Protease Inhibitors: The Unsung Heroes in Immune Support

What Are Proteases and Protease Inhibitors?

Protease inhibitors are anti-viral medications that work by binding to viral proteases, AKA proteolytic enzymes. They prevent these enzymes from breaking longer protein strands into smaller pieces, which is required for the proteins to function inside the body. In other words, proteases are like molecular scissors for specific proteins and, proteases inhibitors stick to these scissors and prevent them from cutting.

To clarify, our bodies produce their own necessary proteases, which serve many important functions, including cleaning skin wounds, aiding digestion, removing clots, and breaking down proteins associated with pain, swelling, and inflammation.

However, viruses and bacteria also produce specific proteases that aid them in attacking us. The most important of these foreign proteases are those used by bacteria and viruses to replicate.

Therefore, targeted protease inhibitors are used to prevent viruses and bacteria from multiplying and spreading throughout our bodies.

Common Protease Inhibitors

Pharmaceutical and herbal protease inhibitors are most commonly used to treat three major viruses. These are HIV, Hepatitis C, and COVID-19. Moreover, standard medications for these viruses tend to combine two or more inhibitors to help prevent the development of resistance.

For example, Paxlovid combines nimatrelvir, and ritonavir. Doctors most commonly use Paxlovid to treat COVID-19.  Paxlovid inhibits the viral 3C-like (3CL) protease of SARS-CoV-2, which helps the virus replicate.

All-Natural Protease Inhibitors.

Unfortunately, taking Paxlovid does come with certain risks. Some serious side effects of Paxlovid include:

• Rebound infection 
• Liver Damage
• Elevated Blood Pressure
• Bradycardia (slowed heart rate)
• Trouble Swallowing or Breathing
• Swelling in the Face, Tongue & Throat. 

With this in mind, Dr. Haider and the mygotostack team set out to develop an all-natural, herbal protease inhibitor formula using the most powerful natural protease inhibitors delivered at high doses. To that end, he developed IMMUNITY [protease inhibitors], an all-natural 3CL Protease Inhibitor formula.

Our formula is partially based on classical Chinese medicine formulae containing Chinese skullcap, which have been the backbone of treating acute respiratory tract infections for thousands of years. Better still, we combined skullcap with the extremely potent, natural protease inhibitors found in purple gromwell root. 

Chinese skullcap contains baicalin and baicalein, two flavonoids shown in lab studies to exhibit significant antiviral activity against SARS-COV-2.

Our other key ingredient, purple gromwell root, contains shikonin, a non-covalent inhibitor of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. 

We add lecithin from sunflower seeds to increase absorption of the main active ingredients.

Incredibly, you will not find these two unique ingredients combined in any other formula on the market. Moreover, you will not find another over-the-counter, plant-based protease inhibitor of equal potency anywhere else in the world.

IMMUNITY [protease inhibitors] Ingredients Deep Dive

Chinese Skullcap is a flowering herb from the mint family that contains baicalin and baicalein. Studies have shown Skullcap to have antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects. It also helps prevent cell death due to apoptosis and toxic amino acids. Firstly, Baicalin and Baicalein act as RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors. Additionally, apigenin is another flavonoid found in Skullcap that has been shown in lab studies to act as a spike protein inhibitor.

Lastly, Chinese skullcap contains wogonin, another flavonoid, and an inhibitor of the SARS-COV-2 Main Protease (Mpro) enzyme required for replication. Wogonin also has many anti-inflammatory effects, including lowering the level of IL-6, which is usually elevated in acute and long-haul COVID.

Purple Gromwell Root comes from a plant native to Asia that has been used to make dyes and traditional medicines for centuries. The Chinese discovered Gromwell’s antiviral properties. Later studies showed that shikonin (the key component of gromwell root) had HIV-inhibiting properties. Most importantly, Shikonin is a non-covalent inhibitor of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2.

So, mygotostack once again offers a powerful, one-of-a-kind supplement explicitly developed for use against COVID-19. Moreover, it is likely also helpful for other viral and bacterial infections.