Wormwood against coronavirus: Africa claims to have found a cure for COVID-19

A number of African countries intend to use wormwood tincture to treat COVID-19. This plant is used to treat malaria. Is it effective in coronavirus, European scientists are now finding out. Writes about it DW.

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For several weeks now, people in Africa have been talking about a miracle herbal medicine that is used against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the SARS-CoV-19 pneumonia it causes. We are talking about the Covid Organics drug, which is based on wormwood tincture.

Madagascar President Andri Radzuelina introduced a new remedy in mid-April. This event was accompanied by great media hype. Other African leaders, convinced of the effectiveness of the new drug, joined the head of Madagascar. But international organizations so far treat him with caution.

Wormwood preparations are used to treat malaria

The healing properties of the annual plant wormwood, also known as Chernobyl, have long been known. In homeopathy and beyond, various medicines based on this plant are used. For example, Artemisinin has been used to treat malaria for 20 years.

Meanwhile, scientists from Algeria tested back in April whether anti-malaria drugs could also be effective against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The results of their study showed that Artemisinin was more effective than Hydroxychloroquine. The latter was considered by some scientists as a possible medicine against COVID-19. But it is now believed that the use of this drug increases the number of deaths.

Meanwhile, scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Potsdam are finding out whether wormwood extract and various drugs based on it can really become a medicine that can overcome the new coronavirus. This is one of the first studies in this area, says Peter Seeberger, research director.

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According to him, every year more than 300 million patients take drugs based on Artemisinin, and not only for the treatment of malaria.

“The drug has been used successfully to treat other diseases,” Seeberger says. There is evidence that Artemisinin was effective against the first known coronavirus, SARS-CoV.

Scientists are investigating the healing properties of wormwood

Scientists in Denmark and Germany, observing increased precautions, are testing in laboratory conditions how wormwood itself, as well as Artemisinin, developed on its basis, affect the coronavirus. It is not yet entirely clear whether it will be possible to use wormwood-based preparations for preventive purposes or for treatment.

“We are now conducting research in all areas,” says Seeberger.

European scientists expect the first results by the end of May this year. If Artemisinin proves to be effective, clinical trials will be conducted on humans. But even if the results of the study are disappointing, it will still be an important result, because then we will have a clear answer, clarity regarding this drug, emphasizes Seeberger.

The President of Madagascar was not clear on this issue when he told reporters in April about Covid Organics, a new medicine against COVID-19. At that time, there were no scientific evaluation results yet. True, he referred to studies conducted by scientists in Madagascar, but they had no evidence that wormwood and preparations made from it can be effectively used against coronavirus.

The director of the Madagascar research institute IMRA, Charles Andrianyara, referred to many years of experience in using the drug Artemisinin and emphasized the fact that it does not cause side effects. But he did not make any arguments based on scientific research.

Without evidence of the drug's effectiveness, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against using it—and all understudied mugwort-based remedies—to treat COVID-19.

But many African countries, including Togo, Chad, Tanzania, have already ordered Covid Organics from Madagascar. Nigeria awaits its deliveries. However, in the Punch newspaper, the Nigerian COVID-19 coordinator, Sani Aliyu, points out that the drug needs to be given to patients only after it passes the necessary tests at the national health department.

WHO warns of the risk of untested medication

The President of Madagascar, despite criticism, defends a medicinal product based on wormwood. He is convinced that its effectiveness is doubted only because the drug was produced in the East African island state, and not in Europe. The President of Madagascar stated this in an interview with a French radio station: “The world does not want to admit that a country like Madagascar has invented a formula that can save humanity.”

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The representative of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, Michel Yao, noted in an interview with DW that traditional medicine certainly has remedies that can defeat the coronavirus. “But such drugs must be used with caution, since there is no evidence of their effectiveness. We don’t know how reliable traditional medicines are and whether we can recommend them or whether they will harm people’s health.”

Agrees with this and Helen Reese, director of the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Johannesburg. In the past 20 years, interest in traditional medicine has grown tremendously.

“But all these drugs must be safe and effective, and this must be proven in clinical trials. Even in the case of Artemisinin, when there is extensive experience in its use against malaria and other diseases. And in the case of a new virus, it is still very important to understand whether the drug should be used for prevention or treatment,” she says.

If scientists from the Max Planck Institute establish that wormwood extract is effective in treating COVID-19, Madagascar will also benefit, says Peter Seeberger. After all, almost 10% of plant raw materials for the manufacture of medicines against malaria, in particular, Artemisinin, are produced in Madagascar.

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