Potential medicinal plant remedies and their possible mechanisms against COVID-19: A review

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, a city in Hubei Province of China in December, 2019 and is known to be responsible for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March, 2020 and since then, it has caused a number of deaths in over 200 countries around the world. Extensive researches have continued in the search of effective vaccines or drug compounds against SARS-CoV-2 and a total of 64 vaccines are currently in clinical trials with 12 currently approved for use by different regulatory bodies, depending on the country. Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, many countries have utilised traditional herbal medicines alongside conventional drugs for the treatment of infected patients. In this review, traditional medicines used to prevent or treat SARS-CoV-2 infection are listed along with the plant parts as used by the traditional healers. Additionally, the possible mechanisms responsible for this preventive or therapeutic outcome are also identified and listed. Our literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and WHO website. Unpublished reports such asdissertations and theses are not included. Plant parts including roots, leaves, flowers, seeds and so on have been used in the treatment of COVID-19. These traditional medicinal herbs may exert their anti-COVID-19 activity by direct inhibition of the virus replication or entry. Some may act by blocking the ACE-2 receptor, SARS-CoV helicase, Type II Transmembrane Serine Protease (TMPRSS2) and which are required by SARS-CoV-2 in order to infect human cells. Others act by inhibiting the SARSCoV-2 life-cycle related proteins, namely chymotrypsin-like cysteine protease (3CL-pro) and Papain-like protease (PL-pro). Medicinal plants are promising alternative medicines for the treatment or prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further researches, are needed to decipher their active components and structures which may suggest clues for the development of drugs against this novel coronavirus. Keywords: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2), COVID-19, medicinal plants, plant parts, mechanism of action, pandemic,

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Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants of Resunga hill used by Magar community of Badagaun VDC, Gulmi district, Nepal

Scientific World ◽

10.3126/sw.v10i10.6863 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 54-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Rajendra Acharya

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Respiratory Tract ◽

Plant Species ◽

Stem Bark ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Easy Access ◽

Ethnobotanical Study ◽

Young Generation ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Scientific World

Present study aims to explore the ethnobotanical information on medicinal plants used by Magar community of Badagaun VDC of Gulmi district. The study was carried out during different periods of the year 2010. Informations on plant and plant parts uses were collected interviewing key informants by using semi-structured open-ended questionnaire. Altogether 161 different plant species belonging to 87 familes and 144 genera were documented and majority of them are herbs. In terms of plant parts use, leaf and stem/bark are in top priorities. These plants are used to treat different ailments ranging from gastro-intestinal to headache and fever, respiratory tract related problems to dermatological problems, snake bite to ophthalmic and cuts and wounds. Easy access to modern medicines and less recognition of traditional healers are the main causes leading to decrease in interest of young generation in the use of traditional medicinal practices. Scientific World, Vol. 10, No. 10, July 2012 p54-65 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/sw.v10i10.6863

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Ethno Botanical Studies of District Dera Ghazi Khan, Province Punjab, Pakistan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-60138/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tahira Aziz Mughal ◽

Hamna Yasin ◽

Zubaida Yousaf ◽

Ismat Naeem Naeem

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Medicinal Uses ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Floral Diversity ◽

Natural Drugs

Abstract Background The chief aim of this study was to enlist the Ethnobotanical uses of plants in Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab, Pakistan. Due to unique geographical and climatic conditions, Pakistan has a great floral diversity. Plants have been used by the indigenous people for treatment of different ailments since long. They are still dependent on the plants for their domestic purposes. Moreover, plants are used as first aid to treat diverse ailments such as hepatic disorders, cardiac diseases, neurological diseases, anticancer, respiratory diseases, ENT problems, gynecological problems etc. The traditional uses of medicinal plants lead to the discovery of natural drugs. This is first quantitative ethno medicinal documentation of medicinal plants in Dera Ghazi Khan. Punjab, Pakistan. Methods This ethno botanical information was collected from about 200 informants including male and female. Sample size was determined by statistical formula. The informative data was based on semi-structured interviews, group discussions, Questionnaire and field visits. Then the data was analyzed by applying different quantitative indices such as Informant Consent Factor (ICF), Use value (UV), Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) and the Fidelity level (FL). Results Almost 185 plants belonging to 52 families were reported. Most-frequently cited families were Astreaceae (20 species) and Solanaceae (10 species). The most dominant life form was herbs (51%). The most-used plant parts were leaves (68%), followed by whole plant (65%), Most common mode of administration is extraction (50%). Generally herbal medicines were acquired from fresh plant material. Many species were reported with their different medicinal uses as has been reported in literature. Conclusions This ethno botanical documentation revealed that the plants are still used by natives of rural areas in their day-to-day lives. This study provides basis for the conservation of local flora. Plants with high ICF, UV and FL can be further used for phytochemical and pharmacological studies. This documentation could provide baseline information which can be used to develop new plant-based commercial drugs.

