Poria cocos for COVID-19

IntroductionTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) pharmacies in Taiwan have been a vital healthcare resource in Chinese communities, with generations of accumulated TCM knowledge playing a crucial role in infectious disease prevention and treatment. However, as proprietors age and the industry declines, this valuable ethnomedicinal knowledge faces the risk of being lost. Therefore, documenting and analyzing the knowledge used by Taiwanese TCM pharmacies in combating COVID-19 is essential for the preservation and application of ethnomedicine.MethodsThis study employed a stratified sampling method to survey 106 TCM pharmacies in Taiwan, collecting 61 TCM formulae against COVID-19. The medicinal materials were compiled, and analysis were conducted using relative frequency of citation (RFC) and the Phi correlation coefficient to examine the relationships among TCMs. Furthermore, cluster analysis was applied to establish TCM combination patterns.ResultsThis study recorded a total of 70 medicinal materials and identified 30 commonly used ones, categorizing them into four major groups: Group A (heat-clearing and detoxifying): As similar as NRICM101, suitable for moderate to severe cases. Group B (heat-clearing and tonifying): Suitable for mild cases, with both antiviral and immune-boosting effects. Group C (symptom relief): Primarily used for relieving cough, expelling phlegm, and alleviating discomfort. Group D (tonifying and strengthening): Suitable for uninfected individuals to enhance immunity.DiscussionThis study successfully documented and analyzed the TCM usage patterns of Taiwanese TCM pharmacies in combating COVID-19, revealing their alignment with modern TCM theories. The findings not only contribute to the preservation of ethnobotanical knowledge but also serve as a reference for developing herbal prevention strategies and healthcare products, ensuring that traditional medical wisdom can play a greater role within the modern healthcare system.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global threat to human health because of its sporadic prevalence despite the development of COVID-19 vaccines and several drugs such as remdesivir and molnupiravir. Moreover, long COVID has become another global issue. No standard treatment has been established for long COVID. Therefore, finding quickly effective and low-priced drugs against COVID-19 and long COVID-19 and conducting clinical trials on these drugs remains crucial for global health. Drug repurposing is a well-known strategy for redeploying existing licensed drugs for newer indications, enabling the shortest possible transition from bench to bed side. Regarding existing licensed drugs for COVID-19, tetracycline has been administered since the beginning of 2020 due to its efficacy in inhibiting COVID-19 and its anti-inflammatory effects. Neuroinflammation associated with microglia in the central nervous system is considered one of the pathophysiologies of long COVID. Further, tetracycline is expected to be efficacious against long COVID because it inhibits microglial activity. Recently, minocycline has been efficacious against long COVID. Considering other existing licensed drugs for COVID-19, Kampo medicine, which is a traditional Japanese medicine, has been prescribed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to its efficacy in inhibiting severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 and its anti-inflammatory effects. Recently, Kampo medicine has been effective for long COVID. Multidrug treatment is effective because of the synergistic effects associated with the different mechanisms of action of the concerned drugs. Therefore, a combination of minocycline and Kampo medicine may be more efficacious against COVID-19 and long COVID.

Background: The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has originated from Wuhan, China and rapidly spread all over the world. This disease is caused by a coronavirus termed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that mainly infects the human respiratory tract. Herbal agents including Atractylodes lancea, Ephedra, Curcumin, and Echinacea purpurea had immunomodulatory effects and antiviral activities on other respiratory viruses including Influenza virus. They strengthen the innate immunity through increasing the phagocytic activity and antiinflammatory activity. These herbs could be used as a complementary therapy to prevent entry of COVID-19 and improve immune system. This review delves into the role and therapeutic compounds of various herbal agents in relation to immunity, their effectiveness in treating other viral respiratory illnesses, and their potential influence on COVID-19 disease.