応用薬学ジャーナル
オープンアクセス

概要

Candidates of Traditional Herbal Medicine as Complementary Treatments for COVID-19

Kenz Cope

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel viral illness caused by the coronavirus family's severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease became a pandemic after the first case was recorded in December 2019. One of the elements involved in its aetiology is impaired immunological modulation, which leads to poor outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Many investigations have been conducted using medication candidates as antivirals or immunomodulators. However, the findings of these studies revealed that the medication candidates were ineffective in combating the condition. In the meanwhile, some people feel that using herbal immunomodulators can help prevent or even treat COVID-19. Unfortunately, there have been no particular preclinical and clinical research to investigate the effects of herbal immunoregulators. Based on basic notions from past investigations, several natural substances may be beneficial in the treatment of COVID-19. Here discusses some herbal agents extracted from various plants including Echinacea, Cinchona, Curcuma longa, and Curcuma xanthorrhiza, which are considered for the treatment of COVID-19.