ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the third year of the pandemic, we are overlooking numerous publications on possible preventive and therapeutic benefts of phytotherapy against SARS-CoV 2. Most of the publications describe very promising preclinical e?ects. Clinical benefts however, have been demonstrated to a very limited extent. The article points to gaps that need to be flled, while dealing deliberately only with plants that are part of phytotherapy in Western countries.
ABSTRACT
Introduction Echinacea purpurea has been shown to broadly inhibit coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 in vitro [1]. Aim To assess the available clinical evidence for Echinacea preparations in the infection prevention against coronaviruses. Method In a systematic literature search on MEDLINE and EMBASE articles were selected for clinical trials with Echinacea studying RT-PCR-confirmed viral respiratory tract infections in humans. Results Jawad collected nasopharyngeal swabs from N=755 adults over 4 months of prevention. Overall, 24 and 47 enveloped virus infections occurred, including 21 and 33 coronavirus detections [229E;HKU1;OC43] with Echinaforce® (2400 mg/d) and placebo, respectively (p=0.0114) [2]. Ogal administered Echinaforce® extract (1'200 mg) or control for 4 months to N=203 children (4-12 years). The incidence of enveloped virus infections was reduced from 47 to 29 (p=0.0038). Viral loads in nasal secretions were significantly diminished by 98.5%, with Ct-values 31.1 [95%CI 26.3;35.9] versus 25.0 [95%CI 20.5;29.5] (p=0.0479) ([Fig.1]) [3]. Kolev applied Echinaforce® extract (2'400 mg/d) vs. no treatment over 5 months to N = 120 adults and reported 10 vs. 20 coronavirus infections (p=0.046) of which 5 vs. 14 samples tested SARS-CoV-2 positive (p=0.03) [4]. Conclusion Echinacea's broad antiviral spectrum was confirmed in clinical trials suggesting its potential for prevention of infections by respiratory pathogens, including coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2.
ABSTRACT
Introduction In previous in vitro studies a proprietary Echinacea purpurea formulation Echinaforce® (EF) demonstrated strona antiviral activity aaainst enveloped viruses, include SARS-CoV-2. Aim In this study, we examined the potential of EF in prevents and treatina respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and in particular, SARS-CoV-2 infections. Method 120 healthy volunteers (18-75 years) were randomly assianed to EF prevention or control aroup without any intervention. Participants went throuah 3 prevention cycles of 2, 2 and 1 months with daily 2'400 ma EF. Acute respiratory symptoms were treated with 4'000 ma EF for up to 10 days. Nasopharynaeal and venous blood samples were routinely collected and durina acute illnesses for detection and identification of respiratory viruses. Results Summarized over all phases of prevention, 21 and 29 samples tested positive for any virus in the EF and control Qroup, of which 5 and 14 samples tested SARS-CoV-2 positive (RR=0.37, p=0.03). 11 and 20 samples indicated presence of enveloped viruses, of which 10 and 20 were Coronaviruses (p=0.046). EF treatment when applied durina acute episodes sianificantly reduced the overall virus load by at least 2.12 loa10 or approx. 99% (p<0.05), the time to virus clearance by 8.0 days for all viruses (p=0.02) and by 4.8 days for SARS-CoV-2 (p>0.05) in comparison to control. Conclusion EF exhibited antiviral effects and reduced the risk of viral RTIs, includina SARS-CoV-2. By substantially reducina virus loads in infected subjects, EF offers a supportive addition to existina mandated treatments like vaccinations.
ABSTRACT
Methods: Open-label randomized clinical trial to investigate preventive and therapeutic effects of EF extract. Healthy volunteers (18 - 75 years) were to take either 2400mg/d over 5 months or received no treatment. Nasal and oropharyngeal swabs as well as blood samples were collected routinely for detection of a broad spectrum of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Additional swabs were taken during acute respiratory episodes, when EF dosing was increased to 4000mg/d for up to 10 days. Results: N=120 adults were randomized and treated in Sofia, Bulgaria between November 2020 and May 2021. Over 5months, 21 and 29 samples tested positive for any virus in the EF and control group (difference n.s.), of which 5 and 14 samples were SARS-CoV-2 positive (RR=0.37, Chi-square test, p=0.03). Overall, 10 symptomatic episodes occurred with EF, resp. 14 in the control group (difference n.s.) of which 5 and 8 were COVID-19 (RR=0.70, p>0.05). Treatment with EF during acute episodes reduced the overall virus load by at least 2.12 log10 or approx. 99% (p<0.05, t-test), as well as the time to virus clearance by 8.0 days for all viruses (p=0.02,Wilcoxon test) resp. by 4.8 days for SARS-CoV-2 (p>0.05) in comparison between groups. EF significantly reduced fever days (1 vs. 11 days, p=0.003, chi square test). Background: Although quite a few plants claim preventive and/ or therapeutic effects against SARS-CoV-2, only few [RS1] have been investigated in clinical trials. A 65% ethanolic extract from fresh Echinacea purpurea (95% aerial parts and 5% root, Echinaforce® [EF]) licensed as drug in Switzerland, has documented anti-viral effects in former clinical trials, i.a. against various coronavirus strains. Conclusion: EF extract reduced the risk of viral RTIs, including those caused by SARS-CoV-2 and substantially decreased virus loads in infected subjects. It might offer a supportive option to existing preventive and therapeutic measures.
ABSTRACT
For doctors and pharmacists involved in phytotherapy, two questions will stay for an indefinite time especially in individual counselling. 1. Is there a possibility of primary prevention especially for people at high risk for infection, e.g. through herbal immunostimulants and adaptogens? 2. Can the course of an infection favourably be influenced by herbal agents with known beneficial effects on the respiratory system or even intrinsic antiviral properties? The objective of this article is to provide preliminary recommendations for the use of phytotherapy. The authors are aware of the limitations of these recommendations. At this time, they can only be based on analogy models in both preclinical and clinical evaluation. Several aspects of preclinical results were already presented in issue 2-2020 of this journal [1]. This article here concludes with a perspective on chances and limitations of prospective clinical research with phytodrugs.