Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) and White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) Exhibit Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity
Mackenzie E. Yurchiak, Shea Bailey, Aarish H. Sakib, Macy M. Smith, Rachael Lally, Jacob W. DuBrava, Keely M. Roe, Orna Stuart, Abigail E. Shafier, Juhee Kim, Lauren D. Susick, Lia Prassas, Audrey L. Voss, Grace C. O’Malley, Sofia Calvo, Marek B. Magnus, Sean T. Berthrong, Anne M. Wilson, Michael P. · 2025
Read Aqueous Leaf Extracts of Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) and White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) Exhibit Antibacterial and Antiviral Activity by Mackenzie E. Yurchiak, Shea Bailey, Aarish H. Sakib, Macy M. Smith, Rachael Lally, Jacob W. DuBrava, Keely M. Roe, Orna Stuart, Abigail E. Shafier, Juhee Kim, Lauren D. Susick, Lia Prassas, Audrey L. Voss, Grace C. O’Malley, Sofia Calvo, Marek B. Magnus, Sean T. Berthrong, Anne M. Wilson, Michael P. (2025) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-12843816.txt.
Description
Two plants with long folk histories in the American Midwest, peppermint and white snakeroot, are tested here as sources of new antimicrobials. Yurchiak and co-authors brew water extracts of their leaves and challenge cancer cells, bacteria, and viruses with them.
Neither extract harmed the two cancer cell lines at moderate doses, and neither slowed their growth much, though snakeroot visibly disturbed the cells' internal scaffolding at higher strength. Against bacteria the extracts did better, halting Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus while leaving two other species untouched. Both extracts also cut the infectivity of human respiratory syncytial virus at low doses, yet had no effect on a mouse coronavirus. Chemical profiling of the brews named the compounds most likely responsible, giving folk remedies a measured, mixed verdict.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Mackenzie E. Yurchiak, Shea Bailey, Aarish H. Sakib, Macy M. Smith, Rachael Lally, Jacob W. DuBrava, Keely M. Roe, Orna Stuart, Abigail E. Shafier, Juhee Kim, Lauren D. Susick, Lia Prassas, Audrey L. Voss, Grace C. O’Malley, Sofia Calvo, Marek B. Magnus, Sean T. Berthrong, Anne M. Wilson, Michael P. |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 40 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |