Medicinal & Aromatic Plants
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Medicinal Plants and their Formulations against COVID-19

Martia Radaell^{* *}Correspondence: Martia Radaell, Department of Molecular Biology, National University of Río Cuarto, National University of Rio Cuarto, Argentina, Email:

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Brief Report

Even a year after its first incidence in Wuhan, China, COVID-19 cases are still increasing on a daily basis around the world. Because of structural variations in S proteins, SARS-CoV-2 infection spreads quickly and differs from earlier SARS-CoV infections. Patients with severe conditions may develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is characterised by systemic inflammatory reactions produced by the immune effector cells' excessive production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokine’s. Despite the dense population and poor health infrastructure in rural regions, it is spreading rapidly in India, with a case fatality rate of less than 1.50%, which is significantly lower than in other nations. This could be attributed to the Indian people's regular use of immunomodulation medicinal herbs and traditional AYUSH formulations. This communication examines AYUSH-recommended formulations and their constituents, as well as commonly used medicinal plants and formulations by Indians and additional promising Indian medicinal plants that can be tested against COVID-19. Special attention is paid to Indian medicinal plants that have been shown to have antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anti-allergic/anti-inflammatory properties, and they are classed for study prioritisation based on previous studies. Traditional AYUSH medications that are currently in clinical trials against COVID-19, as well as the advancement of pre-clinical and clinical testing of possible traditional medicines against COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, are also reviewed.

The findings of clinical trials on AYUSH pharmaceuticals will help policymakers in AYUSH medicine systems navigate public health policies, provide knowledge to the worldwide scientific community, and perhaps serve as a platform for collaborative investigations at the national and global levels. To address the current problem, it is advised that promising AYUSH formulations and Indian medicinal plants be explored as soon as possible. A unique coronavirus-induced pneumonia, later dubbed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has quickly spread to pandemic proportions, affecting the entire human population worldwide (WHO, 2020a). The first case of COVID-19 in India was an imported case from Wuhan, China, which was detected in Kerala on January 30, 2020 and the death rate of COVID-19 in India is 1.45% as of December 12, 2020. The coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic threat to global public health. Coronaviruses (CoVs) are big viruses that belong to the alpha, beta, gamma, and delta genera. SARS virus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory sickness (MERS-CoV), and the COVID-19 causal agent SARS-CoV-2 are all members of the beta-coronavirus family). SARS-CoV-2 is a beta CoV with a genetic sequence that is 88% comparable to two bat-derived SARS-like CoVs (bat-SLCoVZC45 and bat-SL-CoVZXC21), 50% identical to MERSCoV, and 70% resemblance to SARS-CoV. Although the SARS-CoV and the novel SARS-CoV-2 have a lot of similarities, the SARS-CoV-2 is spreading faster than the SARS-CoV, which could be due to structural variations in the S proteins.

There is a lot of evidence that herbs are beneficial in treating viral infections. For example, during the 2003 SARS outbreak in China's Guangdong Province, the dangerous illness transmission was controlled. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a good effect on the treatment or prevention of SARS, according to compelling data. The severity of the condition, the intensity of symptoms, the fatality rate, and side effects could all be reduced with a combination of modern and traditional therapy. Shuanghuanglian (A Chinese medication) is a liquid made up of a blend of honeysuckle, Chinese skullcap, and forsythia that is said to have antiviral, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory properties. Ayurveda is the Sanskrit word for "life science." It gives you everything you need to live a long and healthy life. It is based on the notions of "Dinacharya" - daily regimes - and "Ritucharya" - seasonal regimes - to live a healthy life. The need of boosting and sustaining immunity is underlined throughout Ayurveda's traditional writings.