Exploring Phytotherapy's Preventive and Therapeutic Impact on Global COVID-19 Management: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: The WHO Emergency Committee advocates preventive strategies for COVID-19 management, emphasising vaccines as highly effective but acknowledging their limitations. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, initially effective against COVID-19, were discontinued due to severe side effects. Further clinical trials are imperative to establish the safety and efficacy of new antiviral agents, some of which may have harmful effects on human development.

Objectives: The shortcomings of various conventional treatments have prompted urgent efforts to discover safe, natural compounds that may be useful in combating COVID-19. This study aims to review research that has investigated the potential of traditional phytotherapies used by different populations for the prevention and symptomatic treatment of COVID-19 infection.

Methods: This paper reviewed scientific studies published through searching on search engines such as PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect and Elsevier from May until October 2023.

Results: The preventive and anti-COVID-19 attributes of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic formulations and African medicinal plants have been substantiated in research. In Nepal, recommendations endorse the utilisation of medicinal plants for herbal teas and homemade sanitizers. Zingiber officinale, Curcuma longa L. and Curcuma xanthorriza Roxb., along with Camellia sinensis are crucial Indonesian medicinal plants with potential for treating COVID-19. Z. officinale was predominantly chosen for relieving coughs and sore throats associated with COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia.

Discussion: The immunomodulatory properties of medicinal plants, which may prove useful in combating COVID-19, have been verified via elevation of the level of peripheral WBCs, IgM, IgG; inhibition of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, maintenance of the integrity of intestinal mucosal barrier and regulation of HMGB1. The antiviral effects of herbs, including the inhibition of viral DNA and RNA replication, down-regulation of oxidative stress, and the impediment of SARS-CoV-2 access to vascular endothelial cells, suggest their potential to facilitate earlier recovery from COVID-19 infection.

Conclusion: Advancing scientific research in phytotherapy promises the possibility of novel approaches for effectively managing future infectious diseases and pandemics.