'Hawa' and 'resistensiya': local health knowledge and the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.

Understanding people's concepts of illness and health is key to crafting policies and communications campaigns to address a particular medical concern. This paper gathers cultural knowledge on infectious disease causation, prevention, and treatment the Philippines that are particularly relevant for the COVID-19 pandemic, and analyzes their implications for public health. This paper draws from ethnographic work (e.g. participant observation, interviews, conversations, virtual ethnography) carried out individually by each of the two authors from February to September 2020. The data was analyzed in relation to the anthropological literature on local health knowledge in the Philippines. We find that notions of hawa (contagion) and resistensiya (immunity) inform people's views of illness causation as well as their preventive practices - including the use of face masks and 'vitamins' and other pharmaceuticals, as well as the ways in which they negotiate prescriptions of face mask use and physical distancing. These perceptions and practices go beyond biomedical knowledge and are continuously being shaped by people's everyday experiences and circulations of knowledge in traditional and social media. Our study reveals that people's novel practices reflect recurrent, familiar, and long-held concepts - such as the moral undertones of hawa and experimentation inherent in resistensiya. Policies and communications efforts should acknowledge and anticipate how these notions may serve as either barriers or facilitators to participatory care and improved health outcomes.

Phytochemistry, Ethnobotany and Pharmacological Uses of Tinospora cordifolia with Special Reference to SARS-COV-2

Medicinal plants or medicinal herbs possess therapeutic properties or exert beneficial pharmacological effects on human. From time immemorial, people have been using various medicinal plants without even knowing their phytochemistry and pharmacological properties as a medicine for treating numerous ailments. As technology developed and upgraded, people used to screen out various phytoconstituents as well as evaluate their basic pharmacological properties. Tinospora cordifolia is a medicinal herb which is commonly known as Giloy belong to family menispermaceae. It can also be found in places like Africa, China, South-East Asia, Indo-Malaya region and Australia. Traditionally, people use this herb as prominent food materials due to their higher nutraceutical value and various healing properties. For phytochemical investigation, extraction of whole plant is preferable whereas most of the phytochemical are found to be present in leaves. Various potent phytochemicals are found in this herb such as tinosponone, tinocordiside, tinosporaside, cordifoliside, β-sitosterol, mekisterone A, etc. which are belong to class of alkaloids, sesquiterpenoids, glycosides, steroids, volatile oil, etc. Owing to the presence of these potent compounds, it exhibits wide range of large number of pharmacological activities such as antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer activities, etc. In past two years, SARS-CoV-2 infections has taken life of millions of people across the globe and there were no any vaccine or proper antiviral medicine available to defend this deadly pandemic, hence people were mostly relying on herbal plant therapy. Giloy is one such magical herb which exhibit healing properties in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Moreover, in-silico studies have been carried out to determine the binding affinity as well as inhibiting potential of various phytoconstituents of giloy. In this review work, we compiled all the updated information about T. cordifolia as well as emphasizing more on SARS-CoV-2 inhibiting potential. © 2022 Chemical Publishing Co.. All rights reserved.

HERBS AND NATURAL SUBSTANCES USED IN COVID-19 CAUSED BY WUHAN AND DELTA VARIANTS OF SARS-COV-2 IN THE LIGHT OF CLINICAL TRIALS

The use of medicinal plants in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 started soon after the pandemic began. In some countries (e.g. China), the use of medicinal plants for this purpose was an officially declared goal. The plants used in therapy were selected on the basis of in silico studies, preclinical data or extrapolation of folk medicinal experience. In other parts of the world, the majority of medicinal plants are used by Covid patients outside of formal medicine, typically as food supplements. In this article, we review randomised controlled clinical trials of herbal preparations, indtoducing the potential place of herbal preparations in the therapy of Covid-19. A total of 17 trials were identified, most of which studied the effect on disease symptoms. Although most of the products tested were shown to be effective in at least one endpoint, the quality of the studies (mostly open-label, using non-standardised formulations) does not allow positive conclusions on efficacy. © 2022 Literatura Medica Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Nutraceutical prospects of Houttuynia cordata against the infectious viruses.

