Ingredients: Quercetin, Bromelain, N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum), Vitamin C, Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.), Propolis, African Wormwood (Artemisia afra), African Geranium Root (Pelargonium sidoides), Kudzu (Pueraria lobata), Echinacea (Echinacea spp.) & Neem (Azadirachta indica)
Who It’s For
ViruMune Capsules are formulated for adults seeking comprehensive immune and viral defence support, not just for the lungs but for the entire system, especially during periods of high viral exposure, travel, seasonal outbreaks, stressful times, or recovery from recurrent or lingering infections. They are suitable for those who feel exhausted, prone to colds and flu-like illnesses, experience slow post-viral recovery, low resilience, or an immune imbalance. Users prefer a broad botanical–nutrient formula that supports the body’s defences at multiple levels, including barrier immunity, innate and adaptive responses, oxidative balance, and cardiometabolic health. ViruMune is intended as an adjunct to appropriate medical care (including vaccination and prescribed medicines) and as a foundation for nutrient-rich foods, sleep, stress management, exercise, and healthy lifestyle choices.
Health Benefits Summary
ViruMune is a multi-layered immune defence and resilience formula that combines polyphenols (quercetin, neem), sulfur donors (NAC), medicinal mushrooms (reishi), bee and root extracts (propolis, kudzu, echinacea), and targeted botanicals (African wormwood and geranium) to support the body’s natural ability to fight viral challenges and maintain immune balance. Laboratory studies indicate that quercetin and related compounds may interfere with viral entry and fusion pathways. Meanwhile, NAC, bromelain, and respiratory herbs help support mucosal clearance and comfort throughout the respiratory tract. Reishi, propolis, echinacea, and ashwagandha help modulate innate and adaptive responses, aiming to strengthen defences while reducing the risk of overreaction. Kudzu, neem, and antioxidants help support cardiometabolic, endothelial, and redox balance, which are critical factors in viral resilience. When used consistently under medical guidance and alongside lifestyle measures, ViruMune is designed to support robust yet balanced immune function, systemic viral defence, and faster, more complete recovery.
Detailed Health Benefits
• Comprehensive Antiviral Support & Viral Entry Pathways (Experimental Evidence)
How it Helps: Supports the body’s overall antiviral defence by providing compounds that, in experimental models, can interfere with key stages of the viral life cycle—especially entry and cell-to-cell spread—while also backing up general immune readiness.
How it Works: Quercetin has demonstrated antiviral activity against several enveloped viruses in vitro. A recent study showed that quercetin inhibited SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevented spike-protein–mediated syncytium formation in cell cultures, suggesting a capacity to interfere with viral entry and fusion at the host-cell membrane level (laboratory evidence, not proven prevention or cure in humans). (1)
• Systemic Immune Modulation & Cytokine Balance
How it Helps: Encourages a balanced immune response throughout the body—strong enough to fight infections, but buffered to reduce the risk of exaggerated inflammatory or “cytokine storm”-type responses—and supports immune vigilance over time.
How it Works: Reishi β-glucans act as pattern-recognition receptor agonists and are classic immunomodulators. In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults, Reishi β-glucan supplementation increased the number and activity of key immune cells, showing enhanced immune readiness without indiscriminate overstimulation. (5) Propolis and echinacea further modulate immune cell activity and cytokine signalling in clinical and experimental models, contributing to balanced systemic immunity.
• Upper & Lower Respiratory Tract, Mucosal & Barrier Defence
How it Helps: Supports the integrity and function of mucosal barriers from the upper airways downwards (nose, throat, bronchi, lungs), helping maintain clearer airways, more efficient mucus clearance, and greater comfort during and after respiratory infections—within the context of whole-body viral defence.
How it Works: NAC acts as a mucolytic and a glutathione precursor, with clinical and experimental studies in acute lung injury and ARDS showing reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory damage when used as an adjunctive therapy. (3) Pelargonium sidoides extracts (African geranium) have been shown in systematic reviews to reduce symptom scores and duration in acute respiratory tract infections and bronchitis. At the same time, Artemisia afra is widely documented as a southern African remedy for viral respiratory illnesses. (9,10)
• Cardiometabolic, Vascular & Terrain Support During Viral Stress
How it Helps: Assists the “terrain” that viruses encounter—cardiometabolic balance, vascular health, and microcirculation—by supporting healthy blood pressure, glucose handling, and endothelial function, which are all important for more resilient outcomes in the face of viral and inflammatory stress.
