Abstract
Summary
The presence of gelatin did not eliminate the antiviral activity of aqueous extracts of Melissa officinalis against herpes simplex and vaccinia viruses in disc plaque-suppression tests, suggesting that a second, nontannin, antiviral substance was present. By using tannin-free preparations it was found that the nontannin polyphenol fraction produced an antiviral effect against herpes simplex and vaccinia viruses in egg and cell-culture systems. This activity was very similar to that of caffeic acid. It was not clear whether the antiviral effect of either of these materials was exclusively due to a virucidal effect. Preliminary thin layer chromatography revealed the presence of caffeic acid in melissa preparations but at levels that seemed far too low to account for the antiviral effect.
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