Can Green Tea Help Fight Covid-19?

Green tea can help fight against Covid-19 and could give rise to a drug capable of tackling Covid-19. Gallocatechin, which is present in green tea and could be readily available, accessible, and affordable.

Highlights:

Green tea can help fight against coronavirus infection
Gallocatechin is the compound present in green tea that helps in battling with Covid-19
This could give rise to a drug capable of tackling Covid-19

Coronavirus pandemic continues to cause havoc in India and a team of researchers studied how green tea could give rise to a drug capable of tackling Covid-19. //

The initial findings suggested that one of the compounds in green tea could combat the coronavirus behind Covid-19, said lead author Suresh Mohankumar, who researched during his time at JSS College of Pharmacy in Ooty before taking up his current role at Swansea University Medical School.

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Chemical compounds present in chocolate, grapes and green tea inhibit coronavirus enzyme called main protease enzyme (Mpro). Researchers found that cocoa powder and dark chocolate can reduce Mpro activity to half of the original.

‘Gallocatechin compound, which is present in green tea, helps fight against Covid-19 and could be readily available, accessible, and affordable.’

"Nature's oldest pharmacy has always been a treasure of potential novel drugs and we questioned if any of these compounds could assist us in battling the Covid-19 pandemic?" said Mohankumar.

"We screened and sorted a library of natural compounds already know to be active against other coronaviruses using an artificial intelligence-aided computer program," he added.

Mohankumar emphasized that the research was still in its early days and a long way from any kind of clinical application, in the study published in the journal RSC Advances.

Can Drinking Green Tea and Coffee Lower Death Risk?
Drinking 4 or more daily cups of green tea plus 2 or more of coffee was linked to a 63% lower risk of death over a period of around 5 years.

"The compound that our model predicts to be most active is gallocatechin, which is present in green tea and could be readily available, accessible, and affordable," the researcher said.

There now needs to be further investigation to show if it can be proven clinically effective and safe for preventing or treating Covid-19.

Green Tea may Prevent Amyloidosis in Patients With Bone Marrow Disorders
Green tea contains a compound called epigallocatechine-3-gallate (EGCG), which prevents the build-up of protein in patients with multiple myeloma and amyloidosis.

"This is fascinating research and demonstrates that natural products remain an important source of lead compounds in the fight against infectious diseases," said Andrew Morris, Professor, Swansea University.

"I am also really pleased to see this international research collaboration continuing now that Mohankumar has joined the Pharmacy team," Morris added.

Green Tea Prevents Damage Of Kidney Caused By Cancer Drug
Green Tea can prevent kidney damage caused by cisplatin. Cisplatin leads to kidney damage in almost 30% patients.

Source-IANS