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Survey and Documentation of Ethnobotanicals used in the Traditional Medicines System of Tribal Communities of Chirang District of Assam Against Helminthiasis

Biomedical & Pharmacology Journal ◽

10.13005/bpj/1824 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (04) ◽

pp. 1923-1935

Author(s):

Ananta Swargiary ◽

Mritunjoy Kumar Roy ◽

Manita Daimari

Keyword(s):

Sex Education ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Ananas Comosus ◽

Asparagus Racemosus ◽

Traditional Medicines ◽

Face To Face ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Tribal Communities ◽

Ancient Times

Ethnobotanical knowledge has been the backbone of rural healthcare since ancient times. Many diseases including helminthiasis are cured by traditional medicine in many parts of the world. The present study aims at exploring the ethnobotanicals used as anthelmintic medicines by the tribal communities of Chirang district of Assam. The present study was conducted in different villages under Chirang district of Assam, India. A face-to-face interview was carried out during survey work along with readymade questionnaire. In our survey work, 20 neighbouring villages were taken as a single cluster and one sample informant was collected. Information regarding the plant and plant parts used, methodology of use as well as informant demography such as age, sex, education was also collected. A total of 20 villages were surveyed and information was gathered from 27 informants, 23 kaviraja and 4 elderly people, 15 male and 12 female. The information collected revealed 43 medicinal plants belonging to 27 families. Lamiaceae was found to be most common family followed by Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Zutaceae and Zingiberaceae. The most highly cited plants were Ananas comosus, Andrographis paniculata, Asparagus racemosus, Alstonia scholaris and Leucas aspera. Leaves, fruits and tubers were found to be the most commonly used plant parts. Except few, most of the herbal medicines were prepared as raw materials and are consumed orally. Documentation of important ethnomedicinal information from the remote areas of Assam will help scientific investigators to look into its scientific aspect leading to the development of new medicines against helminthiasis and many other diseases.

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Identification and documentation of Ethno-veterinary remedies used by Afar Pastoralists for the treatment of Camel diseases in Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.3.rs-454901/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fikadu Gutema ◽

Weldegebrial G.Aregawi ◽

Juhar Tesfaye Bekele ◽

Abel sorsa Geletu

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Plant Species ◽

Animal Health ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Herbal Remedies ◽

Phytochemical Analysis ◽

Ethnoveterinary Medicine ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Afar Region ◽

