A plant has been found to halt
the deadly Ebola virus in its
tracks in laboratory tests,
scientists have said. They used
a compound from Garcinia kola
(Bitter Kola), a plant commonly
eaten in West Africa.
Compounds from the plant have
also proved effective
against some strains of flu.
If the anti-Ebola compound
proves successful in animal and
human trials, it will be the first
medicine to successfully treat
the virus that causes Ebola
haemorrhagic fever - an often-
fatal condition.
The discovery was announced at
the 16th International Botanical
Congress in St Louis in the US.
Traditional origins
Dr Maurice Iwu, who set up and
heads the Bioresources
Development and Conservation
Programme, led the research.
It started 10 years ago when
researchers were led to the
plant by traditional native
healers who have used the
plant for the treatment of
infectious diseases for centuries.
"This is a very exciting
discovery," said Dr Iwu, who
himself comes originally from a
family of traditional healers.
"The same forest that yields the
dreaded Ebola virus could be a
source of the cure."
The Nigerian researchers claim
they are a step closer to a
universally accepted cure for
Ebola virus, Dengue fever and
leishmaniasis. They claim the
herbal preparation has also
been successfully used, in
clinical studies, to treat
hepatitis B and C, cancer,
diabetes and tuberculosis.
The researchers from Halamin
Herbal centre, 10 George Innih
Crescent, Apo District, Abuja
and Department of
Histopathology and Cytology, Jos
University Teaching Hospital
(JUTH) Jos, Plateau State, found
that the poly herbal
preparations- DAABS2 and
HEPATOSAAB- strengthen the
immune system through many
cytokines and chemokines
regulations.
Amodu is also a member of the
committee inaugurated by the
Director General of the National
Agency for Food Drug
Administration and Control
(NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii, to
champion the development of
herbal medicine through
scientific validation of all the
cure claims.
The yet to be published new
study is titled “Natural and
Sustainable Alternative for the
Management of Dengue Fever in
West Africa.”
Also results of another study
presented, in 1999, at the 16th
International Botanic Congress
in St Louis, Missouri, United
States, indicate that bitter cola
(Garcinia kola), a plant widely
used in traditional African
medicine may contain a
compound that is effective
against Ebola virus disease.
Executive director of the Bio-
resources Development and
Conservation Programme, Prof.
Maurice Iwu, explained that an
extract derived from the seeds
of Garcinia kola could inhibit
this virus in cell culture at non-
toxic concentrations.
Iwu and his colleagues
identified Garcinia kola as a
possible source of drugs using
the method called Corbel
(clinical observation-based
ethnomedical lead).
Extracts from Garcinia kola seeds
were tested against many
complex viral diseases. The
active compound, now known to
be a biflavonoid, was found to
be active against a wide range
of viruses including the
influenza virus.
Iwu reveals last week: “The
active substance is an extract
from Garcinia kola (bitter kola)
called Kolaviron, which contains
bioflavonoids and prenylated
xanthones and benzophenones.
“Work was done while a
scientist at the Division of
Experimental Therapeutics of
Walter Reed Army Institute of
Research Washington DC in
collaboration with Southern
Research Institute (SRI).
“But no follow up. Others at
Ibadan and other Nigerian
universities have done follow-up
work on Kolaviron.”
Fighting chance
The virus multiplies rapidly in
the human body and quickly
overwhelms it, and in advanced
cases the patient develops high
fever and severe bleeding.
The Garcinia kola compound has
been shown to halt
multiplication of the virus in
the laboratory. If repeated in
humans, this would give the
body a chance to fight off the
virus.

is it for preventing it or for curing it??
if na dat, e no hard

Great

hmmmm

Sum gud news huh...