evaluation of kgr prescriptions in suppressing covid-19 infection.

Conditions: Coronavirus Disease 2019; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection

Summary: these studies offer valuable insights into the potential development of kgr as a novel herbal-based preventive and therapeutic strategy against covid-19.

the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19) pandemic continues to present challenges despite widespread vaccination efforts, with breakthrough infections remaining a concern. this has led to increased interest in exploring alternative preventive measures, including dietary and natural product-based interventions. previous studies have demonstrated the potential of herbal medicines in inhibiting viral infections and as therapies for covid-19. additionally, research has identified various herbal medicines with inhibitory properties against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (sars-cov-2) infection, highlighting their potential in combating the virus. here researchers found that novel herbal medicine formula kang guan recipe (kgr) is a potent inhibitor against sars-cov-2 viral infection. researchers demonstrated that kgr showed inhibitory activity against variants of concern (vocs) of sars-cov-2 infection. moreover, they also found that kgr can block the interaction of viral spike and human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ace2). furthermore, researchers assessed the inhibitory effect of kgr on sars-cov-2 viral entry in vivo and observed that serum samples from healthy human subjects exhibited suppressive activity against various sars-cov-2 variants after consuming kgr. these studies offer valuable insights into the potential development of kgr as a novel herbal-based preventive and therapeutic strategy against covid-19.

Eligibility criteria:
inclusion criteria: * healthy participants aged 20-60 with a body weight of over 50 kilograms. * individuals who have never been diagnosed with covid-19 or have recovered from covid-19 for more than three months. * no consumption of any traditional chinese medicine or food containing chinese medicine within the preceding 36 hours before the experiment. * vaccinated individuals who received their vaccine more than three months ago. * willingness to undergo venous blood tests (approximately 10 cc of blood to be drawn three times). exclusion criteria: * history of major internal medical conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd), asthma, abnormal liver function (ast levels exceeding 5 times the normal value), renal dysfunction (egfr \<60), cancer, etc. * brain disorders such as trauma, stroke, tumors, epilepsy, or dementia. * mental health disorders such as depression, anorexia nervosa, or schizophrenia. * pregnant or lactating women. if there is suspicion of pregnancy, a commercial urine pregnancy test will be conducted. * smokers, alcoholics, or betel nut addicts. * inability to comply with the trial procedures. * inability to sign the informed consent form. * within three months of a confirmed covid-19 diagnosis. * within three months of receiving a vaccine shot.

Keywords: coronavirus disease 2019 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 kang guan recipe variants of concern angiotensin-converting enzyme 2