Five herbal or plant-based therapeutics have been developed by the Natural Chemotherapeutic’s Research Institute to assist in the treatment and management of COVID-19 in Uganda.
The products include; Warbugia Ugandensis, Cypress oil, Cypress herbal tea, propolis tincture and propolis throat spray. Another product that has been developed is the NCRI-NP Syrup that is a concentrated version of the government’s UBV-01N COVID-19 therapeutic that is still undergoing research to determine proper dosages.
According to scientists, the products which have been developed using locally grown herbs, have been found to be effective in the treatment of COVID-19.
“The products were developed alongside the therapeutic trial which aimed at finding safe and efficacious drugs to fight COVID. All the products have shown to be effective and some have been notified by the National Drug Authority. But as this goes on, people have been using these products and they have shown to be efficacious,” said Dr Grace Nambatya Kyeyune, a medicinal chemist and lead investigator on the COVID-19 therapeutic study.
According to Dr Nambatya, the drugs have been tried on mice and they have shown to be effective in controlling the disease while avoiding organ damage at the same time. Nambatya says the herbs have been in Uganda for decades but were never considered before.
When used in combination, Dr Nambatya says that preliminary findings show that the drugs are able to treat COVID-19 related cough, clear the airway which enables people to breathe on their own and be able to kill the virus by perforating it. According to Dr Nambatya, the products are safe for persons undergoing home-based care.
The herbs are being sold at the NCRI office located near the Ministry of Health headquarters. A complete package of all the products costs Shs150,000.
The herbal therapeutics are supposed to be taken for a period, not longer than two weeks.
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