How it Works: Kudzu root is rich in isoflavones, such as puerarin. A pharmacological review reports preclinical and early clinical evidence of improvements in hypertension, blood lipids, and glucose metabolism, as well as protection of the vascular endothelium, suggesting a supportive role in cardiometabolic disorders. (13) Neem and quercetin add further antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions around vascular and metabolic pathways in experimental models.
• Oxidative Stress, Recovery & Long-Term Immune Resilience
How it Helps: Helps the body recover from acute infections and ongoing viral exposure by reducing oxidative stress, replenishing intracellular antioxidants, and buffering stress-related damage across multiple organs and systems—not just the lungs.
How it Works: NAC, vitamin C and flavonoids such as quercetin support glutathione synthesis and neutralise reactive oxygen species. A review on NAC and other sulfur donors in viral respiratory infections notes that NAC can improve glutathione status and oxidative stress markers and may indirectly support host defence and recovery when used as an adjunct to standard care. (4) Adaptogens like ashwagandha also help stabilise the stress response, which is intimately linked to long-term immune resilience.
Key Ingredients – Evidence-Based Actions
• Quercetin – Polyphenol with Antiviral & Anti-Inflammatory Potential
How it Helps: Provides broad-spectrum antioxidant support and is being actively investigated for its ability to modulate viral entry, replication pathways, and inflammatory signalling as part of comprehensive immune defence.
How it Works: In vitro, quercetin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevents spike-protein–mediated syncytium formation in human cell lines. (1) Medicinal chemistry work also suggests that quercetin can bind at the spike: ACE2 interface and may serve as a candidate inhibitor of viral entry. However, human clinical relevance remains uncertain, and it must not be regarded as a stand-alone antiviral drug. (2)
Research:
– Quercetin inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection and prevents syncytium formation
– Inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 viral entry by targeting spike:ACE2 – quercetin as a candidate
• N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) – Glutathione Precursor, Redox & Host-Defence Support
How it Helps: Supports whole-body antioxidant defences, including in the lungs, by boosting glutathione levels, thinning mucus, and helping limit oxidative and inflammatory damage during infections and recovery.
How it Works: A review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences highlights NAC’s ability to decrease oxidative stress markers and attenuate inflammation in multiple models of acute lung injury and ARDS, including viral-associated forms. (3) A separate review on NAC and other sulfur donors for viral respiratory infections notes that NAC can modulate redox status and may indirectly support immune function and host defence as an adjunctive agent. (4)
Research:
– N-Acetylcysteine in the Treatment of Acute Lung Injury
– N-Acetylcysteine and Other Sulfur-Donors as a Potential Treatment in Viral Respiratory Infections
• Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) – Systemic Immunomodulating Medicinal Mushroom
How it Helps: Acts as an immune system “trainer”, helping to fine-tune innate and adaptive responses and improve global immune readiness against infections and malignancy when used over time.
How it Works: A randomised, placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults found that Reishi β-glucan supplementation increased the number and activity of key immune cells, confirming in vivo immune-modulating (rather than simply stimulating) effects. (5) Traditional use of Lingzhi/Reishi emphasises long-term vitality, resilience and resistance to disease.
Research:
– Evaluation of Immune Modulation by Reishi β-Glucan in Healthy Subjects
• Bromelain – Proteolytic Enzyme with Mucolytic & Cytokine-Modulating Actions
How it Helps: Supports comprehensive immune and inflammatory balance by aiding protein breakdown, contributing to mucus clearance, and modulating the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine systemically.
How it Works: A placebo-controlled randomised clinical crossover trial demonstrated that oral bromelain modulated circadian cytokine profiles (including interferon-γ and several interleukins), providing in vivo evidence of immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory activity. (15) Bromelain is also recognised for mucolytic and anti-oedematous effects, which support respiratory and systemic recovery.
Research:
– Placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial on the immunomodulating activities of low- and high-dose bromelain after oral administration – new evidence on the anti-inflammatory mode of action of bromelain
• Propolis – Polyphenol-Rich Bee Resin for Viral & Immune Support
How it Helps: Contributes broad-spectrum antimicrobial and antiviral activity, supports the upper respiratory and oral mucosa, and helps modulate immune responses during common viral infections.
