A Bitter Pill to Swallow

It's been over a year since COVID-19 first made its appearance, yet it remains as challenging as ever to beat. As cases surge around the world with no clear remedy in sight except for the vaccine (hopefully!), there is increasing attention being paid to ancient remedies. After various Indian and Chinese remedies made their rounds (which I wrote about some time back), here's a new one that made news this month.

Andrographis paniculata, a herbal plant commonly known as green chiretta, was recently approved by Thailand for treating COVID-19. Their ministry of health has started a pilot program to test the alternative treatment after human trials showed patient condition improving within days of treatment with the extract. The ancient herb has apparently reduced the severity of inflammations in early stages of the disease.

Turns out, Andrographis paniculata is a well known ayurvedic herb, called Kalmegh, and is used to treat liver disease and fever. According to ayurveda, the "dry and penetrating qualities" of the herb help to cut through thick phlegm, thereby supporting a healthy respiratory tract and throat. Sounds exactly like what the doctor would order for covid, but before anyone gets too excited, they should know that the herb is also known as "king of the bitters." 😐

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History of Medicine

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