Close to 3,000 Covid-19 infected inmates in Chiang Mai Central Prison with mild symptoms have fully recovered after treatment using only a herbal medicine made from green chiretta (Andrographis paniculata), according to Justice Minister Somsak Thepsutin.
"Let me share these interesting figures with you. A total of 1,251 infected inmates in the Chiang Mai prison have been treated with favipiravir, while 2,914 have been treated with only the green chiretta herbal medicine," the minister said yesterday.
The ones coughing and having trouble breathing were treated with favipiravir, while the people with less serious symptoms were given the herbal medicine, he said.
He was speaking at a meeting with a number of state agencies on a policy to promote herb growing in all prisons.
From this experience, he said, he would like to urge more growing of the medicinal herb for home use especially now that the country is seeing well over 9,000 new cases of Covid-19 daily.
Amphan Welutanti, deputy permanent secretary for agriculture and cooperatives, said the ministry stands ready to support Mr Somsak's idea.