According to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports, two typical wild plants include components that prevent the COVID-19 virus from infecting live cells. In laboratory dish testing, extracts from the rhizomes of the eagle fern (Pteridium aquilinum) and the blooms of tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) individually prevented SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells.

However, these plants only contain trace amounts of the said active chemicals. The researchers from Emory University in Georgia emphasized that using them to treat oneself would be futile and maybe harmful. They said the eagle fern is known to be toxic.

Dr. Cassandra Quave, senior author, and associate professor in the Department of Dermatology and the Centre for the Study of Human Health at Emory School of Medicine stated that her team is working to identify, isolate, and scale up the molecules from the extracts that showed activity against the virus. She added that after identifying the active compound, her team will further test for its safety and its long-range potential as a medicine against COVID-19.

Given that COVID-19 is a recently discovered illness, the researchers adopted a more comprehensive strategy. They came up with a technique to quickly assess 18 compounds and more than 1,800 extracts from the Quave Natural Product Library for efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Additional tests revealed that the protective effects of the plant extract were effective against four variants of SARS-CoV-2, namely theta, delta, gamma, and alpha. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1049204 )