Herbal Medicines Can Cure COVID 19 But... - Experts

            

     

A public health expert and virologist at the University of Lagos, Professor Sunday Omilabu, has said that like other viral diseases, a cure for COVID-19 may be in medicinal plants and will only require that such undergo multi-centre clinical trials to ascertain their efficacy and toxicity before they are included in the treatment of people with the disease.

 

Professor Omilabu, who spoke at a virtual meeting with the theme ‘Antiviral Herbal Remedies: COVID-19 in Focus’ by the Model Herbal Clinic, University of Lagos, to commemorate the second decade of African Traditional Medicine Day, said there are many herbal remedies for many illnesses and a viral disease like COVID-19 would not be an exemption.

 

He stated that a challenge to such an antiviral herbal treatment would include determining its dosage, its active ingredients, mechanism of action and possible interactions with other organs of the body before it could be fully adopted for the treatment of individuals with COVID-19 infection.

 

According to Professor Omilabu, although diseases are emerging and re-emerging in the world and the risk of emergence is most likely from coronaviruses, arboviruses and influenza viruses, the threat of COVID-19 is global, but the answer is local.

 

He declared that stopping epidemics like COVID-19 in the future would require governments anticipating and preparing to stop the next emerging pandemic at the origin as well as funding research on reemerging viral diseases.

 

Director, Indigenous Knowledge-based Technology Innovation unit, Department of Science and Technology, South Africa, Dr Aunkh Chabalala, in his keynote address stated that work is ongoing on 20 herbal remedies with different formulations for COVID-19 in South Africa.

 

According to him, the emphasis of researchers is on developing antiviral therapies and immune modulators that can work in singly or in a combination as well as nutritional supplements to treat COVID-19.

 

Dr Chabalala declared that a clinical study of an antiviral herbal remedy is soon to start in South Africa.

 

He, however, stressed the need for African countries to support the development and research into traditional medicine as well as expedite the registration and inclusion of herbal medicines into the essential medicine list so that they can be used in various health facilities.

 

Dr Chabalala said commercializing herbal medicine would also require that a good manufacturing practice be developed for the products because African countries bear the highest-burden of many diseases.

 

Board Chairman, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB) Professor Adebukola Adefule-Ositelu stressed the need for an increase collaboration between traditional medical practitioners and conventional medical practitioners to ensure sustainable health.

 

Acting Head of Department of Pharmacognosy, University of Lagos, Mrs Adeola Adegun said the theme was chosen to draw attention to the need for research and development on herbal medicine with the rising impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

 

She said it was time for Africa to bring ideas and best practices from traditional medicine to tackle this challenge and also promote traditional medicine.

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Is Waterleaf A Better Substitute For Ugwu In Boosting Blood Level?

VEGETABLES constitute essential components of the diet by contributing nutrients and food properties that are important to human health. Increasingly, many people are turning to vegetable to also boost body immunity and blood levels.

Several researchers have reported the consumption of Ugwu (Telfairia occidentalis or fluted pumpkin) leaves for its ability to boost blood levels. But surprisingly, experts in a new study named waterleaf a better blood tonic than ugwu leaf.

Ugwu is a crop eaten for its medicinal benefits. It is used in the treatment of convulsion, taken to boost breastmilk production, immunity and fertility. It also has liver-protective properties as well as lowers cholesterol level.


Waterleaf, known as Gbure (Yoruba), Nteoka/inene(Igbo) and Alenyruwa (Hausa) is used as condiment, sauce, spice, softening of soups and for flavouring in foods. The leaves have been reported used in the management of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and obesity.

According to folk medicine, waterleaf has been reported to be effective in the management of polyuria, internal heat, measles, gastrointestinal disorders, liver ailments and cancer.

Traditionally, there is a high focus on the ugwu leaf for its blood-boosting benefit but consumption of water leaf for its blood-boosting potential did not gain maximum attention.


This study designed to compare the blood building properties of waterleaf and ugwu was in animals. Fifteen Wistar rats were used in this study. They were grouped into three of five rats each. The 2019 study was reported the journal, Acta Scientific Nutritional Health.

Group 1 served as the control, group 2 and 3 were treated with ethanolic extracts of ugwu and waterleaf respectively for 28 days. Their blood samples were tested for haematological parameters such as red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration.


The result showed that both plants increased these blood parameters when compared with control animals. However, the packed cell volume, red blood cell and platelets of animals treated with waterleaf were significantly higher than those treated with ugwu.

Also water leaf has a better ability to attack and destroy invading bacteria, viruses and other injurious agents than ugwu leaf. It is also better in thrombopoietin production as well as blood clotting potential than the leaf extract of ugwu.