The novel enveloped ß-coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) has offered a surprising health challenge all over the world. It develops severe pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Like SARS-COV-2, other encapsulated viruses like HIV, HSV, and influenza have also offered a similar challenge in the past. In this regard, many antiviral drugs are being explored with varying degrees of success to combat the associated pathological conditions. Therefore, upon scientific validation & development, these antiviral phytochemicals can attain a futuristic nutraceutical prospect in managing different encapsulated viruses. Houttuynia cordata (HC) is widely reported for activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties. The major antiviral bioactive components of HC include essential oils (methyl n-nonyl ketone, lauryl aldehyde, capryl aldehyde), flavonoids (quercetin, rutin, hyperin, quercitrin, isoquercitrin), and alkaloids (norcepharadione B) & polysaccharides. HC can further be explored as a potential nutraceutical agent in the therapy of encapsulated viruses like HIV, HSV, and influenza. The review listed various conventional and green technologies that are being employed to extract potent phytochemicals with diverse activities from the HC. It was indicated that HC also inhibited molecular targets like 3C-like protease (3CLPRO) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of COVID-19 by blocking viral RNA synthesis and replication. Antioxidant and hepatoprotective effects of HC have been evident in impeding complications from marketed drugs during antiviral therapies. The use of HC as a nutraceutical is localized within some parts of Southeast Asia. Further technological advances can establish it as a nutraceutical-based functional food against pathogenic enveloped viruses like COVID 19.

Role of ethno-phytomedicine knowledge in healthcare of COVID-19: advances in traditional phytomedicine perspective.

Background: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, ethnomedicinal plants have been used in diverse geographical locations for their purported prophylactic and pharmacological effects. Medicinal plants have been relied on by people around the globe for centuries, as 80% of the world's population rely on herbal medicines for some aspect of their primary health care needs, according to the World Health Organization. Main body: This review portrays advances in traditional phytomedicine by bridging the knowledge of ethno-phytomedicine and COVID-19 healthcare. Ethnomedicinal plants have been used for symptoms related to COVID-19 as antiviral, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antipyretic, and lung-gut immune boosters. Traditionally used medicinal plants have the ability to inhibit virus entry and viral assembly, bind to spike proteins, membrane proteins, and block viral replications and enzymes. The efficacy of traditional medicinal plants in the terms of COVID-19 management can be evaluated by in vitro, in vivo as well as different in silico techniques (molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, machine learning, etc.) which have been applied extensively to the quest and design of effective biotherapeutics rapidly. Other advances in traditional phytomedicines against COVID-19 are controlled clinical trials, and notably the roles in the gut microbiome. Targeting the gut microbiome via medicinal plants as prebiotics is also found to be an alternative and potential strategy in the search for a COVID-19 combat strategy. Conclusions: Since medicinal plants are the sources of modern biotherapeutics development, it is essential to build collaborations among ethnobotanists, scientists, and technologists toward developing the most efficient and the safest adjuvant therapeutics against the pandemic of the twenty-first century, COVID-19.

PANDEMICS AND ETHNOMEDICINE

The term “Pandemic” is generally taken to refer to a widespread epidemic of transmissible disease throughout the whole of a country or one or more continents at the same time. Key features of pandemics are wide geographic extension, disease movement, high attack rates and explosiveness, minimal population immunity, novelty, infectiousness, contagiousness, and severity. The appearance and spread of pandemics occurred regularly throughout history. Major pandemics and epidemics that struck the human race rigorously were plague, cholera, flu, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).The world is currently affecting the new deadly disease, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which is caused by SARS-Cov-2 Virus. This pathogenic virus spread all over the world. As it is a virus, it can extend easily and cause severe illness to humans. Several improved tactics have been taken in scientific and medicinal concern;we must consider the medicinal values of plantbased medicines to prevent many pandemic diseases. © 2022 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

A socio-ecological critique on India's local health traditions amidst rising incidence of global pandemics.

Introduction: The COVID-19 crisis has exposed inadequacy to deal with such health emergencies. The state of healthcare facilities in India is shambolic, which is further exacerbated by the exclusivity of modern health systems. The authors argue for vertical and horizontal expansion of the existing system to include traditional medicine systems, in favor of an urgently needed holistic and more inclusive healthcare system. Methods: Secondary data were collected from free online resources, including preprints, reprints and databases, J-gate Plus, PubMed and Web of Science, using keywords such as, "folk medicine", "folk medicine AND India", "traditional Indian medicines", "indigenous Indian medicines AND India", "Indian ethnomedicines", "Indian AND folk AND medicine", "indigenous Indian medicine". Results and conclusions: Insufficiently robust public healthcare infrastructure, lack of enough qualified health professionals, and poor use of its traditional medicinal systems, are limiting the access of basic healthcare facilities to a large section of the Indian population. Despite vehement opposition and criticism from modern health system practitioners, indigenous and local healing traditions do offer benefits and share a common global goal of health and healing. The objectives of Universal Health Coverage and Health for All as enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without their involvement, especially in remote and economically disadvantaged regions of the country. Even a sub-optimal utilization of its biological and human resources and related traditional knowledge can not only profoundly change the health, but also the economic landscape of India. Here, we have nuanced the constrains posed by the emerging health challenges, status and prospects of the great and little traditions of the Indian System of Medicines in fulfilling the urgent healthcare needs of the country. The authors based their arguments on the available evidence, rather than emotive ideas or, as a fan of Indian traditional medicines, and suggest for the purposeful inclusion of traditional health systems and practitioners more actively in India's health care delivery systems. The country must not squander the opportunities offered by its traditional medicinal systems.

Western Centric Medicine for Covid-19 and Its Contradictions: Can African Alternate Solutions Be the Cure?

The full impact of COVID-19 is yet to be fully understood, and while there are many unknowns, the rapid and continued reliance on the social media cannot be denied. Some Global Economy and World Health Organisations have discouraged the usage of traditional medicine for COVID-19 treatment. However, some African states such as Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, and Togo have engaged with formal researchers to see if traditional medicine can treat COVID-19. Nevertheless, there is still a lot of hesitancy amongst African populations in getting vaccinated. The paper conceptualises the criticism of Western-centric medicine and investigates the promotion of alternate approaches in the African economy. The article situates the study context by exploring the African economy's socio-politics and public health governance. It investigates explicitly African states responses to conventional treatment by analysing the role of traditional medicine and its efficacy as well as the possible effects on the continent. The methodological framework engaged a review approach relying heavily on reputable secondary sources from government publications, journal articles, books and publications from professional bodies and institutional search engines. The data was analysed in themes supporting the study aim's and objectives. The paper concludes that Africa could consolidate the readily available knowledge and give opportunities to traditional medical therapies that are cheap, convenient and safe for public health, especially for COVID-19 supposedly cure. Copyright © 2022 Adunimay and Ojo.

Current Update of Phytotherapeutic Agents in the Treatment of COVID-19: In-Silico Based Virtual Screening Approach for the Development of Antiviral Drug.

COVID-19, caused by the severe acquired respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a highly contagious disease that has emerged as a pandemic. Researchers and the medical fraternity are working towards the identification of anti-viral drug candidates. Meanwhile, several alternative treatment approaches are being explored to manage the disease effectively. Various phyto-drugs and essential oils have been reported to have antiviral activity, but this has not been well studied in the context of SARS-CoV-2. The main focus of this review is on the biology of infection and the different therapeutic strategies involved, including drug repurposing and phytopharmaceuticals. The role of phytochemicals in treating COVID-19 and various other diseases has also been emphasized.

Homogenisation of Biocultural Diversity: Plant Ethnomedicine and Its Diachronic Change in Setomaa and Võromaa, Estonia, in the Last Century.

When studying the evolution of the use of medicinal plants, it is important to identify what role, and to what extent, external factors and local biocultural diversities play in shaping cultural changes. We chose as a case study, which forms part of a larger project, a religiously and linguistically distinct group, the Seto, and compared their current and past plant use with that of the surrounding Võro. Ethnobotanical fieldwork was conducted in the summers of 2018 and 2019. Current uses of plants constituted 34% of the total registered use reports and 41% of those were used to treat general diseases or used as prophylactics. In total, the medicinal use of 86 taxa was recorded, and of these 48 were prevalent. Strong erosion (the abandonment of 43, mainly wild taxa used historically) and valorisation of the uses shared with neighboring as well as distant regions once part of the Soviet Union, were evident, signalling the potential influence of the centralised distribution of knowledge. The results clearly show that the plant medicine-related biocultural diversities of the two groups have been considerably homogenised, eroded and influenced by the knowledge spread through various means during the Soviet era and over the last 30 years.

