What other names is Thymus Extract known by?
Complexe de Peptides Thymiques, Extracto de Timo, Extrait de Thymus, Extrait Thymique, Polypeptides Dérivés de Thymus, Predigested Thymus Extract, Protéine Thymique, Pure Thymic Extract, Thymic Extract, Thymic Peptide, Thymic Protein, Thymic Protein A, Thymomodulin, Thymosin, Thymosine, Thymostimulin, Thymostimuline, Thymus, Thymus Acid Lysate Derivative, Thymus Complex, Thymus Concentrate, Thymus-Derived Polypeptides, Thymus Factors, Thymus Polypeptides, Thymus Substance.
What is Thymus Extract?
Thymus extract is a chemical that can be man-made or produced from the glands of cows.
Thymus extract is used for infectious diseases including recurrent respiratory infections, colds, flu
"swine" flu, hepatitis B
, hepatitis C
, Epstein-Barr virus
, and AIDS
. It is also used for asthma
, hay fever
, food allergies
, rheumatoid arthritis
), chronic fatigue syndrome
), and systemic lupus erythematosus
). Other uses include maintaining white cell production in cancer
patients treated with radiation
, and preventing the effects of aging
The quality and potency of thymus extract products can vary greatly.
Possibly Effective for...
- Hay fever. There is some evidence that treatment for 4 months with calf thymus extract might reduce the number of allergic episodes in people with hay fever.
- Asthma. Taking calf thymus extract may reduce acute asthma attacks in children with asthma for up to one year.
- Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy). Early research suggests that taking calf thymus extract along with usual therapy improves the ability to exercise, heart function, symptoms, and survival in people with a specific heart disease called cardiomyopathy.
- Food allergies. Taking calf thymus extract while following an elimination diet might prevent allergic reactions to food.
- Lung infections. Taking calf thymus extract by mouth seems to reduce the number of infections or coughing attacks in patients who get repeat respiratory infections. Calf thymus extract alone, or in combination with vaccine, seems to be more effective than vaccine alone or antibiotics in reducing the number and duration of infections in adults with recurrent respiratory infections.
Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of thymus extract for these uses.
Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).