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Some California researchers will be part of a group studying whether medicinal mushrooms and Chinese herbs can treat coronavirus, Patch says. The University of California and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology will lead the study. Researchers from the San Diego (UCSD) and Los Angeles (UCLA) campuses will be participating.
Scientists believe these subjects have "can provide therapeutic benefit in treating acute COVID-19 infection," according to reporters.
"We hope these treatments will reduce the need for hospitalization," MACH-19 principal investigator Dr. Gordon Saxe says, director of research at the Centers for Integrative Health at UCSD School of Medicine.
One of the studies is set to begin next month and run until December 2022, which, reporters learned. This study focuses on a blend of agarikon and turkey tail mushrooms, both of which have evidence of immune-enhancing and anti-viral effects, Saxe says.
Another trial, which is due to start in July 2022, will look at the effects of Qing Fei Pai Du Tang, a combination of 21 Chinese herbs used as a remedy in China. A third trial will see the medicinal mushrooms, in capsule form, can boost antibodies and immune response after someone gets a COVID-19 shot.
"Vaccines lead to the production of antibodies that can destroy the virus in the blood," Saxe said. "Mushrooms may not only increase the number of these antibodies, but also enhance T-cell immunity against virally infected cells.
Researchers are recruiting 66 to 80 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 for these trials. They will also accept people who are quarantined at home with mild to moderate symptoms.
If you want to learn more about the trials or enroll, click here and search for "MACH-19."