How it Works: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in children with uncomplicated URTIs found that a standardised propolis oral spray shortened symptom duration compared with placebo. (6) A 2023 review summarises that propolis exhibits wide-spectrum antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory actions in viral respiratory diseases, supporting its use as part of a comprehensive defence strategy. (7)
Research:
– Propolis oral spray in children with uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infections: randomized controlled trial
– The Effects of Propolis on Viral Respiratory Diseases
• African Wormwood (Artemisia afra) – Traditional Antiviral & Respiratory Herb
How it Helps: Traditionally used across southern Africa for viral respiratory illnesses, fever, colds and flu-like conditions, contributing aromatic compounds with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity to support systemic and respiratory defence.
How it Works: A review of southern African medicinal plants notes that Artemisia afra is among the most widely used species for viral respiratory infections (coughs, colds, influenza). Experimental studies confirm antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of A. afra extracts, underpinning its ethnomedicinal reputation. (10)
Research:
– Traditional use of southern African medicinal plants in the management of viral respiratory infections
• African Geranium Root (Pelargonium sidoides) – Acute RTI & Viral Symptom Support
How it Helps: Supports clinical recovery and symptom relief in acute viral respiratory tract infections (such as bronchitis and common cold), particularly when taken at the first signs of illness.
How it Works: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of Pelargonium sidoides root extract (EPs 7630) indicate reductions in symptom severity and duration of acute respiratory tract infections compared with placebo, in both adults and children, though evidence quality varies. (9)
Research:
– Pelargonium sidoides extract for treating acute respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Echinacea – Immune-Modulating Herb for Incidence Reduction
How it Helps: Traditionally used to strengthen natural defences and reduce the frequency of colds and other respiratory infections as part of long-term immune maintenance.
How it Works: A recent analysis in Antibiotics reports that Echinacea purpurea preparations can lower the incidence of respiratory tract infections and may reduce antibiotic use in some settings, although effects are preparation-specific and modest.(8)
Research:
– Echinacea reduces antibiotics by preventing respiratory tract infections
• Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza spp.) – Antiviral, Demulcent & Anti-Inflammatory (With Cautions)
How it Helps: Provides soothing, demulcent effects on mucous membranes, along with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity that supports global host defence in viral and inflammatory conditions.
How it Works: Glycyrrhizic acid has demonstrated antiviral activity against multiple viruses in vitro, affecting viral adsorption, penetration, and replication, and can reduce ROS formation and inflammatory cytokine levels. (11) However, long-term or high-dose liquorice can cause pseudo-hyperaldosteronism (hypertension, hypokalaemia, oedema), so careful dosing and monitoring are needed.
Research:
– A review of the antiviral activities of glycyrrhizic acid (a major constituent of licorice)
• Neem (Azadirachta indica) – Broad-Spectrum Antimicrobial & Immunomodulator
How it Helps: Adds another layer to comprehensive defence with broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant and immunomodulating properties, and may support metabolic balance, which is essential terrain for immune health.
How it Works: A 2022 review in Frontiers in Pharmacology highlights neem’s extensive antimicrobial actions (bacterial, fungal, viral, parasitic) and describes emerging evidence for its immunomodulating, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic effects, particularly in metabolic syndrome and related disorders. (12)
Research:
– The antimicrobial potential of the neem tree Azadirachta indica
• Kudzu (Pueraria lobata) – Cardiometabolic & Endothelial Terrain Support
How it Helps: Supports the “terrain” by assisting cardiovascular and metabolic function—necessary cofactors for robust immune function and outcomes during viral stress.
How it Works: A pharmacological review of kudzu root details preclinical and early clinical evidence that puerarin and related isoflavones can help improve hypertension, glucose and lipid metabolism, and vascular endothelial protection, suggesting a role in the management of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. (13)
Research:
– Kudzu root: traditional uses and potential medicinal benefits in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
Dosage Guidelines
• Prevention (Daily Immune & Viral-Defence Support) — 1 capsule once daily with food.
For adults who wish to maintain baseline immune resilience and broad antiviral support during periods of moderate exposure (seasonal viruses, travel, ongoing stress) as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Maintenance (Ongoing Immune, Recovery & Terrain Support) — 1 capsule twice daily with food (morning & evening).
For individuals prone to frequent infections, lingering post-viral issues or low immune robustness who want continuous support for immune balance, antioxidant status, and cardiometabolic terrain, alongside medical care.
• Therapeutic (Short-Term Intensive Phase) — 2 capsules twice daily with food.