Plant Nursery

Abstract Background: Ethnoveterinary medicine is a scientific term for traditional animal health care that encompasses knowledge, belief, practice and skill of the community used for curing diseases and maintaining health of animals. A cross-sectional study was conducted using semi-structured questionnaires from September 2016 to August 2017 to gather information on the knowledge, practice and skill of the pastoralists and traditional healers about the importance and application of Ethno-veterinary medicine. Moreover, this study was conducted with the objectives of identification and documentation of major ethno-veterinary medicinal plants commonly used to treat camel aliments in Afar region.Result: A total of 146 traditional healers and pastoralists were interviewed for baseline and reliable information about Ethno-veterinary medicinal practice in Afar region. Accordingly, 99.3% of the respondents were men in which 66.44% of them were in the age range of 45-60. Majorities (76.02%) of the information’s concerning EVM were obtained from the elders among which 84.93% responded that the overall EVM practice and status in pastoral society of Afar is decreasing. A total of 710 plant species supposed to have medicinal property were recommended by pastoralists to be used for the treatment of 49 different animal diseases. Among 64 plants specimen collected, Balanites aegyptia, Cissus rotundifolia (Forssk.) Vahl, Cadaba rotundifolia Forssk, Solanum sp, Acalypha indica L and Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karsts were the commonly used plant species with high fidelity value. Concerned with plant parts used, leaf (20.5%) was the most frequently used plant parts followed by root (19.4%), fruit (14.4%), seed (10.8%) and entire plant (8.8%). These herbal remedies were administered orally, nasally, ocular and topically.Conclusion: pastoralists and traditional healers in Afar region have immense indigenous knowledge and practices of treating sick animals which should be supported by scientific techniques for analyzing the active ingredients contained in each plant species and for evaluating the safety, efficacy and dosage of the commonly used medicinal plants. In addition, on station establishment of commonly used medicinal plant nursery for conservation purpose and to conduct in-depth phytochemical analysis is paramount important.

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Medicinal Plants from Vettangudi Water Bird Sanctuary in Sivagangai District of Tamil Nadu, Southern India

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics ◽

10.22270/jddt.v11i2.4608 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 135-140

Author(s):

S Shanmugam ◽

C P Muthupandi ◽

V M Eswaran ◽

K Rajendran

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Plant Species ◽

Tamil Nadu ◽

Medicinal Uses ◽

Traditional Medicines ◽

Water Bird ◽

Plant Parts ◽

Healthcare Needs ◽

The People ◽

Exploitation And Utilization

Most of the people depending on traditional medicine to meet their primary healthcare needs. Documenting the indigenous knowledge through ethnobotanical studies is important for the conservation of biological resources as well as their sustainable utilization. It is also necessary to collect the information about the knowledge of traditional medicines before it is permanently lost. Having all these facts in mind, the present study was carried out to document the plants used as medicine by the people inhabiting around the Vettangudi Water Bird Sanctuary of Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu, India. The field survey was conducted in two villages situated near to Vettangudi Water Bird Sanctuary. The medicinal uses of 40 angiospermic plant species belonging to 36 genera of 24 families for various diseases and ailments were recorded by this study. The people inhabiting in the study area used 45 herbal therapies prepared from 40 plants to treat 27 different illnesses. Regarding the plant parts used, leaf was the mostly used plant part (51.16%) and extract was found as mostly followed mode (42.28%) to treat a particular disease. Attention should be made on proper exploitation and utilization of these medicinally important plant species. Keywords: Medicinal plants, Vettangudi Water Bird Sanctuary, Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu.

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Traditional Herbs With Potential Wound Healing Properties

10.4018/978-1-6684-3546-5.ch012 ◽

2022 ◽

pp. 214-232

Author(s):

Neelesh Babu ◽

Ajeet Singh ◽

Navneet

Keyword(s):

Wound Healing ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Human Health ◽

Healing Process ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Wound Healing Process ◽

Traditional Medicines ◽

Natural Remedies ◽

Wide Zone

Medicinal plants have been necessary to conventional and non-customary types of prescriptions dating back to somewhere around 5000 years ago. Researchers progressively depend on current logical techniques and proof-based medication to demonstrate the viability of herbal medicines and spotlight on a better comprehension of the systems of their activity. Notwithstanding, data concerning quantitative human health advantages on natural remedies is yet uncommon, constraining their legitimate valuation. Traditional medicines are regularly utilized for the wound-healing process covering a wide zone of various skin-related infections. This chapter will give information about the wound-healing capability of plants that are useful for the advancement of new wound-healing formulations.

