I am immediately drawn to Pitcher Plants and other Carnivorous Plants. I have read most books on Carnivorous Plants as Reaktion’s Botanical Series by Dan Torre. He also authored the Reaktion’s book on Cactus. There are few books on Pitcher Plants. There is a nursery in Morrison TN called Red Leaf Exotics where its owner Dominick Gravine specializes in pitcher plants, Nepenthes. I met Dominick while he was growing and started his nursery in Brooklyn NY. I will never forget the day we met and I went into his greenhouse.
One such pitcher plant was touted as a natural treatment for smallpox. In the nineteenth century , smallpox ravaged throughout the United States. More recently in 2022, another pox virus has been seen. This is Monkeypox. Unfortunately like HIV, this virus has been said to be a Gay Virus. It is common among gay and bisexual men but can be seen in heterosexuals.
A study discussed the anti-viral activity of a pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea against vaccinia virus, monkeypox and the variola virus. It was shown to be an effective inhibitor of the pox replication at the level of early viral transcription.
These extracts are also effective against the herpes infection