Distilled Monoglyceride, Glycerin Monolaurate, Glycerol Monolaurate, Lauricidin, Lauric Acid Monoglyceride, Monoglycéride Distillé, Monolaurine.
Monolaurin is a chemical made from lauric acid, which is found in coconut milk and breast milk.
Monolaurin is used for preventing and treating colds (the common cold), flu (influenza), swine flu, herpes, shingles, and other infections. It is also used to treat chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and to boost the immune system.
In foods, monolaurin is used in the production of ice cream, margarine, and spaghetti.
In manufacturing, monolaurin is used in making cosmetics, detergents, and insecticides.
How does it work?
Preliminary research suggests monolaurin might be able to fight bacteria and viruses in test tubes. It is not known if monolaurin has these effects when used by people.
SLIDESHOW
Vitamin D Deficiency: How Much Vitamin D Is Enough? See SlideshowInsufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
- Common cold.
- Flu (influenza).
- Herpes.
- Shingles.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
- Strengthening the immune system.
- Other conditions.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).
QUESTION
Next to red peppers, you can get the most vitamin C from ________________. See AnswerThe appropriate dose of monolaurin depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for monolaurin. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit the FDA MedWatch website or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Clarke NM, May JT. Effect of antimicrobial factors in human milk on rhinoviruses and milk-borne cytomegalovirus in vitro. J Med Microbiol 2000;49:719-23. View abstract.
FDA, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Office of Premarket Approval, EAFUS: A food additive database. Website: vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/eafus.html (Accessed 23 February 2006).
Holland KT, Taylor D, Farrell AM. The effect of glycerol monolaurate on growth of, and production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 and lipase by, Staphylococcus aureus. J Antimicrob Chemother 1994;33:41-55. View abstract.
Projan SF, Brown-Skrobot S, Schlievert PM, et al. Glycerol monolaurate inhibits the production of beta-lactamase, toxic shock toxin-1, and other staphylococcal exoproteins by interfering with signal transduction. J Bacteriol 1994;176:4204-9. View abstract.
Ruzin A, Novick RP. Glycerol monolaurate inhibits induction of vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol 1998;180:182-5. View abstract.
Schlievert PM, Deringer JR, Kim MH, et al. Effect of glycerol monolaurate on bacterial growth and toxin production. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 1992;36:626-31. View abstract.
Witcher KJ, Novick RP, Schlievert PM. Modulation of immune cell proliferation by glycerol monolaurate. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 1996;3:10-3. View abstract.