A
2023 study from Japan indicated that 1030 cases of mild COVID had a non-statistical difference between those taking 0.3-0.4mg/kg ivermectin and placebo control-taken after symptoms arose (3-4 days after infection). They also isolated a dataset of unvaccinated, and found similar results.
However, they note that the dosage didn't produce any adverse affects (minus one person developing photophobia), and another French study shown the administration of ivermectin for 28 days prevented the onset of COVID-19.
As Japan was one of the first nations to approve ivermectin, I believe they shouldn't have any ulterior motives to enrich Pfizer's bank accounts. Instead, I believe ivermectin is only effective during the initial stages of infection; the symptoms are a side effect of the coof replicating itself and stimulating oxidative stress from cytokines, rather than a sign of active infection. While it doesn't hurt to take ivermectin in low doses (especially during the early stages) to combat the side-effects, good cardio exercise should be done post infection, stimulating the lungs to replace injured tissue.
On a related tangent, a good and supplement during flu season is elderberry extract. Previously, multiple ancient cultures (American Indian, Egyptian and Greek) had independently noted the medicinal effects of the elderflower.
Modern studies accredit this, particularly
in vivo studies noting that elderberry may help shorten the duration of common colds and influenza, albeit insignificantly. While current small datasets limit the significance of this pattern,
ex vivo studies on cells incubated with elderberry show a large reduction of viral infection in
HIV, Herpes &
Covid-19. Moreover,
elderberry alters the behavior of blood cells in vitro to secrete anti-inflammatory signals (IL-4 & IL-10), potentially preventing the cytokine storm and stimulating antibody production instead.
Elderflower/berry syrup isn't the be-all-end-all of antiviral medicine, but it's certainly a delicious and (assumedly) harmless way to alleviate symptoms. I'd be suspicious of the prices at retail though; elderberry extract/syrup is very easy to make, and you can find it all over the Americas late summer in blue (
Sambucus cerulea for the west coast) and black (
S. canadensis) varieties-just avoid red elderberry (
S. racemosa) for it's vile taste.