Molecular docking study of the main phytochemicals of some medicinal plants used against COVID-19 by the rural population of Al-Haouz region, Morocco

Context: The infection by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a global health emergency. The management of this crisis requires the discovery of new drugs able to cure or reduce the severity of SARS-CoV-2. Aims: To explore the medicinal plants consumed by the rural population of Al-Haouz region against the emergence of the COVID-19, and to assess in silico the main phytochemicals present in the essential oils and the extracts of these medicinal plants, as potential inhibitors of the COVID-19 main protease (M-pro). Methods: The survey was conducted through a semi-structured questionnaire among 85 respondents aged 30 years and above, in the Al-haouz region, Morocco. AutoDock Vina, was used to assess the binding affinity of the phytochemicals to the M-pro. Results: Eleven wild medicinal species were cited;10 belonging to the Lamiaceae family and one to the Compositae family. Thymus saturejoides Coss., Artemisia herba-alba Asso.and Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. were respectively the three most cited species during the survey. The rosmarinic acid (-7.7 kcal/mol), hesperetin (-7.2 kcal/mol), gallocatechin (-7.2 kcal/mol) and cyasterone (-7.2 kcal/mol) have shown the higher inhibitory potential against covid-19 Mpro respectively. Conclusions: In addition to their different recognized biological activities, the medicinal plants used in the Al-Haouz region have shown good inhibitory potential against SARAS-CoV-2 M-pro. Furthermore, the phytochemicals that exhibited the highest inhibitory potentials in this virtual study require further investigation in vitro and in vivo.

Emergence of Ethnomedical COVID-19 Treatment: A Literature Review.

The emergence of COVID-19 as a new pandemic in the modern era has led the public to a new perspective of health. In the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many factors made people go on their own ways in finding its supposed "cure". With conventional medicines' limited availability and access, traditional medicines become more appealing due to its widespread availability and increased perception of safety. Several herbal medicines are then believed to be able to alleviate or cure COVID-19 and its symptoms. Similarities and patterns in herbal medicines being used show local wisdom of the respective communities regarding their knowledge of diseases and its treatment, known as ethnomedicine. Despite not being approved yet by regulatory bodies as a definitive guideline in COVID-19 management, the application of ethnomedicine results in several herbal medicine candidates that show a promising result regarding its efficacy in managing COVID-19. This literature review aims to study how a society and its knowledge of medicine responds to a new and currently developing disease, and whether if that knowledge merits further study in search of a cure for the pandemic. Furthermore, the narrative aspect in this review also explores socio-politics and public health aspects and considerations of non-conventional COVID-19 treatment.

Molluscan Compounds Provide Drug Leads for the Treatment and Prevention of Respiratory Disease.

Respiratory diseases place an immense burden on global health and there is a compelling need for the discovery of new compounds for therapeutic development. Here, we identify research priorities by critically reviewing pre-clinical and clinical studies using extracts and compounds derived from molluscs, as well as traditional molluscan medicines, used in the treatment of respiratory diseases. We reviewed 97 biomedical articles demonstrating the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and immunomodulatory properties of >320 molluscan extracts/compounds with direct relevance to respiratory disease, in addition to others with promising bioactivities yet to be tested in the respiratory context. Of pertinent interest are compounds demonstrating biofilm inhibition/disruption and antiviral activity, as well as synergism with approved antimicrobial and chemotherapeutic agents. At least 100 traditional medicines, incorporating over 300 different mollusc species, have been used to treat respiratory-related illness in cultures worldwide for thousands of years. These medicines provide useful clues for the discovery of bioactive components that likely underpin their continued use. There is particular incentive for investigations into anti-inflammatory compounds, given the extensive application of molluscan traditional medicines for symptoms of inflammation, and shells, which are the principal molluscan product used in these preparations. Overall, there is a need to target research toward specific respiratory disease-related hypotheses, purify bioactive compounds and elucidate their chemical structures, and develop an evidence base for the integration of quality-controlled traditional medicines.

Taming the pandemic? The importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages as community responses to COVID-19.

