The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is looking at various herbal medicines as it ramps up research on potential therapeutic remedies for Covid-19.
A researcher at the organisation spoke to journalists on Sunday, June 14 and revealed details of various products and herbal concoctions they were innovating as part of the pandemic response.
The KEMRI researcher reiterated that herbal medicine was in no way inferior to conventional or modern medicine, noting significant progress in the research on Covid-19.
He further noted that they were not just developing herbal medicines for Covid-19, but other illnesses as well, such as Malaria and HIV.
Notably, one of the main products they are refining, known as Zedupex Powder, has ingredients drawn from the same tree as the famous Loliondo herbal cure for various diseases made popular in Tanzania.
The powder was developed in 2014 at KEMRI as a remedy for those suffering Herpes, but it has since emerged that some of its properties may counter Covid-19.
If the research indicates the potential of Zedupex as a potential remedy for Covid-19, it would move on to the next stage of advanced research and trials.
"There are millions and millions of compounds in this particular product, and each of these compounds is presenting differently in terms of therapeutic; some of them could improve the immune system of the body and some of them could be nutritional.
"The next stage we are going to move into will not be in this lab and it is where we will deal with the actual virus. We are going to handle it in a Level 3 facility.
"The good thing with herbal products is that their evaluation is not as thorough as conventional medicine. There are certain things which, once you present, it is taken that the product is okay and it can move to the next level," he stated.
Such products, however, face various hurdles before getting to the market including lack of funding to facilitate trials, stringent approval processes and actual manufacturing and distribution of the products.
Zedupex is made from the Carissa Edulis plant, a tree found in East African countries including Tanzania and Uganda.
Tanzania's Babu wa Loliondo made international headlines in 2015 after visitors from around the world trooped to his home for a taste of the supposed miracle cure for all diseases made from Carissa Edulis.
Watch a report on the KEMRI research below:
