Herbal medicine for COVID 19: a review

Abstract

The COVID-19 infection is caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. At present, there are no exact curative treatment principles or pharmaceutical products for the safe and effective treatment of COVID-19. According to the World Health Organization, around 80% of the world population depends on herbal medicine for their primary health care needs. Herbal medicine has played an essential role in preventing and controlling infectious diseases in the past. This literature review was conducted to obtain information on the possible effectiveness of herbal medicine in treating COVID-19 based on outcomes of preclinical and clinical studies. This review was done through 28 reviewed articles and clinical reports, short case studies and case series in indexed journals published during the past 30 years. Articles published before 1990 and other peer-reviewed articles were excluded. The review mainly identified the basic mechanisms of pharmacological action that may be related to potential antiCOVID-19 herbal medicines. Such mechanisms of action included inhibiting coronavirus at a structural level, inhibiting RNA synthesis and replication of coronavirus and inhibiting various virulence factors of the coronavirus. Tribulus terrestris, Withania somnifera, Curcuma longa, Ocimum sanctum and Phyllanthus emblica are primarily observed as promising medicinal plants against COVID-19.