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Emory University graduate student Caitlin Risener, first author of the study, gathers tall goldenrod in South Georgia. The study, which was first major screening of botanical extracts to search for potency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, found that two common wild plants contain extracts that inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect living cells. Credit: Photo by Tharanga Samarakoon The first major screening of botanical extracts to search for potency against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Two common wild plants contain extracts that inhibit the ability of the virus that causes COVID-19 to infect living cells, an Emory...

A new study led by Emory University has found that two common wild plants can inhibit the activity of the virus causing Covid-19 to infect human cells. Laboratory experiments revealed that extracts from the flowers of tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) and the rhizomes of the eagle fern (Pteridium aquilinum) efficiently stopped SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells. Since the active compounds are only present in small quantities in the plants, it would be ineffective – and even potentially dangerous – for people to attempt to treat themselves with them. “It’s very early in the process, but we’re working to identify, isolate...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - California became the first state Thursday to ban weeding by hand on most farms, saying the work is too backbreaking for laborers. Under a rule approved by the California Occupational Safety and Health Division, farmworkers, in most cases, will not have to stoop to pull weeds, but will instead be given long-handled tools that will allow them to work without bending over. The rule takes effect within two weeks. The regulation aims to prevent the “real and substantial risk of back injury” caused by stooping to weed or thin plants by hand, Cal-OSHA said. The workplace-safety agency...