They added: “It is, therefore, possible that the consumption of both plants by humans can help prevent anaemia, especially in menstruating and pregnant women.”


Although the study justified the use of both plants as a blood tonic, they said rather than focus on the leaves of ugwu to boost blood levels, waterleaf could be a better substitute. The 2019 study was in the journal, Acta Scientific Nutritional Health.


Previously, researchers have reported jute leaf (ewedu in Yoruba, Ahihara in Igbo) as another vegetable to boost the body’s blood production.

Like ugwu leaf, jute leaf also contains minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, ascorbic acid and carotene. It is used traditionally for the treatment of dysentery, fever and gonorrhoea.

Also, researchers had said daily intake of Justicia carnea can offer a rich supply of iron and vitamins to boost blood level. They proved that Justicia carnea leaves possess blood-boosting properties more effective than many medicinal plants and well known Western blood tonics.  It is commonly called Hospital Too Far or Blood of Jesus but generally considered as an ornamental plant.


Using animal models, the researchers in the 2019 study published in the journal, Biomedical Research corroborated that its leaf possesses blood boosting and replenishing properties that enabled it effectively restore blood levels to normalcy within every a short period of treatment.

According to them, significant reductions in the levels of blood levels observed in anaemic rats were significantly reverted within four to eight days of treatment with the extract.

A good number of medicinal plants have been traditionally employed in alleviating anaemic condition. Some of these plants include sorghum bicolor, Psorospermum ferbrifugum (Christmas berry), Jatropha curcas (Physic Plant) and Flacourtia flavenscens (Indian plum).


Moreover, foods that are rich in iron and vitamins are also used to beat anaemia and boost blood levels. These include beans, pigeon peas, spinach, green leafy vegetables, fish, oysters, and organ meat, such as kidney and liver.

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Erratic Sleep Habits Could Raise Heart Attack, Stroke Risk

According to findings of a new study published in the March issue of ‘The Journal of the American College of Cardiology,’ those whose sleep varied two hours or more a night were twice as likely to have heart events as those whose sleep varied by fewer than 60 minutes.

Similarly, over one year, eight of every 1,000 people with the most consistent sleep patterns had a heart event, compared with 20 in 1,000 of those with the most irregular sleep.

The lead author, Tianyi Huang, said this study suggested that healthy sleep wasn’t just about quantity but about consistency and that it could have an important effect on heart health.

 It only shows an association, rather than a cause-and-effect link, added Huang, who is  an associate epidemiologist in the Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in the U.S.

He said: “When we talk about interventions to prevent heart attacks and stroke, we focus on diet and exercise.

“Even when we talk about sleep, we tend to focus on duration — how many hours a person sleeps each night — but not on sleep irregularity and the impact of going to bed at different times or sleeping different amounts from night to night.”

The researchers analysed data from nearly 2,000 Americans between 45 and 84 years of age who did not have heart disease.

The ‘NewsmaxHealth’ reported that participants wore a wrist device that monitored their sleep for seven days, including bedtime, sleep duration and wake time.

They were then followed for an average of nearly five years during which 111 participants had a heart attack, stroke or other heart event.

“In the future,” Huang said, “we’d like to explore whether changing one’s sleep patterns by going to bed consistently each night may reduce a person’s risk of future cardiovascular events.”

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Corona Virus: Nigeria's Second Case Tests Nagative

The second infected case of the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria has now tested negative.

This was disclosed by the Nigerian Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire while giving a live update on the Coronavirus disease in Nigeria.

The patient, an Ogun state contact of the index case, had been isolated after testing positive for the Coronavirus disease four days ago. The patient was one of the 40 staff of Lafarge Cement taken in immediately the index case was discovered.

Fielding questions from pressmen as to why no travel restriction had been placed in Nigeria, Osagie Ehanire noted that every country takes the measures that suit its current situation, but Nigeria is still safe and would not need extreme measures at the moment.

“There’s already a lot of self-restriction going on. There is a reduction in passenger movement, even without banning anybody. In our case, we have looked at the economic impact of all of these, as other countries are doing before taking decisions.


“The Federal Government has set up a committee to monitor the impact, to determine the benefits, costs and losses. As far as we are concerned, the risks we have here are very low and we are monitoring it very closely,” he said.

He noted that the ministry was keeping close contact on all the stakeholders, experts and higher authorities to keep tab on the situation. He added that there would be no need to impose any restriction as the economy has already been affected by the outbreak, and any travel restriction would only serve to worsen the situation.

The minister assured Nigerians that the government had equipped 5 laboratories for this purpose, but only two had been used in conducting the 41 tests done so far.

