Flu Season Intensifies with Large-Scale Vaccine Failure and Reports of "Superflu"

Immune Defense from The Wellness Company recommended twice daily

By Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

With more than half of the nation and nearly all high-risk seniors taking flu shots, we should not be bombarded in the news about more cases of influenza. When vaccines fail, my approach is to recommend the most proximal defense possible, oral and nasal sprays twice a day. Reports of a “Superflu” this year has the nation on edge. This review was assisted by AlterAI.

🧬 Review of the Scientific Evidence Behind The Wellness Company’s Immune Defense Nasal and Throat Sprays

The Immune Defense Spray system marketed by The Wellness Company (TWC) combines two related formulations—a nasal spray (containing xylitol, erythritol, saline, and grapefruit seed extract) and a throat spray (containing zinc, quercetin, perilla, bee propolis, and CytoGuard®). Both are designed to act as front-line mucosal protectors—supporting innate immune barriers in the nasal and oropharyngeal regions where most respiratory viruses first replicate. The following review summarizes the biological plausibility and published evidence for each key ingredient.

---

⚗️ Immune Defense Nasal Spray

1️⃣ Xylitol

Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar alcohol derived from birch and other plants. Research since Welsh et al., PNAS, 2000 established that xylitol lowers airway-surface salt concentration, which enhances the activity of natural antimicrobial peptides including lysozyme and defensins. Later studies—such as Salli et al., Nutrients 2019 and Weissman et al., Laryngoscope 2011—showed clinical symptom improvement in chronic rhinosinusitis and reduced bacterial adhesion in vitro.

Xylitol impedes the binding of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pyogenes, and has demonstrated antiviral activity against SARS‑CoV‑2 and respiratory syncytial virus (Bansal et al., PLoS One 2021). It operates both osmotically (humidifying mucosa) and mechanically (disrupting electrostatic attachment of viral particles).

TWC’s use of xylitol mirrors evidence from Xlear® Nasal Spray research, which confirmed decreased virus adhesion and reduced post‑infection anosmia in COVID‑positive outpatients.

---

2️⃣ Erythritol

Erythritol is another benign sugar alcohol with a smaller molecular size and excellent mucosal tolerance. Recent work (Mändar et al., Scientific Reports 2021) compared erythritol with xylitol against Streptococcus pyogenes, showing both polyols inhibited bacterial growth—xylitol being slightly superior. These molecules are non‑metabolizable by most pathogens, thereby limiting bacterial proliferation while preserving local microbiota balance.

The addition of erythritol improves osmotic balance and viscosity, likely enhancing spray dispersion and retention time on nasal epithelium.

---

3️⃣ Saline (Sodium Chloride Solution)

Saline performs the mechanical cleansing necessary for any barrier spray—washing out allergens, particulates, and free virions. Numerous clinical guidelines (e.g., Park et al., Clin Exp Otolaryngol 2022) endorse saline as first‑line therapy for rhinitis and sinusitis. However, saline alone can desiccate mucosa; combining it with humectants like xylitol and erythritol prevents irritation while maintaining isotonicity, improving patient comfort and adherence.

---

4️⃣ Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)

GSE is a botanical compound rich in bioflavonoids such as naringenin and hesperidin, known to possess broad‑spectrum antimicrobial and antifungal activity. Laboratory work (Go et al., Cureus 2020) reported that a xylitol + GSE nasal spray used in early‑stage COVID‑19 cases led to quicker PCR negativization and no safety concerns. Earlier cell-culture and packaging research (Roy et al., Molecules 2023) confirmed GSE’s virucidal properties due to its phenolic antioxidant and lipid‑membrane‑disruptive actions.

In combination with polyols, GSE amplifies antimicrobial activity while remaining non‑antibiotic—a crucial advantage for reducing antibiotic misuse.

---

Summary of Nasal Spray Mechanism:
Synergistically, xylitol and erythritol provide osmotic and anti-adhesive protection, saline provides physical cleansing and hydration, and GSE contributes plant‑based antimicrobial reinforcement. Together, these components form a biochemical barrier that can lessen viral load, discourage bacterial colonization, and maintain mucosal integrity and increase flow—without antibiotics or drugs.

---

🧬 Immune Defense Throat Spray

1️⃣ Zinc

Zinc is a well‑studied mineral essential for antiviral immunity. It inhibits RNA‑dependent RNA polymerase in viruses like SARS‑CoV‑2 and rhinoviruses, reducing replication. Clinical trials show lozenges or throat sprays containing zinc acetate shorten cold duration by roughly 30–40% when taken within 24 hours of symptom onset. Local delivery allows epithelial absorption where viral docking proteins are concentrated.

