How Ashwagandha Could Be Potential Drug For Covid-19 – Free PDF

• Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is commonly known as “Indian Winter cherry”.
• It is one of the most important herb of Ayurveda (the traditional system of medicine in India) used for millennia as  a Rasayana for its wide ranging health benefits.

• Ashwagandha is considered to be one of the most superior and powerful Ayurvedic remedies, used for many  purposes and benefits.
• It is quite effective in fighting common ailments like cold and cough and some respiratory ailments, which make it a potent  remedy in fighting some viral diseases as well.
• Regularly consuming Ashwagandha can also supercharge your immunity.

• Remdesivir, Hydroxychloroquine, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, or Favilavir are being tested in clinical trials across the globe.
• No therapy has been found to be effective against Covid-19 as of now.
• However, natural compounds from Ashwagandha could be potential drug candidates against Covid-19.
• It is revealed in a collaborative study of- DAILAB at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi.

• DAILAB has been working on natural compounds from Ashwagandha and Propolis for the past several years.
• It has explored the possibility of some of their bio-actives to interact with severe acute respiratory syndrome-  CoronaVirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
• This study has just been accepted for publication in the Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics.

WHAT HAS BEEN FOUND IN RESEARCH?

• The researchers targeted the main SARS-CoV-2 enzyme for splitting proteins, known as the Main protease (Mpro).
• Mpro plays a key role in mediating viral replication.
• This is an attractive drug target for this virus, and as humans don’t naturally have this enzyme, compounds that target  Mpro are likely to have low toxicity.

• Researchers discovered that-
• A natural compound Withanone (Wi-N) derived from Ashwagandha and Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester (CAPE), an  active ingredient of New Zealand Propolis,
• Has the potential to interact with and block the activity of Mpro.

WHAT  RESEARCHERS SAY ON THIS DEVELOPMENT?

• The drug development may take a while, and in the current scenario,
• These natural resources (Ashwagandha and Propolis) may offer some preventive or even therapeutic value.
• These findings may not only connect to save time and cost required for screening anti-Covid-19 drugs,
• But also offer some preventive and therapeutic value for the management of fatal Covid-19 pandemic.
• Hence warrant prioritized validation in the laboratory and clinical tests.
• “The traditional medicine system ‘Ayurveda’ has been practised for thousands of years in India.
• Unlike modern medicine, the mechanism of action of natural drugs has not been resolved so far.
• IIT Delhi and AIST researchers have been working together for more than a decade and trying to contribute to  strengthening this avenue by merging the traditional  knowledge with modern technologies.”

Latest Burning Issues | Free PDF

Sharing is caring!