“As far as the tests are concerned, we are ready, and we will increase it as the need demands,” he assured.
 
He noted that the genetic sequencing successfully carried out by the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research and other partner laboratories had formed the basis for ongoing research on the vaccine to neutralize the virus.


Ehanire stated further that the Sports Festival could still hold in Nigeria, as the entrants would be screened before entering the stadium. He, however, noted that it would be up to the relevant authorities to decide what to do if players and spectators were coming in from outside the country, but the Ministry of Health would be ready to offer the needed advice and support where needed.

He dismissed rumours of medical practitioners treating infected patients secretly, insisting that no medical practitioner would do that without putting himself at risk. According to him, most of the 41 tests tested so far were referrals from private hospitals.

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Why Africans Should Be worried About COVID19 - UCH Virologist

A consultant virologist at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Adeola Fowotade, in this interview with WALE OYEWALE sheds light on some issues surrounding coronavirus

Coronavirus is a fast-growing menace, what must be done to curtail its spread in Nigeria?

I think the most important thing is that we need to understand the epidemiology and the pathogenesis of the virus because without understanding these two things, it would be very difficult to prevent the spread. Again, we need to have a very high level of preparedness and surveillance for us to be able to pick it at an early stage and be able to prevent a rapid spread among the community, especially among health care workers.

It is very important for the health care workers to have very high knowledge of how one can contract the virus and what to do to be able to manage the case. Again, it is very important to raise the level of awareness even at the community level so that everybody will know how to protect themselves, and if they see a case they would raise an alarm so that the case could be isolated and managed properly before it becomes a risk to other members of the community. I think if we are able to do all this, we should be able to prevent the rapid spread of the virus in Nigeria.

Our borders are so porous; in your own view, is the Federal Government doing enough to police the entry points against coronavirus incursion?

Honestly, to a large extent, I would tell you that the Nigerian government has done a lot of work between February 15th and 18th before the virus came to Nigeria. I was part of the committee that met in Abuja under the aegis of the Nigerian Society for Disease Control. Essentially, what we were doing at that time was to develop guidelines for screening people that are entering or leaving this country. It was at that meeting that we decided that it was better to have a thermal monitor rather than an infra red thermometer; the type they put on people’s forehead. So, let’s have a screen that can measure people’s temperature when they pass through the exit.

Now, if you go to the airport, you will find out that they have these cameras especially in the five cities where we have international airports such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu, they have thermal monitors there.  By the time the Italian passed through thermal thermometer, he did not have fever. Naturally because he did not have fever, you cannot quarantine the person. What you will find at this time is that at the points of entry we had people there monitoring those coming in and going out. We have thermal monitors there monitoring their temperature.

And even if you are on a flight coming into Nigeria, you fill the case investigation form while you are still on board trying to look for information about where you have been to? Do you have any symptoms and who have you had contacts with? All these are means of catching up with you if you possibly have this infection and you carry it into the country. Honestly, there is a lot going on in terms of surveillance at the points of entry. One would not know unless one passes through these entry points.

Do you think we have sufficient facilities in the country to quarantine victims of the virus?

What we have at the moment are five treatment centres. The treatment centres where the health workers go through education, awareness and training that they need for the management of coronavirus. We only have five designated centres which are the international points of entry while for all other states the only thing they have is the isolation bay. Definitely, there is need for more especially if we have the spread of COVID-19, the transmitability is very high. If there is increase there would definitely be need for more quarantine units than what we have at the moment. We definitely don’t have enough as at now.

Do you think government is doing enough in terms of awareness?

On level of awareness, if everything happens at the level of the Federal Government, then it never would go round sufficiently. I would say at the moment, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control is doing a lot. I saw a video the other day of Funke Akindele; they have gone to the extent of using artistes to convey the message because they know that a lot of people want to listen to those kinds of persons.

Every time you go online you see that they are either on Instagram or Facebook. They have a website that is dedicated to frequently asked questions with responses and a lot of updates on what happened with COVID-19 in Nigeria and outside Nigeria.

But this is what is happening at the level of the Federal Government; there is a need for a lot more awareness 

to be done at the state level. That is the only way it can reach out to more people. I expect that at this time, we are going to have billboards showing how people can protect themselves with jingles on radio and television, newspapers and we are going to have fliers and walk rallies to sensitise people on the way to protect themselves.

We will also reach out to people that do not have any contact with social media. We are supposed to be able to reach out to all these people by now so they would know that there is a threat called COVID-19. If anything is done at the state level it should trickle down to the local government councils.