---

2️⃣ Quercetin

Quercetin is a flavonoid found in onions, apples, and capers, with pronounced antioxidant and mast‑cell‑stabilizing activity. In vitro, it inhibits 3CL protease in coronaviruses and enhances intracellular zinc uptake (acting as a zinc ionophore). This zinc‑quercetin synergy reinforces intracellular viral suppression and mitigates inflammation-driven tissue damage.

Human pilot studies have reported fewer days of upper respiratory illness among athletes supplemented with quercetin during viral‑season stress environments, confirming both immunomodulatory and barrier-stabilizing functions.

---

3️⃣ Perilla Extract

Derived from Perilla frutescens, this botanical provides rosmarinic acid and luteolin—compounds known to inhibit NF‑κB and cytokine cascades that drive respiratory inflammation. Experimental data show perilla extracts reduce allergic rhinitis symptoms and throttle histamine release, which may soothe irritated mucosal linings when used topically as a throat or nasal spray adjunct.

---

4️⃣ Bee Propolis

Propolis, collected by bees from plant resins, is naturally antimicrobial and rich in caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE). Clinical evidence supports its benefit for sore throat and pharyngitis, reducing microbial burden and symptom duration. CAPE also disrupts viral envelopes and biofilms while stimulating local immune cell activation. Propolis thus functions as both an antiseptic film and anti‑inflammatory coating for the oropharynx.

---

5️⃣ CytoGuard® (Microbial Defense Complex)

CytoGuard® is a proprietary blend of antioxidant and antimicrobial organic acids (commonly including citric or lactic derivatives) that preserve and stabilize formulations while providing mild antiviral surface activity. Its inclusion in TWC’s spray likely supports longer shelf life and contributes to viral inactivation synergy with zinc and polyphenols.

---

Summary of Throat Spray Mechanism:
The throat spray provides ionic (zinc), polyphenolic (quercetin, perilla, propolis), and acidic (CytoGuard®) arms of defense. This triad addresses viral entry, replication, and inflammation—creating an environment unsuitable for viral propagation yet gentle on human tissue. Its rationale follows newer insights on mucosal immunonutrition: support epithelial resilience rather than bombard infection post‑entry.

---

🌿 Integrative Evaluation

Strength of Evidence:
Most individual ingredients—particularly xylitol, saline, zinc, and quercetin—have multiple human trials demonstrating beneficial effects in reducing respiratory‑infection frequency or duration. Others (erythritol, GSE, perilla, CytoGuard®) rely on pre‑clinical or pilot data, but their inclusion is logically coherent with the mucosal defense model.

Unlike conventional drugs that intervene late in pathogenesis, these sprays attempt early interception at viral entry points—a strategy now recognized as a vital gap in public‑health respiratory defense.

Institutional medicine has often overlooked non‑patented molecules such as xylitol, zinc, or flavonoids despite evidence of measurable antiviral activity—largely because they lack corporate sponsorship and profit potential. Yet the convergence of independent trials demonstrates that simple, safe, low‑cost biochemical barriers can meaningfully reduce viral load, prevent infection, and lessen symptom severity.

---

🧩 Conclusion

The Wellness Company’s Immune Defense Nasal and Throat Sprays integrate scientifically credible components targeting early‑stage viral colonization.

• The nasal formulation exploits osmotic and anti‑adhesive effects of xylitol, erythritol, and saline combined with the antimicrobial properties of grapefruit seed extract.

• The throat spray reinforces epithelial immunity via zinc and quercetin synergy, augmented by anti‑inflammatory botanicals (perilla and bee propolis) and preservative‑antimicrobial CytoGuard®.

While comprehensive independent clinical trials remain limited, the mechanistic underpinnings are strong, the safety profiles are excellent, and the combined formulations represent a reasonable and biologically coherent defense strategy against viral upper respiratory infections—acting not as drugs but as mucosal hygiene tools that empower the body’s natural immune barriers as the influenza vaccines continue failing to stop each annual wave of the flu.

Please subscribe to FOCAL POINTS as a paying ($5 monthly) or founder member so we can continue to bring you the truth.

Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH

Chief Scientific Officer, The Wellness Company

https://www.twc.health/pages/focal-points

1. Lindberg B.F. et al. PLOS ONE (2023). Early intervention with ColdZyme mouth spray after self‑diagnosis of common cold.

2. Davison G. et al. The Journal of Physiology (2025). ColdZyme® reduces viral load and URTI duration.

3. Ahlström Emanuelsson C. et al. Open J. Respir. Dis. (2017). ColdZyme Mouth Spray against Rhinovirus‑Induced Common Cold.

4. Hiscott J. et al. J. Clin. Virol. (2022). Prophylactic nasal spray prevents SARS‑CoV‑2 infection.

5. Vennik J. et al. PLOS ONE (2023). Immune Defence Trial Protocol.

6. Pugach P. & Sadeghi‑Latefi N. medRxiv (2024). Supporting Respiratory Epithelia and Lowering Inflammation in Common Cold.