People ask me all the time, "besides vitamin C and chicken soup, what's good for the common cold?" My answer is always the same....Monolaurin....and their response is usually the same also....huh?
Monolaurin is an anti-microbial agent that may protect the immune system from a range of infectious agents. Monolaurin is a glyceride ester derivative of lauric acid, a fatty acid found naturally in breast milk and certain vegetable oils. This fatty acid has been used as a germicidal agent for centuries. Lauric acid was originally discovered when microbiologists studied human breast milk to determine the antiviral substances which protected infants from microbial infections. It has been shown to protect newborns, whose immune systems are underdeveloped, from Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and other respiratory tract viruses. Monolaurin was found to have even greater viral activity than lauric acid. Studies show that Monolaurin disintegrates the viral envelope, killing the virus).
In studies performed at the Respiratory Virology Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia, Monolaurin was found effective against 14 human RNA and DNA enveloped viruses in cell culture. These included influenza, RSV, Rubeola, Newcastle's, Coronavirus, Herpes Simplex types 1 & 2, Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus. (Monolaurin has no effect on naked viruses, such as polio, encephalitis virus, coxsachie, or pox viruses.). Monolaurin removed all measurable infectivity by disintegrating the virus envelope.
IS MONOLAURIN AN ANTIBIOTIC? No. Antibiotics kill unwanted micro-organisms, but they also kill many friendly micro-organisms. Monolaurin, on the other hand, does not appear to have an adverse effect on desirable digestive bacteria, but rather only on unwanted microorganisms.
IS MONOLAURIN SAFE? Not only is Monolaurin included on the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) list, but it may, by virtue of its source of origin, be safer than many other food supplements that are designed to boost the immune system.
One of the safest substances known to man is breast milk. This is where the monoglyceride of lauric acid (Monolaurin) is found. When an infant is born, it is totally dependent on food factors in the mother's milk for immune protection. In analyzing the composition of human breast milk, medical researchers found lauric acid monoglycerides in high concentrations, which is what led them to study Monolaurin as an anti-viral agent. Monolaurin is also found in coconut oil, butter, and heavy cream; only recently has it been isolated and purified. It is highly unusual in pharmacology to find chemicals that are toxic to lower forms of life (bacteria, fungi, and viruses) but non-toxic to man.
Please visit us at: Innovative Nutrition, 206 Rt. 25A, East Setauket, NY (right next door to Mario's Restaurant) or online at: www.vibranthealthcompany.net
