UFS traditional medicine expert to test plant-based medicine on patients who developed TB due to Covid-19

Professor and Director of Pharmacology at the University of the Free State (UFS) Motlalepula Matsabisa and his team are formulating a plant-based medication to treat patients who developed TB due to Covid-19.

During a lecture last week, the traditional medicine expert took attendees on a journey of how medicine can be developed from a molecule or a mixed herbal preparation, and also reflected on his endeavours to find safe and effective medicine.

“Plants play a critical role in the development of pharmaceuticals, as they may provide new drug leads, but could also be developed as vaccines. Plant genes can also be used as diagnostics.

“When we talk about drugs from medicinal plants, we are talking about those medicines that contribute to the treatment of about 90% of all known human diseases, as well as recognising that these medicines make up close to a third of all prescription medicines.”

“Digoxin or Digitalis for heart failure comes from Digitalis purpurea or foxglove plants. Metformin (for treating type 2 diabetes) comes from Galega officinalis, known as French lilac or goat’s rue; morphine from Papaver somniferum; cocaine from Erythroxylum coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense; Theophylline – a medicine for asthma – from the Theobroma tree; plant medicines are used during organ transplant such as heart or kidney transplants; Cyclosporine is derived from Tolypocladium inflatum – a natural product,” he said.

“Almost 80% of cancer medicines come from plants, including Paclitaxel (Taxol) from the Pacific yew tree (Taxus brevifolia), vincristine and vinblastine from the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus),” he added.

According to Prof Matsabisa, there are 360,000 species of plants globally, while only 10% have been well researched, and about 10% of those global species are indigenous to South Africa. Medicines from plants have contributed and participated in past pandemics.

Prof Matsabisa said when he applied to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) for the clinical trials, they asked if he could test PHELA on the different variants of concern in South Africa.

“We tested it on the Wuhan variant and two South Africans variants – the Beta variant that was responsible for the first wave, and the N5011Y.V2 variant. The in vitro tests showed that the traditional medicine was better suited for the South African variants of Covid-19. We could have saved lives if we had acted quickly.”

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