It might work as a cure? Could be.’ A herbal remedy for coronavirus is a success in Africa, but experts have their doubts

On April 20, the President recalls 19-COVID to announce a breakthrough in the fight against a news conference. It is a new use for an old treatment of malaria, says, sees the wonderful results under the sick patients in the country. And ‘so sure that students can take. In fact, he urges them to do it every day, as a preventive. He admits that he takes the drug. No, this is not the President of the United States means not tested for viruses that call the world almost 5 million people infected. And ‘President of Madagascar Andry Rajoelina, who is also willing to presidential platform to use to promote a hypothetical treatment like its American counterpart. To ensure the security of its new discovery to show that takes a bottle to be placed in relief on the podium and takes a sip of the amber liquid. “This tea was found in seven days,” he confesses. “The tests were were moved by two people now cured by this treatment.” Aides to pass the remedy bottles herbal with “Covid-Organics” gathered diplomats, ministers and journalists. Sipping with taste, then break into applause as we know the president of this island nation the first African cure for the Crown, based on traditional African medicine will be distributed across the country, and ultimately across the continent. According to the World Health Organization, there are no medications that prevent or treat COVID-19 were shown. That it has not stopped people some of which presidents to seize on every possible treatment that could offer a way out of the devastating lockdowns collapsing economies, or avert the impending mounting death toll. The introduction of Covid-Organics (short CVO) in Madagascar last month was no different. Within days, several African countries and Haiti, asked expeditions. And while CVO is not yet available for export, Rajoelina has added free samples to be sent. The promotion of healing has not examined aroused consternation among the medical community in Africa, and caused an unusually sharp rebuke from the WHO, observed May 4 issued a statement saying, it must be made to “guard against misinformation, particularly on social media, assured about the effectiveness of drugs. Many plants and substances without minimum requirements proposed and demonstrate the quality, safety and efficacy “the use of these untested products, continued:”. it can bring people into danger of giving a false sense of security and to wash hands and physical distancing distract the Cardinal are COVID-19 prevention. “Back in Madagascar, international turmoil was true amazement. The use of traditional remedies are so ingrained that most Malagasy, as they call themselves would be just as likely to reach for a herbal remedy sore head or stomach to face, as he would a Western pharmaceutical product, says Tiana Andriamanana, the CEO of the organization for the local conservation Fanamby. Andriamanana work often takes poor and rural areas, where hospitals and pharmacies are hard to find, and conventional medicine is often prohibitive. “A lot of times you do not really have a choice,” he says. “Traditional medicine is how we roll.” Even Malagasy are alone in their reliance on traditional medicine: According to WHO using 87% of the African population. It developed the means to CVO, the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research [IMRA], he is well respected in the country for its work to refine these rights: some of this research to the discovery of pharmaceutical treatments internationally recognized as Madeglucyl brought it can help with diabetes management. It also helped to identify the potential of Madagascar periwinkle in treating cancer; Compounds from the flower now be isolated for treatment of breast, bladder and lung used. When news first emerged in January from a mysterious flu-like illness in China, which have not reacted conventional treatment, IMRA Director General Dr. Charles Andrianjara, in the workplace. Since its inception in 1957, the Institute’s researchers have thousands of medicinal herbs, catalog the traditional healers of Madagascar. Andrianjara wondered if some of the basic knowledge of herbs could help the Institute for the fight against emerging viral disease. “Our hypothesis was that if we could treat cough, difficulty, pain, breathing fever, then we could treat the virus.” He combed the database, looking for herbs with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, as well as a natural cough suppressant and fever reducers. The Institute had also studied artesunate, or artemether, a common antimalarial, the characters in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) promising, another respiratory disease had shown by a coronavirus, from China in 2002 has emerged. “COVID and SARS are very similar in their genetic structure,” explains Andrianjara “so our hypothesis that Artemisia was perhaps on COVID-19 has effect.” Team Andrianjara Artemisia combines with other ingredients to create a tea, and offered the decoction in patients who had tested positive for the disease. “We started with one, two [patients] and found that really reduces their symptoms,” he says. “He recovered quickly.” IMRA has made no formal examinations or tests; Andrianjara evaluation is only to look at the reactions of a handful of patients outside of a controlled environment. While he says that patients received other treatments at the same time, there is no formal documentation. While the announcement of the President Rajoelina, less than 20 patients had received funds. These low figures are meaningless when it comes to a disease that is still so little understood and can range from asymptomatic to the effects of massive organ failure, but Andrianjara