Antiviral and Immunity-modulating Natural Herbs in the Prevention of COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 has spread all over the world and there is no single drug or medicine for the prevention and the treatment of this deadly disease. One can get prevention from this disease by boosting the immune system. Persons with weak immune system e.g. children, elder patients or patients with preexisting diseases affect rapidly due to coronavirus. This novel coronavirus attacks mainly on the person immunity. For the centuries the herbal medicinal plants have many beneficial effects against deadly viruses. Herbal medicines provide a rich resource for new antiviral drug development. These natural agents interact with the life cycle of virus such as virus entry, replication, assembly and release. In this review, the importance, immunomodulator, antiviral and pharmacological activities of some medicinal plants, namely, Allium Sativum, Zingiber Officinalis, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Curcuma longa, Ocimum sanctum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Ginseng, Black pepper, Emblica officinalis, Withania somnifera, Tinospora cordifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Azadirachta indica, Piper betel, Eugenia caryophyllata, Cinchona calisaya, Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum are highlighted. These medicinal plants have many phytoconstituents like alkaloids, glycosides, terpenoids, flavonoids, lactones, polysaccharides, volatile oils, tannins, resins, etc which are helpful for boosting immunity and will help in the prevention and in the management of COVID-19. Several types of research attempted to use herbal medicines against COVID-19.