Asafoetida could fight swine flu, say Chinese scientists
http://timesofindia
Kounteya Sinha, TNN 11 September 2009
NEW DELHI: India and China seem to be competing to find an effective natural source for antivirals that could combat the H1N1 influenza virus.
While India recently found trees in the Western Ghats whose leaves produced large quantities of shikimic acid -- the most important ingredient of Tamilfu, the antiviral of choice against H1N1 -- China has stumbled upon the antiviral properties of asafoetida, whose roots contain a compound that killed the H1N1 swine flu virus in the lab.
The asafoetida plant, called heeng in India, grows throughout Iran, Afghanistan and mainland China and is commonly known as Dung of the Devil due to its pungent smell.
According to Chinese researchers, the plant was used in China against the influenza virus during the great 1918 Spanish flu epidemic. But until now, no one had confirmed that asafoetida had natural antiviral properties.
The researchers said that in their laboratory experiments, a group of chemicals in the plant's extracts appeared to have a stronger potency against H1N1 flu than a prescription antiviral medication already in use against the flu.
They said these compounds may serve as promising lead components for new drug development against influenza A (H1N1) viral infection.
Fully grown, the plant can often reach six feet in height. The main use of asafoetida is from the collection of its gum. All plants which are over four years old produce a gum in its roots.
Ancient Romans preferred asafoetida as a flavoring agent above all other herbs.
India's ayurveda system recommends asafoetida for the treatment of colic as it stimulates the mucous membranes in the body. It is also used in the treatment of high cholesterol and irritable bowel syndrome. Many herbalists also consider asafoetida as an effective remedy for the treatment of internal worms and to treat different kinds of intestinal parasites.
Meanwhile, India is undertaking industrial trials of the leaves found from the Western Ghats with shikimic acid in them. Scientists from Bangalore had found at least seven plant species that yielded shikimic acid from the Western Ghat forests.
Presently, the majority of the acid's global availability is met by China because it is extracted from the fruits of the Chinese star anise tree, that contains up to 5% of the acid.
Click here to join Fun_4_Amdavadi_Gujarati Yahoo! Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fun_4_Amdavadi_Gujarati/join
**************************************************************************
Welcome to World's Biggest Gujarati Group
Pure Gujju Group with Young Gujju Members
Most happening & the only active Gujarati Group in the Universe
Meet Our New Generation & Make New Friends
This is the only biggest Gujarati Fun group, where you can meet NRI, Local Gujarati Guys & Gals with real fun, no junk at all.
This group is for LOCAL & NRI AMDAVADI GUJARATI PEOPLES, but any one can join, you will get lots of funny & great emails everyday. Please join with big mail box like Gmail or Yahoo or create new account to receive our emails. This group support all types of attachments
Regards,
Moderator, Fun_4_Amdavadi_Gujarati
***************************************************************************
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment