Traditional tribal remedies remain in use in remote African villages beyond reach of first world medication. These have become the well-spring of many modern western medicines too. Who knows what else is just beyond our reach. Prof. Motlalepula Matsabisa from South Africa’s University of Free State believes a traditional African remedy could beat COVID-19.
The Traditional African COVID Beater Called Phela
The word ‘phela’ means ‘to end, to terminate, or to finish something off’ in local dialects. Prof. Matsabisa and his team believe their Phela traditional drug is a powerful antidote to COVID-19. And they concocted it themselves from four local flowers including the Gladiolus Daleni.
They first sourced samples of the plants, dried them, and then ground them into homogenous powder according to News Medical. After that, they sterilized the mixture, extracted the compounds, and analyzed them using ultra-performance liquid chromatography.
In this way they obtained human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 ACE2-expressing cells, and Vero lineage cells for cell culture experiments. But they still needed a SARS-pseudo-virus to complete their experiment.
Prof. Motlalepula Matsabisa’s Experiment and Success
Prof. Matsabisa and his team generated SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV pseudo viruses, and then tested the efficacy of the Phela extracts against them. They had 100% success against the Wuhan strain with a high concentration. It was also active at much lower microgram ranges.
Moreover, genetically similar SARS-COV and MERS-COV viruses were also sensitive to their concoction. Success was again 100% with high concentrations. They believe their invention ‘has potential for use against other members of the coronavirus family, which are also known to cause the severe acute respiratory syndrome”.
There was also evidence Phela assisted 500 HIV-AIDS patients, and proved safe in a Phase 1 clinical trial of healthy volunteers. However, we don’t recommend laying in a supply of Gladioli and consuming them. Although we can’t deny the long shot that’s how the ancients discovered their therapeutic properties.
Breaking News
Should We Slip Into An Endemic and Move On?
The Difficult Reality of Long COVID in Children
