Colchicine is being studied by the scientific community. This Ancient Egyptian remedy could help in the fight against COVID-19. A Canadian study states that it reduces the number of deaths in people affected by the disease by 44% and hospitalizations by 25%.
Nearly a century and a half ago, German Egyptologist Georg Ebers was touring Upper Egypt. On his journey through the country of the Nile, the historian found a relic of the pharaohs’ time. A Christian antiquarian possessed an immense papyrus almost 19 meters long and 3,500 years old.
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It contained all the medical knowledge of the era of Pharaoh Amenhotep I. It described 80 different diseases and their possible treatments. Among them, wild saffron is mentioned as a remedy for swelling. A medicinal plant from which colchicine is extracted. A drug that could be the new great trick against coronavirus.
Researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute have found that colchicine is effective in fighting COVID-19. The remedy is capable of reducing the mortality of patients by 44%, the need for mechanical ventilation by 50% and hospitalizations by 25%. According to Canadian scientists, the prescription of this drug “could alleviate hospital congestion and reduce healthcare costs.”
“Colchicine is the world’s first oral drug that can be used to treat non-hospitalized patients with covid-19,” the director of the investigation, Jean-Claude Tardif, said in a statement
A substance that, beyond Ancient Egypt, was used by Byzantine doctors in the year 600 to combat gout. Even now it continues to be used against this evil. The anti-inflammatory characteristics of colchicine help control this type of arthritis, but also the so-called cytokine storm, a runaway reaction that appears in some affected by COVID-19 and that can cause death.
Despite everything, the health community observes these results with caution, since they are in the process of being evaluated for publication in a scientific journal. But, it is hopeful. Many drugs presented as a cure for COVID-19 have ended in failure, but the anti-inflammatory characteristics of colchicine are consistent with drugs such as dexamethasone, one of the most useful against the disease. Precisely, the latter treatment also acts on inflammations.
In Spain, there are nine clinical trials that aim to study the efficacy of colchicine in the battle against COVID-19, according to the registry of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products. In case of conclusive evidence of its good work, this ancient drug could be easily prescribed, thanks to its low price and safety.
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However, it should only be taken under a medical prescription. And it is not recommended for people who suffer from kidney problems.