Lymph Grapefruit Seed Extract

According to alternative medicine website Altmd.com, grapefruit seed extract can combat several conditions, including bad breath, gum disease, sore throat, dandruff, shingles, athletes foot, gastrointestinal infections, colds and flu and parasitic diseases. Any aid to your lymph and immune system to fight infections is welcome, but care must taken in the use of any compound not prescribed by your doctor.

History

Grapefruit seed extract was developed by physicist and immunologist Dr. Jacob Harich. According to Altmd.com, Harich moved to Florida in 1963, where he began research into the possible use of grapefruit seeds as a biocide. In 1995, Harich was invited to the Pasteur Institute in France, which was investigating the use of GSE in the fight against HIV. GSE is also used by farmers in Europe in fish and poultry feed to combat bacterial infections.

Analysis

Grapefruit seed extract is a combination of grapefruit pulp and seeds. According to the Vanderbilt University health psychology department, this produces an extremely bitter, amber, acidic liquid that exhibits antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant properties because of the presence of the flavonoid, naringenin. Flavonoids occur naturally in fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University describes flavonoids as having diverse beneficial, biochemical, and antioxidant effects.

Lymph System

The lymph system is part of your immune system. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, the lymph system is made up of organs, lymph nodes, lymph ducts and lymph vessels that produce and transport lymph from tissues to the bloodstream. The lymph is a clear fluid that carries bacteria to the lymph nodes, which produce immune cells to fight and destroy infections and pathogens.

Health Properties

GSE may be used to combat viruses, bacterial infections, fungus and parasites. A study conducted at the School of Medicine at the University of Texas, reported in the August 2002 issue of the Journal of Alternate Medicine, found that grapefruit seed extract might have antimicrobial properties against a variety of harmful organisms and pathogens.

Caution

Earlier studies expressed some misgivings about the health properties of GSE. An example is a study conducted at the Institute of Pharmacy in Griefswald, Germany, that was published in the pharmaceutical journal Pharmazie in June 1999. The study tested six commercially available GSEs. Five showed potent antimicrobial activity. The sixth GSE and several self-made extracts from grapefruit seed and pulp, showed no antimicrobial activities. The five that showed antimicrobial activity were found to contain synthetic preservatives added during manufacture. The study concluded any microbial activity was due to these synthetic agents and not any naturally occurring compound in GSE.