Alternative Medicine as a Treatment Option for COVID-19

Abstract

: COVID-19, a viral disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, is the reason for a global pandemic since the starting of the year 2020. The characteristics of the disease vary from mild common coldlike symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi-organ failure leading to death. The world has already observed 213,453 deaths from this disease while 3,095,839 have been infected in 210 countries in total, till 28 April 2020. This disease has had a devastating impact on the health care system because of its high infectivity, easy mode of transmission, lack of proper medicine and vaccine, and deficiency of effectively supportive healthcare arrangement. On the verge of this situation, scientists are searching for treatment options. However, nature has provided us with a large number of herbs, which have disease preventive, as well as have medicinal properties. In this article, we have reviewed several of these plants (ginger, clove, tea, black seed, tulsi, neem), some vitamins (vitamin C and vitamin D) and zinc, which have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-asthmatic properties with scientific evidence. The intake of these products regularly to keep the immune system active and to experience its positive aspects, might be supportive to prevent infection with the new coronavirus or to treat COVID-19.