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Documentation of Indigenous Knowledge on Folk Medicine in Doddakavalande Doddakavalande Hobli, Nanjangud Taluk of Mysore District, Karnataka

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics ◽

10.22270/jddt.v10i1.3726 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 39-47

Author(s):

M Nagalakshmi ◽

S Rashmi

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Indigenous Knowledge ◽

Traditional Knowledge ◽

Plant Species ◽

Folk Medicine ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Drug Formulation ◽

Ethnobotanical Survey ◽

Traditional Medicines ◽

Herbal Formulations

An ethnobotanical survey was conducted to collect information from traditional healers on the use of herbal medicine in Doddakavalande Hobli, Nanjangud taluk of Mysore District. The indigenous knowledge of local healers was documented through questionnaire and personal interviews. In the present study, about 19 respondents of age group between 50 to 89 yrs gave information of traditional medicines used to cure different ailments. Of about 35 plant species belonging to 26 families were used for the treatment of human ailments. In which family Fabaceae and Polygonaceae contained 3 plant species, followed by Acanthaceae, Amaranthaceae, Apocynaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Poaceae contained 2 species each, and the rest of the families Amaryllidaceae, Anacardiaceae, Apiaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Asteraceae, Cleastraceae, Crassulaceae, Lamiaceae, Lecythidaceae, Meliaceae, Olaceae, Phylanthaceae, Piperaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Poaceae, Polygonaceae, Rutaceae, Smilacaceae, Solanaceae, Styracaceae and Zingiberaceae. Habit wise analysis of medicinal plant species used indicated that herbs (19 species) were the most preferred life form followed by trees (8 species), shrubs (5 species) and climbers (3 species) for drug formulation. Herbal formulations were administrated either internally or applied externally depending on the type of ailment. Local people in the study area possess traditional knowledge of medicinal plants to treat various human ailments, therefore it is necessary to preserve the indigenous knowledge on traditional medicines by proper documentation, identification of plant species used, and herbal preparation. Keywords: Ethnobotany, Traditional knowledge, Medicinal plants, Mysore district.

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Study of the genus Curcuma in Indonesia used as traditional herbal medicines

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d200527 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

DYAH SUBOSITI ◽

SLAMET WAHYONO

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Ethnic Groups ◽

Local Knowledge ◽

Relative Frequency ◽

Sampling Method ◽

Curcuma Longa ◽

Economic Value ◽

Herbal Medicines ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Use Value

Abstract. Subositi D, Wahyono S. 2019. Study of the genus Curcuma in Indonesia used as traditional herbal medicines. Biodiversitas 20: 1356-1361. Research into local knowledge is very important in providing a database of medicinal plants and as a basis for further research. The genus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) has been used as medicines and other purposes, so it has a high economic value. The aim of this study was to record the use of the species of the genus Curcuma as traditional herbal medicines in Indonesia. The study was a part of a project called RISTOJA (Research on Medicinal Plants and Traditional Herbal Medicines), which collected data from 415 ethnic groups in Indonesia from 2012 to 2017. A purposive sampling method was used to select 2,354 respondents (traditional healers) for interviews, 1,042 of whom used Curcuma as herbal medicines. It was found that eight species of the genus were used to treat 73 different ailments. Curcuma longa was found to have the highest relative frequency of citation (0.274) and use value (0.563), and members of the genus Curcuma were found to be extensively used to treat a wide variety of ailments in Indonesia.

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Jeopardy of COVID-19: Rechecking the Perks of Phytotherapeutic Interventions

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26226783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (22) ◽

pp. 6783

Author(s):

Priyanka Saha ◽

Subhankar Bose ◽

Amit Kumar Srivastava ◽

Anis Ahmad Chaudhary ◽

Rajiv Lall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Clinical Status ◽

Active Metabolites ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Chemical Structures ◽

Clinical Complications ◽

Acute Kidney Disease ◽

Antiviral Activities ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Transmembrane Serine Protease

