Prevention and Treatment Potential of COVID-19 Infectious Disease Using Edible Perilla Leaf Extracts

Abstract

Various vaccines for the infectious Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have already been developed and used, but breakthrough infections continue to occur despite the administration of additional booster injections. Various therapeutic agents are being developed during the pandemic, but their use is still limited. Finding a new drug to treat or prevent COVID-19 takes time and money. As such, repositioning the application of existing drugs or foods with fewer rejections or side effects, even at high doses, could be a solution to the limitations. The usefulness of perilla leaf extract or perilla leaves functional food was confirmed in this study. We examined the possibility of preventing and treating COVID-19 infection with perilla leaves, a leafy vegetable widely consumed as food in Korea. In addition, there is a possibility of using the 70% ethanol extract of perilla leaves, which has the effect of reducing body fat according to the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), as a therapeutic agent during the COVID-19 epidemic. However, proof of efficacy should be confirmed through clinical trials.