If you are interested then search in my WordPress for gluathione or |Portulaca and you will find all the reasons why I have been using Portulaca for MANY years for flu prevention and treatment and since the Corona epidemic also for this “new virus”

Of course, Pfizer and others could know this as well, but why in the world would you forgo billions of dollars??

And many more billions for the treatment of cardiological [and many other ] side effects with drugs already on the market!

As the Creator allowed this, there must be a good reason for all this.

Glutathione and immunity

Glutathione is a molecule made by the body and is important for (Polonikov, 2020):

  • detoxification
  • regeneration of vitamin C and E
  • anti-inflammatory responses (Sestili & Fimognari, 2020) 
  • maintenance of mitochondrial function
  • protection from viruses
  • innate and adaptive immune responses
  • protein folding
  • regulation of cellular proliferation and apoptosis

Glutathione deficiency is common

  • Glutathione production by the body progressively declines with age (Polonikov, 2020).
  • Some risk factors associated with glutathione depletion include smoking, aging, and male sex (Polonikov, 2020).
  • Glutathione deficiency is common in people with chronic diseases (Polonikov, 2020).
  • Consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables contributes to over 50% of dietary glutathione intake, and can decrease in the winter and spring seasons, contributing to glutathione deficiency (Polonikov, 2020).

Glutathione deficiency in COVID-19

  • Glutathione deficiency is known to imbalance immune function by promoting TH2 immune dominance (Sestili & Fimognari, 2020).
  • Glutathione deficiency in COVID-19 promotes increased oxidative stress, inflammation, progression to ARDS, multi-organ failure, and death (Polonikov, 2020).
  • COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe illness are known to have lower glutathione levels (Karkhanei et al., 2021), and higher ROS levels (Polonikov, 2020), than those with mild illness. 

› Paracetamol-Induced Glutathione Consumption: Is There a Link With Severe COVID-19 Illness? Frontiers in Pharmacology (Sestili & Fimognari, 2020)

  • Glutathione levels were significantly lower in hospitalized COVID-19 patients compared to controls.
  • Glutathione levels were directly related to oxygen saturation and indirectly related to fever and length of hospitalization.

Glutathione and COVID-19 symptoms and illness

Glutathione and viral infection and replication

  • Inhibits viral replication of various viruses at several stages of the virus life cycle (Polonikov, 2020).
  • The anti-viral effect of glutathione is non-specific; therefore it may be effective at inhibiting COVID-19 viral replication (Polonikov, 2020).

Glutathione and ARDS

  • Glutathione reduces lung inflammation and oxidative stress and mitigates the risk of fibrotic damage to the lungs and other organs (Sestili & Fimognari, 2020).

Glutathione Supplementation

Supplements and foods to support boosting glutathione levels (Glutathione Benefits, Plus Foods and Supplements to Boost It, n.d).:

  • vitamin C
  • NAC
  • alpha lipoic acid
  • selenium
  • vitamin E
  • methylation supporting vitamins (B6, B12, folate, biotin) choline
  • sulfur-containing foods
  • whey protein 
  • milk thistle herb

References

Glutathione Benefits, Plus Foods and Supplements to Boost It. (n.d.). Dr. Axe. Retrieved August 13, 2022, from https://draxe.com/nutrition/glutathione/

Karkhanei, B., Talebi Ghane, E., & Mehri, F. (2021). Evaluation of oxidative stress level: Total antioxidant capacity, total oxidant status and glutathione activity in patients with COVID-19. New Microbes and New Infections, 42, 100897. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nmni.2021.100897

Polonikov, A. (2020). Endogenous Deficiency of Glutathione as the Most Likely Cause of Serious Manifestations and Death in COVID-19 Patients. ACS Infectious Diseases, 6(7), 1558–1562. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00288

Sestili, P., & Fimognari, C. (2020). Paracetamol-Induced Glutathione Consumption: Is There a Link With Severe COVID-19 Illness? Frontiers in Pharmacology, 11, 579944. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.579944