Title:Herbal Medicines to Fight Against COVID-19: New Battle with an Old
Weapon
Volume: 23
Issue: 2
Author(s): Ranjit K. Harwansh*Shiv Bahadur
Affiliation:
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, GLA University, Mathura, 281406, India
Keywords:
COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, herbal medicine, coronavirus, herbal bioactive, catechin.
Abstract: The world population has suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The disease has
become life-threatening in a very short time, harming citizens and the economic systems globally. The
novel virus SARS-CoV-2 has been known as the causative agent of COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 is a
single-stranded RNA virus having ~30 kb genomic components, which are 70% identical to SARS-CoV.
The main process of the pathophysiology of COVID-19 has been associated with the interaction of a
novel coronavirus with host cell receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE 2), by fusion. Therapeutic
agents having serine protease inhibitors and ACE-2 blockers may be explored for the treatment by
inhibiting the viral target such as Mpro, RdRp, PLpro, and helicase. Herbal medicine has a wide array of
chemical entities with potential health benefits, including antiviral activity, which may be explored as an
alternative treatment for COVID-19. The herbal bioactives like catechins, andrographolide, hesperidin,
biorobin, scutellarein, silvestrol, shikonin, tryptanthrin, vitexin quercetin, myricetin, caffeic acid, psoralidin,
luteolin, etc. have shown potential inhibitory effect against SARS-CoV-2. Recent research reports
indicate that the various plant secondary metabolites have shown potential antiviral activities. The present
review article highlights the recent information on the mechanism of actions and applications of
herbal medicine in the treatment of COVID-19.