Is artemisinin + iron effective treatment for CFS?

[sorin]

Hello again!

Anyone here tried Artemisinin (extract of sweet wormwood) + iron? Recent studies show that this combination would be effective in treating cancer and against EBV, HSV, etc.
I am going to start taking this one https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best...000OSYFA4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8 together with Iron Citrate https://www.swansonvitamins.com/swanson-premium-iron-citrate-25-mg-60-veg-caps
I am thinking to start taking 2 pills (2 x100 mg) artemisinin and 1 Iron citrate (25 mg) per day.
Did you exeprience any side effects?

Best regards,
Sorin

 

[nanonug]

Anyone here tried Artemisinin (extract of sweet wormwood) + iron?

I doubt it.

Unless you are have an active parasitic infection, I don't see artemisinin doing much. Regarding iron, unless you are deficient in it, I also don't see how it would help. Iron would probably make you much worse if taken in excessive quantities.

Recent studies show that it would be effective in treating cancer and against EBV, HSV, etc.

Could you provide references? Thanks!

 

[sorin]

Could you provide references? Thanks!

https://www.cmnact.com/Blog/2017/February/Artemisinin-and-its-Ability-to-Fight-Cancer-with.aspx
http://artemisinine.net/news/the-antiviral-activities-of-artemisinin-and-artesunate.html
https://draxe.com/wormwood/
https://researchmatters.in/news/scientists-study-ability-sweet-wormwood-fighting-breast-cancer
and much more...

 

[Lisa108]

Artemisia annua is definitely something I'll try in the future. I'm planning to buy dried leaves ("tea") from a German manufacturer, who also educates people in malaria infested countries how to grow and use it.

 

[Ravn]

Be really careful with iron: too much is toxic so only ever supplement it if you have tested positive for a deficiency. Even people who don't eat meat can have excessive iron if they have the haemochromatosis mutation for example. So don't just guess, get tested.

Anecdotally there seem to be PwME who are iron deficient and who therefore may benefit from increasing iron intake or supplementing. BUT there are also PwME with high iron – and that doesn't help their ME one bit.

 

[Hip]

Anyone here tried Artemisinin (extract of sweet wormwood) + iron?

It's the semi-synthetic derivative of artemisinin called artesunate that has been used in ME/CFS. It can be bought here.

Artesunate is around 10 times more potent than artemisinin for fighting cytomegalovirus — see here.

Dr Paul Cheney said he found artesunate had benefits for ME/CFS, although I don't think there have been any studies on this. And I have not come across any accounts on this forum where someone had major benefits from artesunate. So you would probably be better off using Valtrex or Valcyte for herpesviruses.

Some more info here and here: Artesunate - Cheney dosage and benefits.

 

[Hip]

Regarding iron, unless you are deficient in it, I also don't see how it would help.

Apparently iron enhances the antiviral effect of artesunate against cytomegalovirus. See here.

Although from some pharmacokinetic calculations I did a while ago, I think artesunate is a weak antiviral for cytomegalovirus, even with iron; but artesunate may have some immunomodulatory action against this virus also, which may make it a little more effective.

 

[Runner5]

Iron supplements give me really bad constipation.

 

[Tammy]

If you suspect you have a virus, I would NOT take an iron supplement. Viruses feed off iron.

 

[heapsreal]

Artesunate is also used to treat a lyme coinfection babesia and probably other bacterial infections??
Long term use may cause anemia so it might be good to cycle off and on eg 2 weeks on and 2 weeks off??? Or get regular blood work to keep an eye on your red blood cell count.

 

[nanonug]

Apparently iron enhances the antiviral effect of artesunate against cytomegalovirus. See here.

Thanks, that's the kind of reference I was looking for. I remain skeptical about the use of iron in any "anti-bug" regimen, though, considering how iron tends not only to enhance the replication of all kinds of pathigens but also leads to a great deal of oxidative stress.

 

[sorin]

If you suspect you have a virus, I would NOT take an iron supplement. Viruses feed off iron.

What I understood about artemisinin is that it targets the cells that retain iron (such as the cancer cells). When artemisinin is taken together with iron, it becomes more effective than without iron, probably because the extra iron is retained by the tumoral cells and the artemisinin is able to find these cells easier.

 

[Tammy]

What I understood about artemisinin is that it targets the cells that retain iron (such as the cancer cells). When artemisinin is taken together with iron, it becomes more effective than without iron, probably because the extra iron is retained by the tumoral cells and the artemisinin is able to find these cells easier.

Interesting.