNA that is found in mosquitoes and which repeats itself dozens of times, known as 'satellite DNA', has now been shown to play an essential role in the early development of mosquito embryos.

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A new study reveals that tumors lacking a protein called BAP1 have an ineffective immune reaction against cancer, thus rendering immunotherapies ineffectual, particularly in uveal melanomas (UM). The researchers also discovered that when BAP1 is lost, other molecules will be present in order to support cancer growth. Luckily, some of these molecules can be targeted with existing drugs, which can lead to the development of novel immunotherapies.

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MW189 blocks abnormal inflammation in the brain that is known to contribute to injury- and disease-induced neurologic impairments in a number of acute and chronic brain disorders. This study examined MW189 in healthy adult volunteers.

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Researchers showed that a protein named FOXO1 plays a critical role in heart damage resulting from treatment with anthracycline chemotherapy drugs. Using a rodent model, they also demonstrated that suppressing FOXO1 through the use of FOXO1 inhibitor drugs could prevent the chemotherapy-induced heart damage. Their discovery opens up possibilities for new treatment strategies to reduce heart damage from cancer treatment, which could help increase the life expectancy of cancer survivors.

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The first use of phylogenetic techniques shows the 'ancestral' virus genome closest to those in bats was not Wuhan's predominant virus type. The study charts the 'incipient supernova' of COVID-19 through genetic mutations as it spread from China and Asia to Australia, Europe and North America. Researchers say their methods could be used to help identify undocumented infection sources.

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The research team discovered a new role for MAP2 in the synaptic potentiation process and expects to provide key insights into synaptic dysfunction in brain diseases.

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An international team of researchers has tested more than 10,000 compounds to identify six drug candidates that may help treat COVID-19. The research tested the efficacy of approved drugs, drug candidates in clinical trials and other compounds.

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Middle age may not be too late for women to substantially lower their stroke risk through lifestyle modifications. Middle-aged women who quit smoking, started exercising, maintained a healthy weight and made healthy food choices saw a reduction in their risk of stroke.

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Students learned just as much in online STEM college courses as they did in traditional classroom settings, and at a fraction of the cost, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

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Middle age may not be too late for women to substantially lower their stroke risk through lifestyle modifications. Middle-aged women who quit smoking, started exercising, maintained a healthy weight and made healthy food choices saw a reduction in their risk of stroke.

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Use of real-time monitoring of COVID-19 transmissibility and severity to fine-tune control strategies offers the best chance to minimize second wave of infection in mainland China, outside Hubei province, researchers say in a new study.

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Time to sweat with The beach Life's Richard Kerrigan.

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Lengthen and strengthen with pilates queen Kirsten King of Fluidform pilates.

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This delicious fruity Hot Cross Buns recipe from the The Heart Foundation uses healthy fats, and is lower in kilojoules than store-bought buns. 

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Dietitian Melissa Meier ranks the healthiest takeaway dishes to order in, when you just can't be bothered. From Monday to Friday. 

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