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Introduction:

Andrographis paniculata, also known as Indian Echinacea, kalmegh, or green chiretta, is a medicinal herb which has been used in Chinese and the ancient Indian traditional medicine systems of Ayurveda and Siddha for thousands of years.

The herb is native to India and Sri Lanka, but has been used as a dietary supplement worldwide for many years. Andrographis was approved for use by the Thailand Health Ministry as a treatment for respiratory infection in July 2021, further bolstering its use as an immune-supporting compound around the world.

Andrographis paniculata has benefited from significant research with respect to HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus) infection.

In this article, several scientific studies will be explored and key results highlighted. References are included for all quotes. Consult a healthcare professional before taking any supplement.

Summary:

Andrographis paniculata has research supporting its use against a wide range of pathogens (Ref 1)
Andrographolides are standardized extracts from the Andrographis plant which may be antiviral (Ref 2)
Andrographis and Andrographolides have studies suggesting they may inactivate or prevent HSV infection (Ref 5)

General Studies of Andrographis

There are over 80 chemical components which have been isolated from the Andrographis paniculata plant, and many have been shown to exert a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects. One research review supported by the University of Macau explored several studies claiming “A. paniculata has been extensively utilized for the treatment of cold, fever, sore throat, cough, carbuncle, and sores, and it is commonly employed for ‘clearing heat and resolving toxicity’.”

Their research review suggested that Andrographis had support for a variety of viral infections, writing:

“Andrographis paniculata (Burm.f.) Nees could be used as an imperative complementary medicine for the treatment of diverse virus infection, efforts should be made to gain insights into its antiviral properties.”

Source: Jiang, M., Sheng, F., Zhang, Z., Ma, X., Gao, T., Fu, C., & Li, P. (2021). Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees and its major constituent andrographolide as potential antiviral agents. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 272, 113954.

Research in Andrographolides

Andrographolides are the standardized and isolated compounds of the Andrographis plant leaves and stems. The extremely bitter extract has been widely studied for a range of health applications, but this section will focus exclusively on the HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus) research and the purported applications.

Andrographis and HSV Research

A pair of studies demonstrated that the extract of Andrographis was “virucidal” to the Herpes Simplex Virus – that is, antiviral to HSV – in the reports. What is more exciting, is that at these studies claim that Andrographis did not seem to harm other cells in body, even at doses high enough to inactivate HSV.

The first study claims:

“Andrographolide… isolated from Andrographis paniculata showed virucidal activity against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1). None of these compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity at viricidal concentrations.”

Source: Wiart, C., Kumar, K., Yusof, M.Y., Hamimah, H., Fauzi, Z.M. and Sulaiman, M. (2005), Antiviral properties of ent-labdene diterpenes of Andrographis paniculata nees, inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1. Phytother. Res., 19: 1069-1070.

The second study goes on:

“Andrographolide, neoandrographolide and 14-deoxy11, 12- didehydroandrographolide are reported to be viricidal against herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)”

Source: Nyeem, M. A. B., Mannan, M. A., Nuruzzaman, M., Kamrujjaman, K. M., & Das, S. K. (2017). Indigenous king of bitter (Andrographis paniculata): A review. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, 5(2), 318-324.

These findings are very promising as a potential natural product to be explored with relation to HSV.

Use of Andrographolides before and after HSV infection

Several studies indicate that Andrographis extracts may block viral entry either before or after an HSV infection. One study covers both scenarios, using two different compounds of the Andrographis plant:

Pre-infection:

“From the study, it can be concluded that 14-acetyl analogues (OH of Andrographolide) are good for blocking the viral entry.”

Post Infection:

“ 3,19-isopropylideneandrographolide, a cyclic dioxane analogue [of andrographolide], is good for exerting postinfection anti-HSV-1 activity

Source (both pre- and post- quotes): Aromdee, C., Suebsasana, S., Ekalaksananan, T., Pientong, C., & Thongchai, S. (2011). Stage of action of naturally occurring andrographolides and their semisynthetic analogues against herpes simplex virus type 1 in vitro. Planta medica, 77(09), 915-921.

Another study proports that Andrographis may even help prevent an HSV infection. The 2016 study claims that Andrographis inhibited HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections at 6–12 hours post-infection. The study explains Andrographis helped suppress DNA replication in a way different to acyclovir – a drug commonly used to treat HSV infections. The study concludes that Andrographis paniculata extract might be an alternative to acyclovir for some HSV strains.

“3,19-isopropylideneandrographolide (IPAD) compound isolated from Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees, has been reported to inhibit herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection at the post-entry step… The results showed that IPAD inhibited HSV-1, HSV-2 and DR-HSV-1 infections at 6–12 h post-infection,… has a different molecular target from acyclovir and might therefore be an alternative drug for HSV-1 and HSV-2 wild types”

Source: Kongyingyoes, B., Priengprom, T., Pientong, C., Aromdee, C., Suebsasana, S., & Ekalaksananan, T. (2016). 3, 19-isopropylideneandrographolide suppresses early gene expression of drug-resistant and wild type herpes simplex viruses. Antiviral research, 132, 281-286.

These studies focus on several compounds found in the Andrographolide extract which comes from the Andrographis paniculata plant. While additional research is needed to understand the effects with HSV, the early research is indeed interesting.

Conclusion:

Andrographis paniculata and particularly the Andrographolide extract show promising results in the studies and reviews cited in this article. Andrographis has been used for thousands of years for a variety of ailments, but not until recently have its compounds been reviewed more closely in lab settings.

Research suggests Andrographis may possess antiviral properties in lab settings, and the selected studies indicate there may be applications as they relate to HSV (Herpes Simplex Virus).

While the preliminary research is promising, more research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits of this well-established herb.

References:

Jiang, M., Sheng, F., Zhang, Z., Ma, X., Gao, T., Fu, C., & Li, P. (2021). Andrographis paniculata (Burm. f.) Nees and its major constituent andrographolide as potential antiviral agents. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 272, 113954.
Wiart, C., Kumar, K., Yusof, M.Y., Hamimah, H., Fauzi, Z.M. and Sulaiman, M. (2005), Antiviral properties of ent-labdene diterpenes of Andrographis paniculata nees, inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1. Phytother. Res., 19: 1069-1070. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.1765
Nyeem, M. A. B., Mannan, M. A., Nuruzzaman, M., Kamrujjaman, K. M., & Das, S. K. (2017). Indigenous king of bitter (Andrographis paniculata): A review. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies, 5(2), 318-324.
Aromdee, C., Suebsasana, S., Ekalaksananan, T., Pientong, C., & Thongchai, S. (2011). Stage of action of naturally occurring andrographolides and their semisynthetic analogues against herpes simplex virus type 1 in vitro. Planta medica, 77(09), 915-921.
Kongyingyoes, B., Priengprom, T., Pientong, C., Aromdee, C., Suebsasana, S., & Ekalaksananan, T. (2016). 3, 19-isopropylideneandrographolide suppresses early gene expression of drug-resistant and wild type herpes simplex viruses. Antiviral research, 132, 281-286.