For short, clearly defined periods only—for example, at first signs of a viral illness or during heavy exposure—and only under the guidance of a suitably qualified healthcare professional, especially if you have chronic conditions or take prescription medications. Once stability and recovery are evident, reduce to Maintenance or Prevention.
Tips for Best Results:
Take ViruMune with meals to support absorption and minimise digestive discomfort. For comprehensive immune and viral defence, pair it with adequate sleep, good stress management, regular gentle movement, hydration, and a nutrient-dense diet rich in colourful vegetables and fruits, quality protein, and healthy fats. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol, and practise good infection-control habits (handwashing, mindful contact, ventilation, masking where appropriate). During active infection or high-risk exposure, follow public-health advice and your doctor’s instructions—including testing, antivirals/antibiotics, or hospital care where indicated—and use ViruMune as an adjunctive support, not as a replacement for conventional treatment. Because immune and terrain changes are multifactorial, allow at least 6–12 weeks of consistent use (with supervision if you have an underlying illness) to evaluate its contribution.
Warnings & Interactions
• General:
– Adults only. Not recommended in pregnancy or breastfeeding, or in children, unless specifically prescribed and monitored by a qualified practitioner.
– Not intended as a substitute for vaccination, antiviral or antibiotic medicines, corticosteroids, oxygen therapy, anticoagulants, or any emergency or hospital-level care.
– Do not use this product as the sole treatment for pneumonia, COVID-19, influenza, or any severe infection—seek prompt medical attention.
• Cardiovascular, Endocrine & Metabolic Conditions:
– Several ingredients (liquorice, neem, kudzu, quercetin, NAC) can influence blood pressure, potassium, glucose control, coagulation or drug metabolism.
– People with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney or liver disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders or significant endocrine/autoimmune conditions should use ViruMune only under medical supervision.
• Liquorice:
– Prolonged or high intake may cause sodium retention, potassium loss, hypertension, oedema and, rarely, arrhythmias.
– Use cautiously or avoid altogether in patients with high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, oedema, or those on diuretics, digoxin, corticosteroids, or other medicines affecting potassium.
• NAC:
– Generally well tolerated; may occasionally cause nausea, gastrointestinal upset or, rarely, bronchospasm in sensitive individuals (e.g. some asthmatics).
– People with severe asthma, peptic ulcer disease, or bleeding disorders should consult their doctor before use.
• Quercetin & Drug Metabolism:
– Quercetin can interact with cytochrome P450 enzymes and transporters, potentially altering levels of certain drugs (e.g. some anticoagulants, chemotherapeutics, immunosuppressants).
– Use cautiously and with professional guidance when on multiple prescription medicines.
• Reishi, Echinacea, Propolis & Immune/Allergy Conditions:
– Immunomodulators may be unsuitable for organ-transplant recipients, patients on strong immunosuppressive therapy, or those with certain autoimmune diseases unless a specialist agrees.
– Propolis and other bee products may provoke allergic reactions in sensitised individuals; stop immediately if you experience rash, swelling, itching, wheeze, or breathing difficulty.
• Neem:
– Neem may affect liver function and blood glucose; use cautiously in people with diabetes, liver disease, or those on hepatotoxic medications. High doses and prolonged use should be supervised.
• Allergies:
– Do not use if you are allergic to any listed ingredient, to bee products (propolis), or to members of plant families such as Asteraceae (Artemisia, Echinacea) or others indicated.
• Drug Interactions – Important:
– Consult your doctor or pharmacist before using ViruMune if you take anticoagulants/antiplatelets, antihypertensives, antidiabetics, immunosuppressants, corticosteroids, chemotherapy, thyroid medication, or any long-term prescriptions.
– Medication doses may need adjustment if your inflammatory status, redox balance, or metabolic control changes.
• Stop use and seek urgent medical advice if you develop chest pain, shortness of breath, severe or worsening cough, high fever, confusion, signs of allergic reaction, or any other worrying symptoms.
• Keep out of reach of children.
⚠️ Disclaimer
Herbal–nutrient supplement for general immune, viral-defence and systemic wellness support as part of a healthy lifestyle and appropriate medical care.
Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Statements reflect traditional use and emerging scientific evidence for wellness support and have not been evaluated by SAHPRA.
Always consult a suitably qualified healthcare professional before use, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have any chronic medical condition (including cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, autoimmune or psychiatric disorders), are recovering from a severe infection, or are using long-term prescription medication.
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