Health Ministry Donates Herbal Medicines to Hospitals

The Ministry of Public Health announced that it has shipped a total of 600,000 capsules of the herbal medicine fatalaijone to hospitals all over the country. The MInistry said that these capsules are intended to supplement the antiviral treatment of patients with mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Minister Anutin Charnvirakul explained that they have decided to supply these traditional medicines to hospitals after they have observed the viral suppression capabilities of andrographolide, a chemical within the extract used to create these medicines.

Permanent secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Kiattiphum Wongjirat, said that andrographolide has been observed to suppress the spread of the virus as well as to remove it completely from the body.

Fatalaijone is created from the extracts of the Andrographolide plant, which has been used for centuries in traditional medicine in Thailand. It is also one of the top medicines used by alternative medicine practitioners.

The extract is notable for its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as its immune-boosting properties. All of these can theoretically make a person strong enough to fight off the COVID-19.

“Most patients were getting better and above all, they have shown no side effects after taking this traditional herbal medicine,” Minister Anutin added.

The Health Minister, however, clarified that the herbal medicine is to be used together with modern medicines used for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Officials said that the 600,000 capsules are sufficient to treat 15,000 patients with only mild symptoms of COVID-19 infection. The capsules are currently being delivered nationwide under the supervision of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine.

The medicine is to be administered for 180 milligrams a day per patient for three days, after which patients’ symptoms are expected to disappear.

Dr. Kiattiphum said that fatalaijone is a cost-effective supplement to medical treatment for mild symptoms, as it will eliminate the need for imports. He also added that there are no side effects associated with the use of andrographolide as medicine.

DTAM Director-General Dr. Amporn Benjaponpithak said that they had treated 309 patients with mild patients in December during the second wave of infections using fatalaijone. This treatment was undertaken in 9 hospitals across the country.

Dr. Amporn said that only three of the patients treated with fatalaijone experienced worsening symptoms. The rest recovered after five days. This led the DTAM to conclude that the herbal medicine is the best supplement for treating people with mild symptoms of COVID-19.

“It is easy to plant fatalaijone and it costs about 180 baht to treat a patient,” Dr, Amporn said of the expenses associated with producing the medicine.

The DTAM said that it will continue to undertake a study on the efficiency of the herbal medicine against the COVID-19. The agency has already inked agreements with the Department of Medical Sciences, the Government Pharmaceutical Organization and a number of affiliated hospitals to participate in the research.