A laboratory in Bhubaneswar has found an Assam duo’s anti-viral herbal drink 98% effective against SARS-Cov2.

Pankaj Gogoi from Dhemaji and Pranjal Gam from Golaghat had applied for a patent for the drink made from a mix of plants people in areas straddling Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have traditionally used as herbal medicines.

“We had our drink tested at the Institute of Life Sciences, an autonomous institute of the Central government’s Department of Biotechnology. Their report on August 25 last year (2021) said the drink is 98% effective as an anti-viral against COVID-19,” Mr Gogoi told Rashtra News.

The laboratory also tested the herbal drink’s cytotoxicity level and the report on October 6 said it was highly effective on infected cells. Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells.

The duo had communicated with the ministries and departments concerned.

PMO’s advice

While the Prime Minister’s Office had December 28 advised them to seek further guidance from the Institute of Life Sciences, the Ministry of AYUSH has not responded yet.

On January 2, a senior official of the Department of Biotechnology asked them to approach the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council for “guidance in terms of pre-clinical testing, Drugs Controller General of India approvals, marketing approvals, etc”.

Mr. Gogoi and Mr. Gam have also written to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the US National Institute of Health for using their herbal drink against COVID-19. The centre suggested that they wait for a study.

“As advised by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, we have submitted an application to the Deputy Commissioner of Dhemaji district,” Mr. Gogoi observed. “What we know for sure is that the drink based on indigenous knowledge of herbs is absolutely safe to use,” he added.