Fulvic acid is a component of compost that helps to increase the fertility of your soil. While some supplement manufacturers claim that it has antiviral properties -- you can use it to prevent or shorten the duration of influenza, for instance -- there's no scientific evidence to support this claim.
Fulvic Acid
When organic material -- animals, plants, and other living organisms -- produce waste or die, the waste material and bodies of the organisms begin to break down. Eventually, this decaying material reaches a steady state and doesn't continue to break down; this is called compost. Compost, or humus, contains many acidic molecules. Some of these -- the smaller, less structurally complex ones -- fall into the broad category of fulvic acids.
Use of Fulvic Acid
Fulvic acid is a soil conditioner, and you might add it to your garden or lawn in order to make your plants germinate more quickly and grow larger. It also helps confer drought resistance on your plants, but it's not as effective as another component of humus called humic acid. Outdoor Gardens explains that while mixtures of humic and fulvic acid are common soil conditioners, it's the humic acid that has the greater effect on soil fertility.
Fulvic Acid and Influenza
There is no scientific evidence to support the use of fulvic acid as a dietary supplement. No scientific studies have shown that it has any effect on humans, for good or for ill. There is no scientific support for the notion that it's an antiviral, and as such, you can't expect it to have any effect whatsoever on your influenza. Further, it hasn't been tested for safety in humans. The FDA regulates dietary supplements differently than they do food and pharmaceuticals. Per the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994, dietary supplements don't have to be proven safe or effective prior to being sold. As a result, it's legal to sell fulvic acid even if it hasn't been proven safe.
General Guidelines
If you think you have influenza, you should see your doctor. There are some antiviral drugs that your doctor can prescribe -- they're most effective at the very beginning of your illness -- that will help shorten the duration of your symptoms. Unfortunately, there's no proven way to treat the flu virus, though treating the symptoms can help make you more comfortable. As an alternative, you can get an influenza vaccine each fall; this will help prevent contracting the flu.
