Title:Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs against Coronaviruses
Volume: 30
Issue: 21
Author(s): Amin Gasmi, Sonia Kanwal, Petro Oliinyk, Roman Lysiuk, Mariia Shanaida, Asma Gasmi Benahmed, Walallawita Kankanamge Tharindu Dushmantha, Maria Arshad, Ivanna Kernychna, Larysa Lenchyk, Taras Upyr, Volodymyr Shanaida and Geir Bjørklund*
Affiliation:
- Department of Research, Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine
(CONEM), Mo i Rana, Norway
Keywords:
COVID-19, TCM, Ayurveda, medicinal plants, virucidal effect, immunomodulation, quercetin, curcumin, glycyrrhizin, gingerol.
Abstract: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a viral disease that infects the lower airways, causing severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and fatal pneumonia. The ripple effect of the COVID-19 outbreak
has created serious problems in the healthcare systems of many countries and had far-reaching consequences
for the global economy. Thus, effective control measures should be implemented for this coronavirus infection
in the future. The ongoing episode of the SARS-CoV-2 sickness, COVID-19, in China, and the subsequent irregular
spread of contamination to different nations, has alarmed the clinical and academic community primarily
due to the deadly nature of this disease. Being a newly identified virus in the viral classification and having
the highest mutation rate, rapid therapeutics are not readily available for treating this ailment, leading to the
widespread of the disease and causing social issues for affected individuals. Evidence of Ayurveda and traditional
Chinese medicine (TCM) has been found in ancient civilizations, such as those of the Hindus, Babylonians,
Hebrews, and Arabs. Although TCM and Ayurvedic herbs do not promise to be very effective treatments
for this pandemic, they can reduce infectivity and virulence by enhancing immunity and showing effectiveness
in rehabilitation after COVID-19 disease. Thus, they could be used as sources of inhibitor molecules
for certain phenomena, such as viral replication, attachment to the host, 3CL protease inhibition, 3a ion channel
inhibitors, and reverse transcription inhibition. Medicinal plants from TCM and Ayurveda and their biologically
active phytoconstituents can effectively modulate the targets and pathways relevant to inflammation and
immune responses in human bodies. The present review analyzes the role of certain TCM and Ayurvedic
medicinal plants in healing COVID-19 infection. Medicinal plants such as Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Curcuma
longa (turmeric), and Zingiber officinale (ginger) are regarded as the main antiviral herbs. Their extracts
and individual bioactive compounds could be used as potential substances for developing remedies to prevent
or cure the coronavirus disease. Generally, antiviral phytochemicals obtained from natural sources are considered
potent candidates for fighting COVID-19 infection and rehabilitation after it.
