Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 04, 2026 1 month, 2 weeks, 5 days, 21 hours ago
Medical News: A Growing Problem with Seasonal Flu
Influenza or flu continues to infect millions every year, causing severe illness and many deaths worldwide. While vaccines and antiviral drugs exist, the flu virus changes rapidly, often becoming resistant to current treatments. This has pushed scientists to search for new and safer alternatives, especially from natural sources that have been used in traditional medicine for centuries.
Natural plant extract shows powerful action against multiple flu strains
A new study has now turned the spotlight on Blumea balsamifera, a medicinal plant widely used in Southeast Asia, raising hopes for a future plant-based flu treatment.
Researchers Turn to a Traditional Medicinal Plant
The research team came from several institutions including Kunming Medical University, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Guizhou Holy Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, and Wuhan Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.
They investigated an extract made from the dried leaves of Blumea balsamifera, a plant long known in folk medicine but rarely studied in modern flu research.
How the Study Was Carried Out
Scientists tested the plant extract in laboratory cells infected with multiple strains of influenza A and B viruses. These included well known strains such as H1N1 and H3N2 as well as newer influenza B variants. They also conducted experiments on mice to see how the extract worked inside a living body.
Importantly, the extract showed no toxic effects on healthy cells even at higher doses, suggesting it may be safe for further development.
Key Findings Explained Simply
The results were striking. The plant extract strongly reduced virus damage in infected cells and worked against six different flu strains. It was most effective during the early stage of infection, stopping the virus from attaching to and entering healthy cells.
In mouse studies, animals treated with the extract lost less weight, survived longer, and showed far less lung damage compared to untreated mice. At higher doses, the extract performed nearly as well as oseltamivir, a commonly used antiviral flu drug.
Scientists believe the extract blocks the virus surface protein that normally helps influenza bind to human cells. By stopping this first step, the virus struggles to multiply and spread.
Why This Research Matters
This
Medical News report highlights how traditional medicinal plants may hold solutions to modern health challenges. Because the extract works early in infection, it could one day be used as both a preventive and early treatment option during flu outbreaks.
Conclusion
Overall, the study suggests that Blumea balsamifera extract has strong potential as a natural and broad-spectrum anti influenza agent. Its ability to block virus entry, reduce lung damage, and delay seve
re illness makes it an exciting candidate for future drug development. However, larger human studies are still needed before it can be used clinically.
The study findings were published on a preprint server and is currently being peer reviewed.
https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5139285
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Medical News.
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https://www.thailandmedical.news/articles/influenza-or-flu
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