Thyme Extract Helps Treat COVID-19
- February 15, 2021
Story at-a-glance
- Venezuela announced they have had encouraging results treating COVID-19 patients with Carvativir, an oral solution made from extracts of thyme and oregano
- Historically, thyme has been used to treat coughs and upper respiratory infections, with evidence it also is effective against herpes and other viruses
- Media outlets are quoting skeptics before the data have even been published, following closely in the footsteps of the hydroxychloroquine precedent
- Officials are pushing a gene-based injection with an unknown track record over effective preventive strategies and at-home treatments, such as vitamins D and C, and zinc, nebulized hydrogen peroxide or drugs with low side effect profiles like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro made the news when he began promoting Carvativir, an oral
solution made from extracts of thyme and oregano, for the treatment of COVID-19.1 Long before placebo-controlled, randomized studies were the gold standard for clinical trials, people relied on results from small groups of people.If a traditional medicine had positive results in a community, it was used. Without statistical analysis or comparing p-values, people had to rely on the proximate results. This meant a traditional medicine that was only nominally better than doing nothing may not have been adopted by indigenous people as the effects would not have been as obvious.
Through testing and experimentation, this served communities well in treating infections and other health conditions where treatment success could be measured quickly, such as using ginger for an upset stomach. One such traditional medicine is wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum), long used in the treatment of respiratory and digestive issues.2
Many of the benefits of thyme are from the essential oils made from Thymus vulgaris,3 which include potent compounds like thymol, camphene, linalool, and carvacrol. Thymol is the most active constituent of thyme essential oil. Levels can vary depending on the climate, extraction method and production practice, ranging from 3% to 80%.4
While thyme has a long history in traditional medicine, more recent scientific analysis and clinical studies have demonstrated another powerful effect the essential oil has on health.
Venezuela Reports Encouraging Results Using Carvativir
Reuters wrote that Maduro “is promoting a “miracle” medication derived from thyme called Carvativir that he said neutralizes COVID-19 with no side effects, although some doctors say it is not backed by science.”5 According to the report, Maduro said the solution was tested on people who were being treated at emergency medical facilities and at a Caracas hospital.
During a televised broadcast, he claimed Carvativir had been through nine months of study and clinical application on people who had been “very sick” and “intubated,” yet had subsequently recovered.
In another statement, Venezuela's National Academy of Medicine confirmed the solution has therapeutic potential against coronavirus, but cautions it may be prudent to “wait for more data from the Carvativir tests … to consider it a candidate for an anti-COVID-19 medication.”6
While doctors have also acknowledged that thyme essential oils have been used for centuries on infections but have not been established against COVID-19, Venezuelan scientists, including Hector Rangel, a virologist who led studies on COVID-19 vaccines, assured the media that Carvativir has demonstrated activity against cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.7
Maduro has promised studies will be published demonstrating Carvativir’s effectiveness. Due to the “tremendous controversy” generated over his initial comments, he now calls the medication “complementary” in the treatment against COVID-19.8
Headlines and Media Outlets May Not Tell the Whole Story
It becomes difficult to isolate evidence and data when headlines and articles are not impartial, such as “A Traditional Herb Created By Catholic Holy Doctors Criticized By World Health Experts"9 and "Doctors Skeptical As Venezuela's Maduro Touts Coronavirus 'Miracle' Drug."10 Instead of preparing arguments based on data, the media appear to be crafting their own narrative.
This has recent historical precedent when the fight over using hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 was highly politicized and covered by the media, in a role that can be likened to genocide.
It's impossible to estimate how many lives may have been saved had journalists done their due diligence and reported on the science truthfully as opposed to taking their lead from businesses that spend the most on advertising, namely drug companies.
Carvativir may or may not be effective or complementary in the treatment of COVID-19, yet before the data can be released, the drug is labeled as quackery. As most in the holistic field have been aware, there is an undercurrent of censorship used to mislead people that ultimately lines the pockets of the pharmaceutical industry.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many conventional doctors have also gotten a taste of what it's like to have potentially life-saving treatments censored. July 23, 2020,11 Dr. Harvey A. Risch, professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, published an op-ed in Newsweek in which he expressed his dismay and frustration on this topic as it pertains to hydroxychloroquine.12
“I have authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and currently hold senior positions on the editorial boards of several leading journals.
I am usually accustomed to advocating for positions within the mainstream of medicine, so have been flummoxed to find that, in the midst of a crisis, I am fighting for a treatment that the data fully support but which, for reasons having nothing to do with a correct understanding of the science, has been pushed to the sidelines.
As a result, tens of thousands of patients with COVID-19 are dying unnecessarily … I am referring, of course, to the medication hydroxychloroquine.
When this inexpensive oral medication is given very early in the course of illness, before the virus has had time to multiply beyond control, it has shown to be highly effective, especially when given in combination with the antibiotics azithromycin or doxycycline and the nutritional supplement zinc.
Physicians who have been using these medications in the face of widespread skepticism have been truly heroic. They have done what the science shows is best for their patients, often at great personal risk.
I myself know of two doctors who have saved the lives of hundreds of patients with these medications but are now fighting state medical boards to save their licenses and reputations. The cases against them are completely without scientific merit.”
Thyme Has Demonstrated Antiviral Activity
The Venezuelan Minister for Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez, confirmed that the active ingredient in Carvativir is isothymol isolated from oregano and thyme.13 While the essential oils from thyme have not been scientifically proven against COVID-19, there is scientific evidence they have antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Historically, thyme has been used to help control cough associated with upper respiratory infection. One tested combination14 used with upper respiratory infections is thyme and primrose in combination with thymol, which was shown to alleviate cough and shortness of breath and to shorten the length of the infection.