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the reason for worldwide pandemic, has already masked around 220 countries globally. This disease is induced by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Arising environmental stress, increase in the oxidative stress level, weak immunity and lack of nutrition deteriorates the clinical status of the infected patients. Though several researches are at its peak for understanding and bringing forward effective therapeutics, yet there is no promising solution treating this disease directly. Medicinal plants and their active metabolites have always been promising in treating many clinical complications since time immemorial. Mother nature provides vivid chemical structures, which act multi-dimensionally all alone or synergistically in mitigating several diseases. Their unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity with least side effects have made them more effective candidate for pharmacological studies. These medicinal plants inhibit attachment, encapsulation and replication of COVID-19 viruses by targeting various signaling molecules such as angiotensin converting enzyme-2, transmembrane serine protease 2, spike glycoprotein, main protease etc. This property is re-examined and its potency is now used to improve the existing global health crisis. This review is an attempt to focus various antiviral activities of various noteworthy medicinal plants. Moreover, its implications as prophylactic or preventive in various secondary complications including neurological, cardiovascular, acute kidney disease, liver disease are also pinpointed in the present review. This knowledge will help emphasis on the therapeutic developments for this novel coronavirus where it can be used as alone or in combination with the repositioned drugs to combat COVID-19.

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Medicinal Plants Used by Tai Lao Healers in Roi Et Thailand

10.21203/rs.3.rs-957563/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Auemporn Junsongduang ◽

Onuma Nabundit ◽

Pimrudee Chinnawong ◽

Wattana Tanming ◽

Henrik Balslev

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Medicinal Plant ◽

Traditional Healers ◽

Cyperus Rotundus ◽

General Category ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Informant Agreement ◽

Folk Healing ◽

Plant Parts

Abstract Background: Local knowledge of herbal medicine in rural communities is rich. This part of cultures plays an important role in societies where knowledge of indigenous medicine and folk healing has been passed down from generation to generation. Most of the knowledge was never written down and much such knowledge has disappeared over time when it was presented orally and through memorization. The objective of this study was to compile knowledge related to medicinal plants used by Tai Lao traditional healers in Roi et province and identify their explicit use in order to preserve the useful wisdom for the people. Methodology: In this study we identify and document medicinal plants and associated ethnobotanical knowledge held by 14 traditional Tai Lao healers. They were selected by snowball and purposive sampling and questioned using semi-structured interviews. Interviews about their knowledge, covered their training, the ailments they treated, the techniques they used, their methods of preparation and, in addition, several healing sessions were observed. During walks in the fields, we searched for the medicinal plant with help from the healers to review and document their availability at each locality and in different habitats around the villages. Use Values (UV) were calculated to estimate the importance of each medicinal plant and Informant Agreement Ratios (IAR) were calculated to understand how widely known the uses were among the healers. Results: We found 146 species of medicinal plants in 127 genera and 60 plant families that were used for medicinal purposes by the 14 traditional healers interviewed. The family with most medicinal plants was Fabaceae (12 spp., 8%) followed by Poaceae (9 spp., 6%) and Zigiberaceae (8 spp., 5%). The most important and widely used medicinal plants were the sedge Cyperus rotundus (UV=0.71) followed by the dicot tree Salacia dongnaiensis (UV=0.64) and the palm Borassus flabellifer (UV=0.42). The most common preparation method was decoction, which was done for 99 species (68%) followed by grinding with water to produce a drink for 29 species (20%). The 14 healers together used medicinal plants to treat 53 specific conditions. Itching had the highest informant agreement ratio (IAR) value among the specific conditions with 0.33 (4 use-reports, 3 spp.). The general category of digestive system disorders had an informant agreement ratio (IAR) value of 0.35 (57 use-reports, 37 spp.) and this category of treatments also had the highest degree of consensus. The most common life form among the medicinal plants was trees (56 spp., 38%), followed by herbs (41 spp., 28%). The medicinal plants were mostly collected in homegardens (60 spp., 41%). The most commonly used plant parts for medicine was the stem which was used for almost half of the species (69 spp., 48%), followed by the roots (54 spp., 37%). The age of the Tai Lao healers varied from 26–87 years. All of them were male. Their age and educations were not correlated with the number of known medicinal plants. The highest number of known medicinal plants was held by a 70 years old healer (55 spp.). Conclusion: Considering the richness of the healers’ pharmacopeia, and the fact that their profession is not being perpetuated, this study points to the urgent need to document the traditional knowledge from the old herbalists before it disappears with the last practitioners in the rural communities.

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