During the outbreak of Ebola and Lassa fever, we were taught on the need for hand washing, but soon after the spread ended, we reverted to our old ways; in what ways does this our inconsistency make us susceptible to diseases?

Studies done showed that 95 per cent of infections are preventable by hand washing. It looks like the simplest thing that can be done and it is as basic as that. Yet, people find it difficult to comply. But, it is what we really need to do at the moment. When we are talking of hand washing, it has to be done thoroughly; you have to wash the back of your hand and the inter-digital spaces, wash the tip of your fingers up to your toes and then rinse with running water not in a bowl where five people wash in a bowl. Having washed with soap, you will then wash in running water. We wash after going to the restroom, before we eat and after eating; when our children go to play; after coming back from school, when we return from work, every time, we must wash our hands. When we received money, after coming from the ATM, we must wash our hands. The virus can survive on spaces. If we don’t have water where we are, we can use hand sanitizers which has alcohol. We can use that as a temporary means pending when we would get to where there is water.

In developing countries of the world, we rely on outcomes of researches that were embarked upon by foreign researchers; why is it very difficult for us to get solutions locally?

 One of the things is because in developed countries, research is an everyday affair. The environment makes it easy for them. There is always light. You can keep your chemicals in the fridge unlike here when there is power outage; you begin to run helter-shelter. It is not that they are more intelligent. What they have that we don’t really have is the structure and the support that can make research to thrive. But we are not doing too badly even at the moment. Researchers in Redeemers University, Ede, in collaboration with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control had been able to look at the genetic sequence of the virus of the Italian and also traced its origin and they traced its similarities with the virus that is circulating in Europe.

It is being deliberated that more money be added to the budget to tackle the virus, but the fear is would the money be appropriately channelled for the purpose it is meant?

Naturally, we are battling with corruption in Nigeria. It is something that cuts across all sectors of the economy. Naturally, one would have some fears about the implementation. But then, I think to increase the budget is the right thing to do for the possibility of having some funds to tackle the problem. This is what is happening everywhere in the world; even in the United States. It is what we should be doing in the country. We need money to build the facilities and to ensure we put all necessary logistics in place. It is a lot of money and a lot of work. One can only hope that the implementation would be full.

It is said that the heat in the temperate region is unfavourable to COVID-19. If this is true, why then are we so worried about the case of the outbreak?

The reason why we would still worry is that whatever postulation or position we take with regard to the virus is because it is a respiratory virus and looking at the nature one can say that it should not thrive for a long period in places that are hot because of the heat, but with COVID-19, there are a lot of things that we don’t know, we need to also put that window of unknown as we cannot predict 100 per cent outcome of the pattern. So, we still need to prepare for it as something that would last for a very long time so we don’t get stranded along the way.

 

Right now, there is no vaccine anywhere. Even for China, they don’t have any vaccine at the moment. There is a vaccine that everybody is looking forward to, and that is the one that is being developed in Israel which, we are hoping, should be able to get to human trial stage in another six to eight weeks. But, at the moment, there is no vaccine anywhere. The thing with China is that the number of new cases is reducing. The number of deaths has slowed down.

For us in Nigeria, even though we don’t have the capacity in terms of large scale response that China was able to deploy in the case of COVID-19, we might not have that. Maybe what works in our favour is that for China, it came suddenly but for us, I think we had the time to prepare. Even the Director General of the World Health Organisation seems quite pleased with the situation of things in Nigeria so far. If we are able to keep on thinking, I don’t think we might get overwhelmed by COVID-19.

How correct is the claim that garlic and bitter leaf can remedy the virus?

At this time, it is not unusual to see a lot of information on social media about taking chloroquine and bathing in chloroquine .water. We heard about drinking salt water.  People pour alcohol over their bodies. Garlic or bitter kola is not going to stop the virus. Other than that, we have always known that whether it is garlic or bitter kola, they are good for our health. They, probably, would help the immune system, but they are not, by themselves have any anti-viral property that has been proved against COVIC 19. One should follow the standard precautions that have been outlined for infection prevention and control.

What is the origin of COVID-19?

Coronavirus had been in existence as far back as 1970s when they were first identified and COVID-19 happens to be one of the coronaviruses but the thing with COVID-19 is that up until 31st of December, 2019, it had not surfaced as an human infection. It was first identified in China. There had been a lot of postulations about the source of COVID-19. Some linked it to bats, some pangolins while some linked it to eating of animals, some even linked it to cats. However, up till now, nobody is really sure.

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Can Aloe Help With Type 2 Diabetes?

