The COVID-combating food supplement is a combination of Cordyceps militaris and curcumin
In a major relief to combat the highly contagious novel coronavirus, Hyderabad-based startup Clone Deals, incubated at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), has developed an immunity-boosting food supplement ‘CoronAid’ made from a rare mushroom – Cordyceps militaris.
The mushroom grows in the Himalayan region and is known for its immunity-boosting and anti-oxidant properties. Following clinical trials, the supplement is expected to be made available in December this year across most cities and towns.
Clone Deals collaborated with food company Ambrosia to develop a combination of the mushroom powder with nanocurcumin – an active ingredient in turmeric, to produce CoronAid as an anti-viral immunity booster oral suspension.
As cordycepin in the mushroom powder is believed to stop the formation of new DNA and RNA strands, Clone Deals collaborated with scientists from CCMB to establish the potency of cordycepin in barring the growth of the Covid-19-causing coronavirus in a cell-culture system.
Having obtained approval from FSSAI ahead of developing the food supplement, Dr Prakash Ayodhya Pandem, M. Ateek Patel of Clone Deals said that they have now submitted it to the government for conducting clinical trials to establish the safety of their formulation with three All India institutes of medical sciences in Nagpur, Navi Mumbai and Bhopal.
CoronAid is being marketed worldwide by Nuzen Herbals.