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Ancient Drug Shows Promise Against COVID-19

Continuing with the theme of ancient medicine being used for treating COVID-19,  a recent article claims that a 3000 year old medicine, derived from the autumn flower crocus, was recently found to show promising results for the treatment of the disease.

Autumn crocus flowers
Autumn crocus flowers
The medicine, colchicine, has been used for many centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent for gout and arthritis. It was first mentioned as far back as 1500 BCE in the Egyptian manuscript, the Ebers Papyrus as a remedy for joint pain. It was derived from the autumn flower crocus, and widely used by the 1st century AD for gout and edema. In fact, it is said Benjamin Franklin, who suffered from edema, imported crocus plants to North America from France.

The Ebers Papyrus. Image: National Institute of Health

After the active ingredient was isolated in the 1800s, colchicine is now available in the form of a pill for various ailments such as gout and periciditis.
Now, a team of Greek doctors conducted a trial of over 100 COVID-19 patients who were treated with colchicine along with standard antibiotics, and found significant benefit in patient outcome. Although the clinical trial is considered too small to be a conclusive study, doctors are aware of the effect of colchicine on certain blood markers of heart function, which suggests colchicine might help limit cardiovascular damage caused by COVID-19. Even before the pandemic hit, NYU researchers were studying colchicine for treatment against cardiovascular inflammation. Now American researchers are starting larger scale research on the effect of colchicine on severe cases of COVID-19.


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