Palestine Economy Portal.

The World Health Organization has approved a protocol that regulates the conduct of tests on African herbal medicines as potential treatments for Coronavirus and other epidemic diseases.

The spread of Covid-19 has raised the issue of the use of traditional medicines in treating contemporary diseases, and the approval of the World Health Organization clearly encourages tests with standards similar to those used in laboratories.

Months ago, the President of Madagascar, Andre Rajoelina, was scorned after his attempt to promote the "Covid-Organics" drink, which is extracted from the wormwood plant (Artemisia), to treat the Corona virus, despite the proven effectiveness of the plant in treating malaria.

On Saturday, experts from the WHO and colleagues from two other African organizations approved a protocol for conducting third-stage clinical trials of herbal medicines to treat Covid-19, in addition to a charter and powers to establish a safety oversight board and collect data for “clinical trials on herbal medicines.”

In a press release, the experts pointed out that the third phase of clinical testing is pivotal to fully assess the safety and efficacy of new medical products.

The statement quoted the Regional Director of the World Health Organization Prosper Tomosemi, if the safety, efficacy and quality of a traditional medicine product is demonstrated, the World Health Organization will recommend it in order to quickly and widely manufacture it locally.

The organization approved the protocol in partnership with the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union Commission for Social Affairs.

“The emergence of Covid-19, like the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, has highlighted the need for strong health systems and has accelerated research and development programs, including traditional medicine,” Tomosemi added.

The WHO official did not mention the Madagascar chief drink, which was widely distributed in Madagascar, and sold to many other countries, especially in Africa.

In May, the director of the World Health Organization in Africa, Machidiso Moeti, told the media that African governments had committed in 2000 to subjecting "traditional treatments" to the same clinical trials as other drugs.

"I can understand the need and the motivations to look for something that could help," he said, adding, "But we very much want to encourage scientific testing that governments themselves have committed to."