As someone who spends my spare time writing this blog and preparing for interesting times ahead, I focus most of my energy on preparing for events I am sure will occur—economic collapse and war. And those are followed by their close buddies famine and disease. There are the diseases we already know and love—influenza, pneumonia, appendicitis, (a list which could continue for another page or two), and the ones that instill a deep-seated fear, like anthrax and smallpox. If I were to rank a smallpox pandemic (because that’s what it would be) on the emergency preparedness disaster scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the worst, smallpox would rate at least a solid 11.
I have no confidence that the smallpox samples the US, Russia, and other nations have in their biolabs won’t someday see the light of day again. No weapon has ever been invented that wasn’t eventually used. So we prepare for it.
And beyond practicing good hygiene, quarantine, and isolation, how exactly does one go about preparing to defeat such a formidable foe?
There seems to be quite a bit of documentation that Native Americans used Sarracenia purpurea, purple pitcher plant, to stop smallpox. I had done some preliminary research which indicated that Sarracenia purpurea grows in moist or swampy areas, particularly in the eastern US. I knew I’d never be able to grow it here. However, I came across small pots of those plants for sale at a Grocery Outlet store in Winnemucca, Nevada, and brought two home with me. Did more research and found they might do well on my south-facing windowsill. I gave them plenty of water and was cautioned that they needed no fertilizer.
I have slowly killed one. The other is in death throes but still hanging on. Sarracenia is clearly not going to save this family.
What will?
Historical records show that Native Americans used juniper, tumbleweed, gumweed, cattail, catnip, arrowroot, licorice, and ginger. Very little detail is provided on exactly how these herbs were used. It’s not comforting, but it’s a little something to work with.
When it comes to medicine, I want to have whatever it takes to make my family members well. If I need pharmaceuticals, so be it.
Nitazoxanide is one such drug. It’s an FDA-approved anti-protozoal (against cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis) drug that also inhibits bacteria and viruses. And in 2018, a group of researchers published the results of their study on whether nitazoxanide had any efficacy against poxviruses, specifically investigating smallpox. It has been used the world over for treating the afore-mentioned protozoal and other parasitic infections and appears to be quite safe. It’s also been shown effective against influenza, hepatitis C, HIV, and cytomegalovirus.[1] Usage on COVID patients revealed that nitazoxanide is quite beneficial when administered in the early stages of the illness.
The researchers noted that both the usual dose of 500 mg as well as high single doses of 4 g have been used to treat other diseases and appear to be quite safe.
Only you can decide whether nitazoxanide is something to add to your arsenal. Its efficacy against influenza, hepatitis C, and COVID make it something to consider. The potential for treating smallpox and monkeypox (mpox) suggest it’s something I want to have. It’s available through All Day Chemist at a cost of 31-43 cents per dose.
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