What Is Monolaurin?

Monolaurin, also known as glycerol monolaurate, has broad antimicrobial properties. Found naturally in mother's milk and a handful of plants, monolaurin has no known serious side effects. Monolaurin's proponents take it as natural alternative to antibiotics and antiviral medications for treating diseases ranging from influenza and Lyme disease to herpes.

Uses

• Monolaurin appears on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's list of substance generally recognized as safe--GRAS--for use as a food additive. GRAS status signifies that a substance has not produced serious problems in humans when used in small or moderate amounts. Identified on labels as glycerol monolaurate, monolaurin acts as an emulsifier in ice cream and cosmetics.

  FDA has not assessed monolaurin's safety and effectiveness for medical use. According to patients, however, monolaurin treats or prevents autism, chronic fatigue, flu and sinus infections, hepatitis C, herpes, HIV/AIDS, Lyme disease, toe nail fungus and ulcerative colitis.

  Clinical studies have shown that monolaurin prevents skin and vaginal infections and also slows the growth of a range of bacteria, fungi, molds and viruses. In the laboratory, monolaurin has weakened HIV-1, but monolaurin's effectiveness for preventing the transmission of immune deficiency-causing viruses has only been demonstrated in rhesus macaques.

Evidence for Effectiveness

• A group of researchers from the University of Minnesota led by P.M. Schlievert reported in the March 1992 issue of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that monolaurin inhibited strains of strep and staph bacteria that cause toxic shock syndrome. In similar research published in October 2007, Filipino research wrote in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology that "sensitivity rates of Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus spp., and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, Gram-negative E. vulneris, Enterobacter spp., and Enterococcus spp. to 20 mg/mL monolaurin was 100 percent."

  Most recently, Schlievert and his Minnesota colleagues demonstrated that monolaurin prevented acute simian immunodeficiency virus infection in female rhesus monkeys. The monolaurin worked by decreasing the expression of SIV toxins and reducing inflammation of vaginal walls. As the researchers wrote in Nature on April 23, 2009, their findings linking "interfering with innate host responses that recruit the target cells necessary to establish systemic infection, opens a promising new avenue for the development of effective interventions to block HIV-1 mucosal transmission."

Sources of Monolaurin

• Monolaurin is found in human breast milk as a component of lauric acid. Commercially available monolaurin products contain monolaruic acid derived from bitter melon, coconuts or saw palmetto.

Taking Monolaurin

• Different products will have different dosing instructions, so always read the label carefully before beginning to use any type of monolaurin.

  Speak with your physician if you are pregnant or taking other medicines. While monolaurin has no known serious side effect or interactions, your doctor may have concerns, and the information on your use of natural medicines will be needed if you do start experiencing health problems due to any cause.

  Flu-like symptoms such as fever and body aches can occur if you take too much monolaurin. Lowering your dose should resolve these problems, but contact your health care provider if the symptoms are severe or persist for more than one week.

Commercial Products

• Most health care stores stock monolaurin products. Read the list of ingredients on any product before you purchase it to ensure that it does not contain active compounds or additives to which you are allergic or which will interact with your other medications.

  Med-Chem Laboratories, the maker of the branded monolaurin product Lauricidin, claims that its product is the original and has been the subject of clinical tests since 1966.