Here I share some research, which could be useful in COVID-19 patients.
Summary:
Mace in a higher dose of 5-10 grams can help in the respiratory difficulty in the patients of COVID-19 to some extent. Rather than its beneficial effect as a spice or a home remedy in a small quantity, its side effects at a higher dose are the desirable effects for the COVID-19 patients.
Mace in a dose of 5-10 grams would;
• reduce swelling in the lungs
• improve gaseous exchanges and add oxygen to the blood of the patients
• ease the breathing difficulty
Why this?
We don’t have a definitive treatment
It can be used immediately
It can help if some experts work on this immediately and take it further.
Details:
There are many substances in traditional medicine with known antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and immunity-enhancing effects. At the same time, traditional medicine makes tall claims for almost every substance it uses. All the said effects might not be obtained in the controlled conditions and modern science logically tends to reject them. The claims or the reported effects of the substances even if true, may not help the patients of COVID-19 given the virulence of the coronavirus and the rapid progression of the disease. In such a situation, someone might ridicule if a medical professional recommends a substance of alternative medicine for COVID-19 patients. When the condition is severe and life-threatening. When even the best experts find it difficult to handle the patients in the most sophisticated intensive care facility and with all the available medicines.
However, there are certain reasons why I am suggesting a high dose (5-10 grams) of Mace, or Javitri, a common kitchen spice, for COVID-19 patients with respiratory symptoms, even the serious patients. Rather than the usual beneficial effects like antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties, the undesirable side effects associated with consuming a large amount of Mace might help some of the COVID-19 patients, especially the patients with respiratory symptoms. Those undesirable effects are manifested within hours of consuming the herb.
My suggestion is based on the available studies (some of those are attached), as well as my research on the herb some time back. And I have a first-hand experience of the effect of Mace on the upper and lower respiratory tract. It suddenly came to my mind that it can be useful in COVID-19 patients. I once again checked its mechanism of action, and side-effects, and found promising.
What does Mace do at the dose of 5-10 grams?
1) It would reduce swelling in the lungs and improve gaseous exchanges. Thus, it will add oxygen to the blood of the patients.
2) It would ease the breathing difficulty and improves the condition of the patients.
Further, and more importantly, the reduced swelling would improve the efficacy of the medical treatment by means of a ventilator or otherwise.
Additionally, the other minor effects like antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and it's complex effects on the immune system are all likely to intensify with the larger dose, which otherwise might not be significant when we eat a small quantity of mace as a spice. All in all, mace is going to benefit the patients, the mechanism might not be fully understood as yet. The effect on the respiratory system has been reported and also has been self-tested at a small level, though. There are many molecules with anticholinergic effects such as the dry mouth, dry mucus membrane, constipation, caused by decreased secretions, which are somewhat similar to the side effects of Mace. The active ingredient of Mace, which is responsible, may also be identified and given. But, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, as Aristotle said. Rather than a chemical with anticholinergic effects, or a purified extract of Mace, Mace as a whole would give the desired results.
Had there been a better treatment option available, had so many people not been dying, I would never have proposed this. This is only for the time being until a specific treatment is available.
Again, Mace is neither a treatment nor a palliative cure for COVID-19, still, I suggest, because;
1. The first and foremost reason is, as of now, we do not have a specific treatment for the COVID19. Therefore, we are trying antimalarial hydroxychloroquine and other drugs for coronavirus disease COVID19. Then why not we give Mace, an active substance, a chance for some valid reasons?
2. Secondly, time is very crucial. Every day, every hour we are losing people. We need something immediately, within a couple of hours or days. A new drug molecule needs to undergo testing which might take a lot of time, even if we have discovered by now, which we have not. If we had, nothing like that. Mace, on the other hand, can be used instantly because it is a well-known substance and people have been consuming it for centuries and found to be safe. The effects of such a large amount are also known, and 5-10 grams can probably be used with precautions and under monitoring, though it is a much larger amount than what people eat as a spice. Of course, there are certain side effects of a large dose, but the side effects are the desirable effects for the COVID-19 patients. The side effects are generally not fatal and are reversible, as per the research available.
If some experts of Allopathy and Ayurveda look into it and can immediately use it on a couple of patients, it can help. If found useful it can be used for a large number of patients in India as well as elsewhere. In that case, it can save many.
Definitely, the use of Mace cannot prevent all the deaths, not even the majority of those. But it can add value through decreasing the severity of illness and improving gaseous exchange in almost all the patients of COVID-19. And can also prevent deaths.
Note: The attached document compiles some of the human and animal studies on this, though in a very haphazard manner. It helps in determining dose, understanding its beneficial effects, precautions, drug interactions, etc. The expert opinion should prevail.
