Proposal for Reported Article on Science-Backed Plant-Based Options against Coronavirus by Adam Gattuso

Adam Gattuso

Freelance Writer; M.A. in Science Writing

apgsciwr1@outlook.com || (540) 226-8468

Hello everyone. I’m a freelance science writer who has been researching and writing an article on the science behind plant-based treatment options that are already available to be tried against covid-19. I am trained in writing about science for wider audiences, and I intend for this article to reach the masses. I was already vaguely aware that there is scientific evidence behind natural medicine, but what I have uncovered while working on this article has truly blown my mind. A food that kills viruses “like soap”? Yes. A disinfectant that you can eat? Sure. Treatments pre-packaged to treat covid-19 without the need for experimentation? You got it!—well, China does, at least. And it’s all backed by science, some of which is quite sophisticated. This article has the potential to save lives. The problem is that no media outlet, “mainstream” or otherwise, has yet dared to even consider this piece. That’s where you come in. Naini has graciously agreed to post this proposal here in what I’m calling a “reverse pitch.” If you know an editor or publisher who might be interested in this article, or you run or are building a website with the intent on reaching a large audience, please let me know. I am looking for someone to collaborate with to bring this project to fruition. 

Proposal for Reported Article on Science-Backed Plant-Based Options against Coronavirus by Adam Gattuso

Freelance Writer; M.A. in Science Writing

June 3, 2020

apgsciwr1@outlook.com

(540) 226-8468

A new hope to defeat coronavirus is at our door, and it turns out it’s been here the whole time. Existing plant-based medicines with millennia of use and decades of scientific studies behind them have begun to be tested and deployed against the 2019 coronavirus disease, or covid-19.

An observer looking back at us from the future—or forward at us from the past—would be astounded that no one is talking about fortifying our bodies with plant-based medicine at the time when we most need it. These resources are mostly untapped and unknown by public health officials in the United States and other Western countries. That is why I am writing a large analysis piece that takes the public on a natural medicine journey around the world and covers the scientific research behind the efficacy of a number of plant-based products that have been sold for decades in the United States. It will also include a bit of contextual history and culture along with the science. I intend to reach a broad audience, many of whom do not have prior familiarity with natural medicine.

I start in the Amazon, where the potentially skeptical reader can grasp that plants thriving in the most diverse ecosystem on Earth have evolved antimicrobial compounds. Inner bark from the canopy tree pau d’arco (pronounced “pow darko”) has been used medicinally for thousands of years. A 2013 review paper by scientists from the Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira in Colombia highlighted 36 studies showing that pau d’arco kills a wide variety of pathogenic microbes. A 1983 Brazilian study showed that lapachol, one of pau d’arco’s most studied compounds, significantly blocked several different viruses, including four strains of influenza.

Coconut oil has significant antiviral properties. A research proposal that lays out the case for testing virgin coconut oil on covid-19 was published online on January 31. In the words of one of the scientists who wrote the proposal, coconut oil “works like soap.” The Philippines’ Government acted on the proposal and is currently overseeing three clinical trials of virgin coconut oil on covid-19 patients. This has been reported in the Filipino media, but not internationally. What have the laboratory studies said? Well, I’ll just summarize one here: A 1982 study found that monolaurin (from coconut oil) killed more than 99.9 percent of all 14 viruses it tested. When monolaurin was mixed with sorbic acid, 12 viruses were wiped out entirely, including influenza and an avian strain of coronavirus. That’s right: Coconut oil killed a coronavirus. The readers will be even more amazed when they see which organization conducted the study—the U.S. CDC, along with Michigan State University.

I integrate a number of studies and plants into this piece that have the potential to help against covid-19 and have strategic purpose. For example, grapefruit seed extract is a North American discovery of a plant product with antimicrobial properties, and it provides a place for me to bring up awareness of herb-drug interactions. I will inform the reader on the science of Vitamin C, the most basic of the supplements with immune-support properties. I will also provide understandable details of how the coronavirus infects human lung cells and causes disease, because knowledge of the actual processes will help to reduce fear.

How did China crush the coronavirus in only 2 months? Evidence does show that the Chinese government has underreported their numbers, but if China’s outbreak really matched the U.S.’s in scale, then they would be lying about over 7 million cases and 400,000 deaths. Maybe China’s success has something to do with the fact that 85 percent of people in China treated for covid-19 were given traditional Chinese medicine. 