WITH type 2 diabetes, the body can’t regulate blood sugar levels on its own, and people with the health condition must rely on diet changes, exercise, stress management, and sometimes oral medications and insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Some people complement their treatment plan with natural approaches, such as aloe vera capsules.

“I’m a diabetic myself, and if I can take one fewer pill, I’m all for it,” says Shirley Winslett, a registered dietitian nutritionist at the Owatanna Hospital in Owatanna, Minnesota, who specialises in diabetes.

Aloe vera, a succulent plant commonly found in warm countries (its origin is thought to be Sudan), has been used in traditional medicine for more than 2,000 years, according to a review published January 2015 in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.

A powerful anti-inflammatory, aloe vera has been used to treat a variety of health complaints, including constipation, colic, and high blood pressure, though you’re most likely familiar with it as a treatment for sunburns.

In fact, aloe vera was officially listed as a skin protectant in the first written collection of known formulas for common drugs in 1820 (known as the U.S. Pharmacopoeia), according to the book Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects.

There are two substances from aloe vera that are used in health products: a clear gel that’s commonly applied to the skin to relieve burns and psoriasis, and a yellow latex that can be taken by mouth as a remedy for constipation, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The gel can also be taken by mouth in supplement form to treat other conditions, including osteoarthritis, bowel diseases, and fever, according to the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH).

According to Herbal Medicine, aloe vera contains more than 200 active substances, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and polysaccharides (a natural form of carbohydrates).

“There is some data that suggests that aloe vera may help lower blood glucose levels,” says Vandana Sheth,
RDN, CDE, a national spokesperson for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the author of My Indian Table.

For example, a review published in June 2016 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine cites research that suggests oral aloe vera supplements can lower fasting blood sugar by 46.6 milligrammes per decilitre (mg/dL) and A1C blood levels by 1.05 per cent.

Fasting blood sugar and A1C measurements are used to diagnose diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic, and A1C is typically used to tell how well blood sugar levels are being managed on average over a three month period, says the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

 Similarly, a study published in Planta Medica found that 30 participants with type 2 diabetes who took a 300 mg aloe vera gel capsule once every 12 hours for two months saw significant health improvements.

Compared with the placebo group, the aloe vera group dropped their fasting blood sugar levels by an average of 4.8, their A1C blood levels by 8.07 percent, total cholesterol by 8.35 percent, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, also known as “bad” cholesterol) by 4.48 percent.

Why might aloe vera help treat type 2 diabetes? According to the authors of a review published in February 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, aloe vera supplements may lower the absorption of sugar into the gastrointestinal tract following a meal, stimulate the breakdown of sugar, and prevent sugar production.

Unfortunately, aloe vera isn’t a risk-free solution for lowering blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. In fact, the blood-sugar-lowering effects of aloe vera can come with other consequences.

According to the NCCIH, people with type 2 diabetes who use medications to lower blood sugar should be careful about taking aloe vera orally. If you combine the two, you can send your blood sugar levels crashing (a serious condition known as hypoglycemia), notes the Mayo Clinic.

“If you’re taking any medication that lowers your blood sugar significantly, adding in aloe vera may cause hypoglycemia, which is just as bad as hyperglycemia, if not worse,” Winslett says. When blood sugar levels get too low, you may feel fatigued, shaky, and sweaty, and develop an irregular heart rhythm. When hypoglycemia worsens, you may experience confusion, blurred vision, seizures, or even loss of consciousness.

And because aloe vera has been shown to have laxative effects, it may lower the absorption — and therefore the effectiveness — of other oral medications, says the NCCIH.

If you’re interested in adding an aloe vera supplement to your diabetes treatment plan, it’s best to talk to your doctor first. But even if your doctor gives you the all-clear, proceed with caution. Monitor your blood sugar closely to avoid low blood sugar reactions, Sheth says.

What’s more, start logging your experiences when you add aloe vera to your diabetes treatment plan. “I always tell my patients, when you start something new, or if you’re going from one diet to a different one, journal the side effects,” Winslett says. Write down how you feel (for example, energetic or fatigued) each day, how much you’re taking, and what other side effects — if any — you may be experiencing.

Because the FDA doesn’t put supplements through the same rigorous vetting as conventional medication, you’ll want to look for an aloe vera gel supplement that’s been third-party tested for safety. A few top testing agencies include NSF International, ConsumerLab, and USP.

More research on the effects of aloe vera for type 2 diabetes is needed before healthcare providers can recommend exact dosages, Sheth says. Existing research may offer a clue: In the Plant Medica study, participants with type 2 diabetes who took 300 mg of aloe vera gel capsules once every 12 hours for two months saw improvements in blood sugar, A1C, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol, without side effects.

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