Evidence has also shown thyme is active against herpes15 and other viruses, likely by interfering with the protein envelope that surrounds virulent viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. One study16 published in 2017 showed thymol was highly selective and a promising candidate against herpes infections.
Research from the University of Ahvaz17 showed extracts from thyme provided protection against the Newcastle virus that causes illness and death in birds and is transmissible to humans. Another analysis18 showed essential oil from Thymus transcaspicus, a variety of thyme, had moderate antimicrobial and antiviral activity.
Thyme has also been evaluated against the influenza virus as antiviral resistant strains continue to emerge. Essential oils have been tested in experimental conditions, but one study19 tested essential oils from eucalyptus, Citrus bergamia and Thymus vulgaris in vapor form.
Vaporized essential oils from thyme, among others, displayed 100% inhibitory activity without adverse effects on the epithelial layers, suggesting they could be “potentially useful in influenza therapy.”20
Officials Push Vaccine Over Prevention and Treatment
Carvativir is not the first cost-effective potential treatment to be ridiculed in the media in favor of sitting and waiting until an unproven genetic experiment can be unleashed on the public under the guise of Operation Warp Speed and a COVID-19 vaccine.
While the results on Carvativir are not yet published as of this writing, there are other effective and long-standing preventive measures and treatments for this virus. Although the recently released shot is being called a vaccine, by medical definition it's more accurately an experimental gene therapy that could prematurely kill many people.
As I discussed in “How COVID ‘Vaccines’ May Destroy the Lives of Millions,” the way in which the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines are produced may increase the risk of anaphylaxis. Additionally, free mRNA can fuel chronic, long-term inflammatory diseases.
As I also wrote in the article linked above, equally shocking are the personal videos sharing the severe side effects people are experiencing — videos which are quickly removed by social media platforms, ostensibly for violating some term of service. It’s hard to fathom how a personal experience can be considered “false information.”
Whether you choose to take the vaccine or not, it is important to remember that it does not stop you from getting COVID-19 and may not be effective against the virus as it naturally mutates in the environment. It is essential you take steps to protect your overall health and be aware of the strategies you can use to prevent infection and be treated early at home to reduce your risk of severe disease.
Recently, doctors have returned to basic supportive care and treatments and have experienced better survival rates and patient outcomes. As the pandemic has progressed, doctors have also recognized the need for early outpatient treatment in order to halt the progression and lower the risk of severe disease.
Consider These Steps to Reduce Your Risk
One of those outpatient treatments that has been maligned in the media is a combination of hydroxychloroquine and zinc. Hydroxychloroquine acts as a zinc ionophore, helping to move zinc into the cells. Zinc helps prevent the replication of viruses inside the cell, which is why it has had such good results in shortening the common cold.
Evidence has also suggested that people admitted to the hospital with low zinc levels have a higher likelihood of dying from COVID-19.21 Low levels of vitamin D have also been associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease. Vitamin D optimization may help prevent infection and reduce the risk of severe symptoms.
In June 2020, I launched an information campaign about vitamin D that included a downloadable scientific report detailing the science behind vitamin D. A randomized double-blind study, published December 2020,22 demonstrated that giving critically ill patients with COVID-19 high doses of vitamin D could significantly reduce the number of days they spend in intensive care and reduce their need for ventilation.
A mathematical reanalysis of data from an earlier trial concluded there's a “strong role for vitamin D in reducing ICU admission of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.”23 Ivermectin is another drug that's been found to be useful in all stages of the infection. However, the real strength appears to be as a preventive.
As I reported in “Can Ivermectin Help Prevent COVID-19 Deaths?,” two states in India with high population rates are reporting24 the lowest and second-lowest fatality rates in all of India after having added ivermectin to their treatment protocols.
As reported in Trial Site News, health officials in India had recognized urgency in treating and preventing the illness, but, “Such urgency is in short supply in the U.S., where the single-minded focus is on vaccination.”25
Two other treatments for COVID-19 that have shown significant positive results are vitamin C and the MATH+ protocol. As reported in Nutrients, “Vitamin C’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects make it a potential therapeutic candidate, both for the prevention and amelioration of COVID-19 infection, and as an adjunctive therapy in the critical care of COVID-19.”26
In response to this landmark review the Alliance for Natural Health launched an international vitamin C campaign.27 Founder and scientific director Rob Verkerk, Ph.D., noted there are several reasons to take supplemental vitamin C:28
- Your body cannot make it.
- Most people do not get enough from their diet.
- Your body’s requirement for vitamin C can increase 10-fold during an infection, disease or physical trauma.
Vitamin C is also a part of the MATH+ protocol developed by the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Working Group (FLCCC). You can read more about this protocol, which has been successfully used to treat COVID-19, in “Quercetin and Vitamin C: Synergistic Therapy for COVID-19.”
Consider These Steps to Take Control of Your Health
My personal choice for treating upper respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is nebulized hydrogen peroxide. In the video above I demonstrate how the solution should be mixed and administered for the best results.
It’s a home remedy I recommend everyone familiarize themselves with, as in many cases it can improve symptoms in mere hours. You can also use it as a preventive strategy if you know you’ve been exposed to someone who is ill.
The recent events over the past year have aptly demonstrated how crucial it is for you to take control of your health. In the past year there have been a rising number of suicides,29 drug overdoses30 and mental health conditions,31 many of which may have stemmed from fear. It is important to remember you do not have to be afraid and that fear is what is being used to manipulate your behavior.
Take the time to gather the necessary tools you’ll need to protect your health, reduce your risk of infection and hasten healing if you are infected. Then take a few minutes to share this important information with your friends and family members.
Many of the effective preventive and at-home treatment strategies are not shared by the media, as most are advocating you wait with bated breath for a vaccine. You can improve your health and make a difference in others’ lives.
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