A new study has found that a recently discovered antiviral (thapsigargin) blocks Covid-19 infection in cell cultures. The compound is found in the roots of the plant Thapsia Garganica -- commonly called the “deadly carrot.”
The root has been used for years in ayurvedic and folk medicine practices to treat pain, lung diseases, and even infertility in females. The new study found that each variant of Covid-19 was sensitive to the compound, excluding new research on the Omnicron variant.
The research has taken place at the University of Nottingham in the UK, and also sought to identify differences in the infection abilities of the various Covid-19 variants. The study even analyzed the impacts of infection with two of the variants at the same time on a cell culture -- known as coinfection.
In a previous study by the same authors, the “deadly carrot” compound was sued in very small doses to successfully block the replications of an early SARS-CoV-2 variant, as well as common influenza and even cold viruses.
The authors of the study acknowledge the difficulty that comes with developing antiviral treatments in comparison to vaccines, but see the new finding as a potential route forward that would not be susceptible to the virus’s continued mutations.
The study authors claim: “The antiviral potency of [thapsigargin] has now been extended to contemporary SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the [Delta] variant, in all combinations of single- and coinfections. We therefore submit that [thapsigargin] is potentially a truly broad-spectrum antiviral that targets a growing list of viruses.”
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