Currently, there is still no approved herbal medicine for tuberculosis. However, scientists are investigating the following herbs for their potential:
Artemisinin
Artemisia annua (sweet wormwood) is a centuries-old herbal medicine discovered by Chinese scientists. The drug derived from this herb, artemisinin, is used to treat malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum. Now, investigators have reason to believe that we can also use this herbal medicine to treat tuberculosis.
One study found that artemisinin stopped Mycobacterium tuberculosis from being dormant. Robert Abramovitch, the lead researcher, explained that when the bacteria reach dormancy, the chance that they will become resistant to antibiotics is higher. Blocking the dormancy, he said, can make TB bacteria more sensitive to the drugs and might even shorten the treatment time.
Turmeric
Another potential herbal medicine for tuberculosis is turmeric.
In the laboratory investigation titled, Curcumin may help overcome drug-resistant tuberculosis, the researchers discovered that curcumin (which you can find in turmeric), modulated the immune response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The report explained that curcumin was able to remove TB bacteria from the purposely infected cells in culture. When the researchers looked closer, they found that curcumin stimulated the macrophages, a type of white blood cell that surrounds and kills microorganisms.
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