that these funds can not harm themselves. “They have been tested for toxicity, and so have we already 30 years on the market, their effectiveness.” He compares CVO on common Western treatments such as pain relievers that some studies show no work at all. “You can give 20 people paracetamol. It will not hurt any of them, but not all of them headaches or heal. If CVO can cure 60% of the population, for me, this is good. Not the best, but it’s good, “it is impossible for clinicians and scientists to validate any of these statements. as if to say that CVO contains 62% more Artemisia, IMRA has not released the names of the other components, for fear that the formula could be stolen. While President Rajoelina CVO promotes both as a remedy and prevention, it has not ‘been cleared for marketing as a drug of the National Academy Madagascar of Medicine, who noted in a statement that “It is a drug for which scientific evidence is still have damage was particularly found and what risks for the health of the population, the children. ” In a press conference on May 14, the WHO said that there was no scientific evidence to support the safety and efficacy of Covid-Organics. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said rigorous testing would be crucial for the credibility “, so that when we celebrate the discovery of this treatment in Africa on the basis of evidence that can be shared around the world. “South Africa-based virologist Denis Chopera appears as a supplement than cure, rather, the Voice of America Africa passed on to say that” I do not think it’s bad, but I do not think people should expect that treat them, COVID -19 heal, because it is not scientifically proven. “Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, said the Mail & Guardian has seen no evidence that the agent is cured by saying something that is less Madagascar number of confirmed cases (405 of 22 May) that it would be impossible to evaluate the effectiveness. “The majority of people that this virus shows no symptoms. Of these symptoms, 85% of them with mild disease have developed. You could deal with the water, and it would have the same effect.” President Rajoelina has proposed skeptics in an interview with France 24, claims that more than 100 COVID-19 patients in Madagascar had already been successfully treated with Covid-Organics. “If we are the war right now, what is the evidence that we show, or can there be? It ‘, of course, the healing of our patients,” he said. “I think the problem is that it is [the drink] from Africa and can not admit that, … a country like Madagascar … has perfected this formula to save the world.” IMRA of Andrianjara may also perceive an anti-African bias in international backlash to his agent. Finally, he points out, Madagascar is not the only country to embrace the remedies are not tested as a possible cure. Many countries “in the United States, President Trump promoting [the antimalarial drug] hydroxychloroquine was, even though the FDA has warned that it is not a proven treatment, and has dangerous side effects.” Try new no clinical trials treatments, he says, “because Madagascar are discarded so? Because we offer a traditional remedy instead of a conventional medicine?” Many companies have the crown pandemic tout their supplements herbal as an immune booster and tonics health used . Few have a president to do their marketing. Rajoelina is rarely seen these days without a bottle near, many Malagasy asking to speculate what will be the profit. But while Madagascar has one of the largest supplies of artesunate in the world, the low cost agent would propose, it is not exactly a gold mine. Madagascar Government is to develop into discussions with WHO and the African Union on how a rigorous testing protocol for CVO now. The biggest obstacle standing right now is the lack of sufficient patients without sufficient number of infected people, you can not run a controlled study the curative effect. “What can we do?” asks Andrianjara. “We do not want to be sick, just so we can carry out more tests.” Meanwhile, researchers in Germany Max Planck Institute of Colloids and test interfaces Artemisia annua extracts to determine their effectiveness in accelerating the recovery from the virus. On the streets of Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, there is no discussion. Covid-Organics can be found in almost every supermarket and corner shop. The recommended dose is two tea a day, for seven days, and is sold or the equivalent of 20 cents for a single-serving bottle of tea $1.50 for a box of 10 tea bags that can be immersed in the house. After Andriamanana, the director of the conservation organization, has a sweet taste of anise, with a bittersweet ending reminiscent of a strong black tea. Andriamanana not sure if she could drink a day twice, but to many of his friends. “They say it works at least as an immune booster. It strengthens, it takes away the” fatigue. Like most traditional remedies, he says, it is difficult to draw the line between science and faith. “It might work as a remedy? Maybe, at least psychologically.” She would not love more than putting it in a scientific test to see and passages. “If we can demonstrate that we have the solution, or a solution to the crown, we can prove that he was not stupid, after all rely on nature and indigenous knowledge”. Andrianjara, IMRA, says that although there is no evidence CVO Covid-19 to treat in scientific studies, there are many other promising remedies in traditional medicine Madagascar to be examined. “Instead of exploring something new that costs money so that we can not afford, go back and rethink our traditional knowledge. We have a lot of wealth in our tradition and culture, and maybe we have not used enough.”
Image copyright RIJASOLO AFP via Getty Images