Govt picks 20 herbal medicine samples for COVID-19 treatment

Experts are examining at least 20 herbal medicine samples among hundreds submitted to the Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute (NCRI) for analysis.

According to Dr Grace Nambatya, the head of the NCRI, following the call a few months ago, at least 300 samples were submitted by the herbalists. The call was put out by the health ministry, to find herbal remedies to COVID-19.

"We hope to open up again for more submissions from the herbalists," she said.

Nambatya said the selected samples proved good, even when they were applied to the COVID-19 patients. "We have already engaged them and they are doing well," Nambatya said.

"We have about four stages that the remedies have to go through," she said. However, the process, Nambatya said, was delayed by lack of machines and finances for the institute.

She added: "We are planning a dialogue with sample developers to ensure they are fully certified and registered by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) before they are fully deployed."

Those who submitted remedies include the National Council for Traditional Healers and Herbalists Association and the Uganda Herbalists and Cultural Association.

Nambatya said government recognises the complimentary role of the herbalists in the fight against diseases.

This is the reason, according to Nambatya, an enabling legal framework through the Traditional and Complementary Medicines Bill 2019, which was recently assented into law by President Yoweri Museveni, was formulated.

In a separate interview, the director of clinical services, Dr Charles Olaro, revealed that even foreign firms have expressed readiness to offer herbal remedies to COVID-19.

According to Olaro, the foreign remedies will also go through all the stages of analysis by the experts, before permission is granted for use.

In pursuit of the vaccine or cure for COVID-19, scientists and politicians are engaging experts, including those engaged in tradition medicine.

The public relations officer at the National Drug Authority (NDA), Fredrick Ssekyana, said there is so far no herbal medicine registered to treat COVID-19 by NDA in Uganda.

The health ministry permanent secretary, Dr Diana Atwine, said there is need to carry out thorough clinical trials on the remedies.

The chairperson of the Uganda Herbalist and Cultural Association, Jamil Lutakome, said more herbalists have been mobilised to submit their remedies for analysis.

He, however, called on government to provide the necessary financial support to herbalists' associations to help in streamlining of the sector.

"The identified plants in the treatment of COVID-19 should be preserved and grown everywhere in Uganda," he added.

"We have capacity to complement the treatment of COVID-19. However, we may need some guidance and assistance because we may not be able to diagnose and we need more skills in preservation," Lutakoome said.

Kareem Musasizi, the general secretary of the National Council for Traditional Healers and Herbalists Association, disclosed that they have submitted up to 15 potent therapies to the NCRI, which they hope can be used for the management or treatment of COVID-19 cases.

Dr Daniel Semakula, the innovation and knowledge translation officer at Makerere University College of Health Sciences, however, said all the medicines (herbal or not) should be evaluated in fair comparisons to understand their potential benefits and harms.