In China, Chinese medicine is highly integrated with Western medicine, including at the hospital level. Chinese herbal formulas have been supported by clinical studies during the SARS and swine flu epidemics, experiments in cell culture, and computer-assisted research. The data on front-line hospital workers who were given herbal formulas during the 2003 SARS epidemic is very compelling: In studies at Hong Kong and Beijing, all 4,624 hospital workers given herbal formulas were shielded from contracting SARS. For covid-19, Chinese government doctors have prescribed a specific herbal formula to be given to nearly all patients with the disease, and have reported that it is highly effective. Additionally, 23 out of 31 provincial governments recommended specified herbal formulas to be taken for prevention. Dr. Evan Rabinowitz, D.Ac., who practices in Washington, D.C., explained that though SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus, treating covid-19 is not new for Chinese medicine. That’s because Chinese medicine is designed to treat patterns of signs and symptoms diagnosed in detail, which are well documented by centuries of clinical experience. Dr. Rabinowitz also commented on the benefits of scientific study conducted on traditional Chinese medicine. For example, evidence from rats and at least one clinical trial shows that Da Huang, the Chinese rhubarb root, can interrupt the cytokine storm. The cytokine storm is a runaway immune response that has been a major contributor of death from covid-19.

The virus uses its outer “spike” proteins to gain entry into human cells. Chinese studies have found compounds from traditional herbs that block the spike protein in the similar SARS virus. But even if the virus gets inside the cell, other herbs have compounds which block vital enzymes that the virus needs to reproduce its spiked envelope. Without its crown, new viral copies cannot survive: Coronavirus Dethroned.

For this article, I have already interviewed:

(1) Dr. Rabinowitz, who gave me an excellent insight into Chinese medicine and how he has approached treating covid-19 for his patients. 

(2) Dr. John Chen, Ph.D., Pharm.D., O.M.D., L.Ac. Dr. Chen has been monitoring the developments in China, and he is involved with the University of California in conducting a clinical trial of Chinese herbal medicine on covid-19 patients. He answered a few questions on my initial request; I have received ample information from his webinars, posted online.

I will follow up with both Dr. Rabinowitz and Dr. Chen before the piece is published. I’ve sought additional interviews, but my suspicion is that some natural health experts are afraid to speak out. (I originally wasn’t going to talk about the FDA’s censorship of free speech on natural health, but now I know that I must.) After I have the backing of an outlet that’s accepted this story for publication, I will seek interviews from these additional sources:

(3) Leslie Taylor, N.D. (rain-tree.com) Dr. Taylor is an expert on the science behind the medicinal properties of rainforest plants, and has written books on the subject.

(4) Representative from the Philippines Department of Science and Technology, for a brief update on the ongoing coconut oil studies.

(5) A scientist from a reputable natural supplements company to talk about quality control measures and safety of supplements. I will also ask the other sources about safety.

This piece could have been split into three or four separate articles, but I am pitching it as one comprehensive article. The reason is that if split up, people might seize upon one or two potential treatments but miss the overall context. The context is that turning towards natural medicine is our best hope available for a swift end to the coronavirus apocalypse. This society’s rejection—and suppression—of natural healthcare at institutional levels is the reason why we are still in this mess in the first place. 

This article can make an immediate impact by informing society about science-based options that can be tested right away against covid-19. It will give a voice to long-marginalized natural medicine at the time that this country needs it the most. It also has the potential to ease current tensions between the United States and China. 

I have been preparing a working draft of the piece, which has a significant portion of content already in progress. I will use my voice to an extent in this piece, navigating the reader through an engaging and understandable science-based narrative. Many points will be made by showing, more than telling. 

I am happy to send some of the research studies that back all this up. I am available to discuss this article by phone (540-226-8468) or e-mail, apgsciwr1@outlook.com. I have been working hard for several weeks to go all out with this, and I have even more than I’ve put into this proposal. (I keep uncovering new information. For example, there’s a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) study from 2008 that would be very powerful near the conclusion. I’m still fact-checking it.) If we succeed, this article will be a refreshing jolt that assuages fear, rekindles morale, propels swift action, and potentially saves lives. 

Thank you very much for your interest!

Sincerely,

Adam Gattuso