Antiviral / Antibacterial

In order to understand the difference between antiviral and antibacterial plant properties, it’s necessary to first understand the distinction between a bacterium and a virus. While bacteria have their own cell wall and can reproduce on their own, viruses need a host cell to replicate themselves. This means that when your body has a viral infection, a virus has invaded your cells. Instead of killing the pathogens like antibacterial herbs do, antiviral herbs can fight a virus by attaching to the affected cell walls and thereby prevent the virus from spreading. But this is just one of several ways to make use of antiviral or antibacterial herbs. They can also be used as prevention for viral or bacterial infections by boosting your immune system, to treat symptoms or to shorten the recovery process.