A study in India has shown that Ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha have some properties that are preventive and therapeutic against the Covid-19 infection.
The study was done by researchers of IIT-Delhi in collaboration with Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and it reportedly found that some bio-actives in Ashwagandha interact with SARS-CoV-2. Since the genome and structure of the virus have already been revealed, AIST Japan is working on natural compounds from Ashwagandha and exploring possible uses for treating Coronavirus.
Professor D Sundar from DAILAB (DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine) who is leading the project said that since Ashwagandha is known especially for its properties for enhancing immunity, they have been working on providing evidence that it has some direct antiviral properties. Withanone (Wi-N), a natural compound which is derived from this Ayurvedic herb.
