A Geranium species, Pelargonium (Pelargonium sidoides) is used in South Africa as a natural antibiotic. Its name is ‘Umckaloabo’, and it has been used for centuries by the Zulu, Basuto, Xhosa and Mfenfi tribes. It seems to be especially valued for its action on upper respiratory tract infections, coughs and ear, nose and throat infections as well for its ability to support rapid recovery from bronchitis, colds and flu.
In 1897 Charles Stevens, an Englishman, was treated with this geranium to cure him from tuberculosis. Fully recovered, he took this remedy to Europe and the herb gained in popularity since than.
To date an impressive number of studies of Geraniumroot extract (Pelargonium sidoides) have been published so far. One, from Bulgaria, tested Geranium extract in the laboratory and documented its anti-viral activity. Another study, from Germany, published in the Journal of Family Practice in March 2004, found that Geranium reduced the severity as well as the duration of acute bronchitis. That study compared Geranium against placebo The evaluation was done in 476 men and women. The symptoms of bronchitis were evaluated on a scale used to measure the severity of that disease. After seven days of treatment, the patients who received the extract had better scores on the rating scale than did the patients who took the placebo. The efficacy and safety of the Geranium Pelergonium is sufficiently documented. One of the remaining questions is, would it be of use against the flu?
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