Chinese Herb Combination Kills COVID

New research shows that a patented combination of herbs used in Traditional Chinese Medicine inhibits SARS-CoV-2 cells from penetrating healthy human cells, which leads to COVID-19. According to researchers at the Ric Scalzo Institute for Botanicals Research at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, Arizona, "These herbs have low toxicity and a high level activity against viral replication at relatively low amounts.”

Lead researcher Jeffrey Langland, Ph.D., a professor at the Southwest College, said that the research team examined how certain pharmaceuticals allow HIV patients to live with the diease, although there is no cure for it. This lead to the assay of more than 40 herbs at Arizona State Biosecurity Level 3 labs to determine which offered the most efficacy as well as safety.

The research team has patented three combinations of four herbs, each containing the Middle Eastern black calla lily (Arum palaestinum), the chameleon plant also known as fresh mint (Houttuynia cordata) and Chinese skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis). The first formula also included the mum (Chrysanthemum indicum), the second includes the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and the third includes Danshen or red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza).

According to Langland, Arum may block 90 percent of the virus from entering the cell. The amount of virus that does get through is then countered by chrysanthemum, which may kill 90 percent of virus left. Chinese skullcap and the chameleon plant take care of the rest.

The next steps involve identifying the mechanism of action of each herb and isolating their active constituents. Finally, the formulas would move into the clinical trial phase and the search for a suitable manufacturer can begin.

References

Natural Products Insider: Patented botanical formulation kills COVID

https://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/herbs-botanicals/patented-botanical-formulation-kills-covid