The search for supplementary cures for COVID-19 continues with the approval by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) of clinical trials for the local herb, lagundi. This will be spearheaded by the UP Manila National Institutes of Health Institute of Herbal Medicine (IHM). The project will determine if lagundi, as adjuvant therapy, can provide symptomatic relief for mild COVID-19 patients without co-morbidities. It will also determine if the medicinal plant can significantly prevent patients from progressing into moderate or severe state of the illness.
Some of the common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, sore throat, myalgia, and fatigue. Lagundi tablet or syrup is a proven bronchodilator with its registered indication as treatment of cough. With several studies attesting to its antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties, lagundi seems a suitable choice for the symptomatic treatment of COVID-19 patients.
Once given Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, the project would run for five months and would be led by IHM Director Dr. Cecilia Maramba. The target date of implementation is on August 1, as soon as clearance is granted by FDA.
Lagundi is one of several medicinal plants studied by the National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants and found to be an effective cure for cough and asthma. It has been commercialized into tablet and syrup forms that are now available in the market. With reports from the DOST website.
