Curcuma longa for COVID-19

This cross‐sectional study investigated nonconventional therapies for COVID‐19 in Trinidad, emphasizing the need for documentation supporting future pharmaceutical research. The survey, conducted from June 20 to July 19, 2022, garnered responses from 57 participants aged 18 and above, with 82.46% vaccinated. The majority (81%) utilized both conventional and nonconventional therapies, revealing insights for potential alternatives to traditional treatments. Conventional treatments, including antibiotics, Ivermectin, anti‐inflammatories, analgesics, bronchodilators, and cough/flu syrups, were frequently reported. Nonconventional therapies encompassed vitamins, minerals, supplements, and various plant and animal products. When participants used conventional therapies, either alone or in combination with nonconventional ones, 13.21% reported side effects. These included severe thirst, headache, nausea, drowsiness, and one case of weight gain. Conversely, those exclusively using nonconventional treatments reported no side effects. Encouragingly, nonconventional therapies demonstrated promising effects in managing COVID‐19, emphasizing the need for meticulous selection, research, and development of their bioactive compounds as potential alternatives to conventional therapies.

There is currently no particular cure for coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). However, studies suggest that certain medicinal plants, fruits, and vegetables possess bioactive substances capable of ameliorating the disease. This review aims to articulate fruits, vegetables, and medicinal plants that have anti-coronavirus properties. Relevant articles were collected from reputable academic repositories, namely SpringerLink, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Available information shows that alkaline-rich fruits and vegetables, such as mango, cabbage, lemon, onion, okra, carrot, cucumber, pepper, spinach, and avocado, have anti-coronavirus properties. The mentioned fruits and vegetables stimulate an unfavorable pH for the replication of the virus and normalize the acid-base imbalance induced in the lungs and kidneys of the infected. Fruits and vegetables also contain health-boosting substances such as proteins, amino acids, glycosides, vitamins, and minerals. Medicinal plants, including Clitoria ternatea L., Vitex trifolia L., Sphaeranthus indicus L., Clerodendrum inerme L. Gaertn., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., Strobilanthes cusia (Nees) Kuntze, Vitis vinifera var. aestivalis (Michx.) Kuntze, Hyoscyamus niger L., and Cedrela Sinensis Juss., also possess anti-coronavirus properties. Clitoria ternatea and Cedrela sinensis reduce the virus’s replication by shredding its receptor, called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Vitex trifolia and Sphaeranthus indicus prevent hyper-inflammatory responses and cytokine storms. Glycyrrhiza glabra induces nitrous oxide synthase and blocks the virus’s replication. Clerodendrum inerme and Strobilanthes cusia inhibit the virus’s ribosome and protein translation. Vitis vinifera represses nucleocapsid protein and lowers apoptosis. Hyoscyamus niger inhibits Ca2+ channels and lessens breathing difficulties induced by the coronavirus. Thus, dietary supplements and drugs formulated with these medicinal plants, fruits, and vegetables may lessen the effects of COVID-19.

In 2020, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) challenged the world with a global outbreak that led to millions of deaths worldwide. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the symptomatic manifestation of this virus, which can range from flu-like symptoms to utter clinical complications and even death. Since there was no clear medicine that could tackle this infection or lower its complications with minimal adverse effects on the patients’ health, the world health organization (WHO) developed awareness programs to lower the infection rate and limit the fast spread of this virus. Although vaccines have been developed as preventative tools, people still prefer going back to traditional herbal medicine, which provides remarkable health benefits that can either prevent the viral infection or limit the progression of severe symptoms through different mechanistic pathways with relatively insignificant side effects. This comprehensive review provides scientific evidence elucidating the effect of 10 different plants against SARS-CoV-2, paving the way for further studies to reconsider plant-based extracts, rich in bioactive compounds, into more advanced clinical assessments in order to identify their impact on patients suffering from COVID-19.

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has affected many countries throughout the world. As urgency is a necessity, most efforts have focused on identifying small molecule drugs that can be repurposed for use as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Although several drug candidates have been identified using in silico method and in vitro studies, most of these drugs require the support of in vivo data before they can be considered for clinical trials. Several drugs are considered promising therapeutic agents for COVID-19. In addition to the direct-acting antiviral drugs, supportive therapies including traditional Chinese medicine, immunotherapies, immunomodulators, and nutritional therapy could contribute a major role in treating COVID-19 patients. Some of these drugs have already been included in the treatment guidelines, recommendations, and standard operating procedures. In this article, we comprehensively review the approved and potential therapeutic drugs, immune cells-based therapies, immunomodulatory agents/drugs, herbs and plant metabolites, nutritional and dietary for COVID-19.

In December 2019, an outbreak of a respiratory disease called the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by a new coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in Wuhan, China. The SARS-CoV-2, an encapsulated positive-stranded RNA virus, spread worldwide with disastrous consequences for people’s health, economies, and quality of life. The disease has had far-reaching impacts on society, including economic disruption, school closures, and increased stress and anxiety. It has also highlighted disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, with marginalized communities disproportionately affected by the SARS-CoV-2. The symptoms of COVID-19 range from mild to severe. There is presently no effective cure. Nevertheless, significant progress has been made in developing COVID-19 vaccine for different therapeutic targets. For instance, scientists developed multifold vaccine candidates shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak after Pfizer and AstraZeneca discovered the initial COVID-19 vaccines. These vaccines reduce disease spread, severity, and mortality. The addition of rapid diagnostics to microscopy for COVID-19 diagnosis has proven crucial. Our review provides a thorough overview of the historical development of COVID-19 and molecular and biochemical characterization of the SARS-CoV-2. We highlight the potential contributions from insect and plant sources as anti-SARS-CoV-2 and present directions for future research.