Thailand’s government will set up a committee to study the use of green chiretta (Andrographis paniculata) extracts to treat COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he has instructed authorities to set up the committee, to be headed by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. It will coordinate studies on the safety and efficacy of green chiretta extracts in COVID-19 patients, as well as draft a strategic plan to promote Thai traditional medicine in general.
The decision was taken in response to a proposal from Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, who urged the government to scale up the use of traditional medicines in mild COVID-19 cases amid the vaccine shortage.
His proposal came with evidence showing the Department of Corrections’ success in treating 12,376 inmates, who were infected with COVID-19, with green chiretta extracts. The Department of Corrections now plans to produce about 50 million capsules of the herbal medicine in the next four months, which it aims to prescribe to about 50% of the prison population. (NNT)
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