Efficacy of traditional Indian medicinal plants against COVID-19: A review
Mamun Mandal1*, Prasanta Kumar Ghosh2, Sukanta Majumdar3
1*Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda, Pin- 732103 (India) E. mail: mamun.mandal9933@gmail.com, Telephone: +919933716082, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-7405-8163. 2Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda, Pin- 732103 (India) E. mail: pkghosh10@gmail.com. 3Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda, Pin- 732103 (India) E. Mail: smajumdarwbes@gmail.com, Telephone: +918768333983, ORCID ID: 0000-0002-8590-9517. *Corresponding Author
ABSTRACT
The world is yet to recover from the current global pandemic, now known as COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome related Coronavirus 2) or novel coronavirus. SARS-CoV-2 is extremely contagious and transmits all over the world rapidly by human to human interactions to become the first pandemic of this century. The current COVID-19 pandemic damages economies of the developing and advanced countries, create a social imbalance, and causes fatality of thousands of people. However, efficient antiviral medications are lacking against SARS-CoV-2 till now. Some synthetic drugs have gained attention, but they are currently under evaluation and have major side effects. Besides, natural compounds contribute to the diverse chemical reservoir, many of which, showcasing antiviral activity. It makes them ideal candidates against SARS-CoV-2 treatment and prevention. These antiviral phytochemicals can inhibit the enzymes of SARS-CoV-2 that are necessary for viral reproduction and infection. The Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and WHO websites have been searched for papers using the keywords coronavirus, COVID- 19, SARS, MERS, in addition to traditional herbal medicine, remedy, and plants. Most of the publications focused on polar compounds. In this review, we reported that the current knowledge about Indian medicinal plant extracts identified as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2. This review aims to speed up research of anti Covid-19 bio-products which have no side effects and safe for patients.