Cure for COVID 19: Reaching Out for Our Old Roots-Ashwagandha

Cure for COVID-19:Amidst many rumors of vaccinations being found for the deadly COVID-19, recent news has sparked up where Ashwagandha or the Indian ginseng may contain certain properties that may be fruitful in fighting against the novel coronavirus.

Students from IIT Delhi conducted research in DAILAB in collaboration with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology [AIST] which discovered that the natural compounds in Ashwagandha and propolis contained drugs that could be used to fight off the virus  Cure for COVID-19.

Ashwagandha Possible Cure for COVID 19

Ashwagandha or wild gooseberry from the family Solanaceae is known to have many beneficial medicinal properties as it is an adaptogen, that is, it can help your body manage your stress.

This herb is known to boost brain functions, lower blood sugar and cortisol levels, and help fight symptoms of anxiety and depression.

The current treatment options for COVID-19 involve including the use of Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, APN01 or Favilavir are being tested in clinical trials across the globe, yet no effective therapy has been announced.

While a new line of drug and vaccine development has been initiated world-wide, in the current scenario of high infected numbers, the severity of the disease and high morbidity, repurposing of the existing drugs are heavily explored by recruiting integrative genomics and bioinformatics research tools.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus genome and structure have been recently published triggering drug designing, devising, and development using informatics and experimental tools, worldwide.

This herbal plant has a natural compound called Withanone (Wi-N), which can impact the COVID-19’s enzyme responsible for replication if used along with an active ingredient of propolis called Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE). Together, they can block the replication process of the novel virus and treat the condition.

A research paper submitted for publication in the J Biomol Struct Dyn, the research team has reported that the components found in Ashwagandha and propolis can be tested as drug candidates for the coronavirus.

A report stated that this potential cure can be found very attractive as humans don’t produce this enzyme and the toxicity would be lowing owing to the usage of medicinal herbs.

The nation prays that this potential cure could come as a blessing in disguise before the crisis worsens.