While major outbreaks like COVID-19, SARS, and Ebola often dominate headlines, more common viral infections—like the flu and herpes—quietly cause serious health and economic problems each year. Now, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine may have found a surprisingly simple way to fight back: chewing gum made from beans.
Published in the journal Molecular Therapy, a new study led by Professor Henry Daniell shows that a special type of chewing gum made with lablab beans (Lablab purpureus) can reduce the amount of virus in the mouth by over 95%. Since viruses like herpes simplex (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and influenza (H1N1 and H3N2) are often spread through oral contact, this solution shows serious promise.
“Controlling transmission of viruses continues to be a major global challenge,” said Daniell in a recent statement. “A broad spectrum antiviral protein (FRIL) present in a natural food product (bean powder) to neutralize not only human flu viruses but also avian (bird) flu is a timely innovation to prevent their infection and transmission.”
A Natural Antiviral Gum
FRIL, short for Fructose-binding Lectin, is a plant-derived protein found in lablab beans with natural antiviral properties. Studies have shown that FRIL acts as a broad-spectrum antiviral, meaning it’s effective against multiple types of viruses, including coronaviruses, influenza strains, and herpes simplex viruses. Its mode of action—binding to specific structures on the edges of viruses—makes it especially promising because these sugar structures are common across many viruses but rare in healthy human cells, which reduces the likelihood of side effects.
A 2021 study published in Science Advances by Daniell and colleagues demonstrated that FRIL significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral load in saliva samples by more than 95%. Building on those promising results, the research team expanded their focus to see whether the same approach could be effective against other widespread viruses.
Using a chewing simulator, the researchers tested how well the gum could release FRIL in the mouth. They found that just 40 milligrams of FRIL in a two-gram piece of gum was enough to dramatically reduce virus levels—by over 95%.
“These observations augur well for evaluating bean gum in human clinical studies to minimize virus infection/transmission,” said Daniell.
Even better, the gum meets FDA safety standards for clinical-grade drug products, meaning it could one day be used widely as a safe, preventative treatment.
Why the Mouth Matters
Many viruses spread more efficiently through the mouth than the nose. That includes both the flu and HSV-1, which causes cold sores and affects over two-thirds of the global population. In fact, HSV-1 is now the leading cause of infectious blindness in Western countries.
And while vaccines do exist for the flu, vaccination rates remain low. For herpes, there’s currently no approved vaccine at all. This gum-based strategy offers a promising new way to reduce the virus present at the leading transmission site: the oral cavity.
Fighting Bird Flu With Gum
Daniell and his team are also setting their sights on a growing threat—avian flu. In just the past three months, over 50 million birds in North America have been affected by the H5N1 strain of bird flu, with several human infections reported.
Earlier research has already shown that FRIL from lablab beans can neutralize avian flu strains like H5N1 and H7N9. Now, the Penn team is working on adding bean powder to bird feed to help slow the spread of flu among birds—and potentially prevent it from jumping to humans.
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is a freelance science journalist and staff writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with her on BlueSky or contact her via email at kenna@thedebrief.org