• MGM Medical College & Hospital, Aurangabad(Maharashtra)
• Department of General Medicine, IMS, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005
• SSG General Hospital, Vadodara
• ESIC Model Hospital, Kandivali (E), Mumbai

Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra): Commonly known as licorice (family Fabaceae) is one of the most important and widely experienced herbal drugs from Ayurveda pharmacopeiain clinical practice. It is popularly also called Mulethi in India and has been popularly used since times immemorial as a popular household remedy in Indian home to treat common cold, flu like illness and sore throat. This plant is also popularly used in the Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat cough, cold, asthma, and COPD since ancient times.

Yashtimadhu is used as a medicine to strengthen the respiratory system. It is considered to nourish and contribute to healthy growth and function of tissues and strengthens immune status in a general way. It is a potent medicine in alleviation of all three Doshas and inflammatory response. All these medicinal properties are likely to makes it an attractive choice of medicine to treat COVID-19. There is clinical evidence that this formulation used as a Chinese Medicine prevented severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and H1N1 influenza (Cinatl, J.; Lancet 2003). Literature review shows that there is a renewed clinical and research interest in mainland China on using this formulation in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 (Liqiang Wang Acta et al Pharmaceutica Sinica B). Yashtimadhu contains several active compounds including glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinicacid, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and chalcones. Glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid are considered the major constituents for plant activity of clinical therapeutic significance. The extract of liquorice roots is rich in glycyrrhizinate and recently the compound diammonium glycyrrhizinate has been selected in a control study of COVID-19 (Chinese clinical trial: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=49131). Beside this, Glycyrrhiza glabra has long been employed against coughs and colds as well as to settle disturbed digestion. The compound diammonium glycyrrhizinate has anti-inflammatory activity and has been used to treat liver damage caused by hepatitis B (Jun-ling Ren et al Pharmacological Research). Professor Hong Ding (Wuhan University, China) has recently proposed a combination of diammonium glycyrrhizinate and vitamin C to treat COVID-19 and clinical trials have recently been approved (Editorial: Nature Plants 2020).

Thus, there is a good rationale to select Yashtimadhu as a potential research drug to treat COVID-19.

Health Condition / Problems Studied

1. Typical clinical presentation of acute onset febrile illness with cough and a RT_PCR based laboratory confirmation test for COVID-19.
2. Patients of either sex, 20 to 69 years age
3. Patients with mild to moderate disease
4. Patients must agree not to share medication
5. Patients willing to participate and sign an informed consent