Household responses to COVID-19 in different corners of the world represent the primary health care that communities have relied on for preventing and mitigating symptoms. During a very complex and confusing time, in which public health services in multiple countries have been completely overwhelmed, and in some cases even collapsed, these first-line household responses have been quintessential for building physical, mental, and social resilience, and for improving individual and community health. This editorial discusses the outcomes of a rapid-response preliminary survey during the first phase of the pandemic among social and community contacts in five metropolises heavily affected by the COVID-19 health crisis (Wuhan, Milan, Madrid, New York, and Rio de Janeiro), and in twelve rural areas or countries initially less affected by the pandemic (Appalachia, Jamaica, Bolivia, Romania, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, Georgia, Turkey, Pakistan, Cambodia, and South Africa). We summarized our perspectives as 17 case studies, observing that people have relied primarily on teas and spices ("food-medicines") and that there exist clear international plant favorites, popularized by various new media. Urban diasporas and rural households seem to have repurposed homemade plant-based remedies that they use in normal times for treating the flu and other respiratory symptoms or that they simply consider healthy foods. The most remarkable shift in many areas has been the increased consumption of ginger and garlic, followed by onion, turmeric, and lemon. Our preliminary inventory of food medicines serves as a baseline for future systematic ethnobotanical studies and aims to inspire in-depth research on how use patterns of plant-based foods and beverages, both "traditional" and "new", are changing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Our reflections in this editorial call attention to the importance of ethnobiology, ethnomedicine, and ethnogastronomy research into domestic health care strategies for improving community health.

Anti-SARS-CoV Natural Products With the Potential to Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), known to cause the disease COVID-19, was declared a pandemic in early 2020. The objective of this review was to collate information regarding the potential of plants and natural products to inhibit coronavirus and targets associated with infection in humans and to highlight known drugs, which may have potential activity against SARS-CoV-2. Due to the similarity in the RNA genome, main proteases, and primary host receptor between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, a review was conducted on plants and secondary metabolites, which have shown activity against SARS-CoV. Numerous scientific reports on the potential of plants and secondary metabolites against SARS-CoV infection were found, providing important information on their possible activity against SARS-CoV-2. Based on current literature, 83 compounds have been identified with the potential to inhibit COVID-19. The most prominent selectivity was found for the alkaloid, lycorine, the lignan, savinin, and the abietane terpenoid, 8-beta-hydroxyabieta-9(11),13-dien-12-one with selectivity index values greater than 945, 667, and 510, respectively. Plants and their secondary metabolites, with activity against targets associated with the SARS-CoV infection, could provide valuable leads for the development into drugs for the novel SARS-CoV-2. The prospects of using computational methods to screen secondary metabolites against SARS-CoV targets are briefly discussed, and the drawbacks have been highlighted. Finally, we discuss plants traditionally used in Southern Africa for symptoms associated with respiratory viral infections and influenza, such as coughs, fever, and colds. However, only a few of these plants have been screened against SARS-CoV. Natural products hold a prominent role in discovering novel therapeutics to mitigate the current COVID-19 pandemic; however, further investigations regarding in vitro, in vivo, pre-clinical, and clinical phases are still required.

Ethnomedicines of Indian origin for combating COVID-19 infection by hampering the viral replication: using structure-based drug discovery approach.

In the present study, we have explored the interaction of the active components from 10 different medicinal plants of Indian origin that are commonly used for treating cold and respiratory-related disorders, through molecular docking analysis. In the current scenario, COVID-19 patients experience severe respiratory syndromes, hence it is envisaged from our study that these traditional medicines are very likely to provide a favourable effect on COVID-19 infections. The active ingredients identified from these natural products are previously reported for antiviral activities against large group of viruses. Totally 47 bioactives identified from the medicinal plants were investigated against the structural targets of SARS-CoV-2 (Mpro and spike protein) and human ACE2 receptor. The top leads were identified based on interaction energies, number of hydrogen bond and other parameters that explain their potency to inhibit SARS-CoV-2. The bioactive ligands such as Cucurbitacin E, Orientin, Bis-andrographolide, Cucurbitacin B, Isocucurbitacin B, Vitexin, Berberine, Bryonolic acid, Piperine and Magnoflorine targeted the hotspot residues of SARS-CoV-2 main protease. In fact, this protease enzyme has an essential role in mediating the viral replication and therefore compounds targeting this key enzyme are expected to block the viral replication and transcription. The top scoring conformations identified through docking analysis were further demonstrated with molecular dynamics simulation. Besides, the stability of the conformation was studied in detail by investigating the binding free energy using MM-PBSA method. Overall, the study emphasized that the proposed hit Cucurbitacin E and orientin could serve as a promising scaffold for developing anti-COVID-19 drug.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

[Usage of ethnomedicine on COVID-19 in China].

In December 2019, an outbreak of viral pneumonia began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, which caused the spread of infectious pneumonia to a certain extent in China and neighboring countries and regions, and triggered the epidemic crisis. The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an acute respiratory infectious disease listed as a B infectious disease, which is managed according to standards for A infectious disease. Traditional Chinese medicine and integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine have played an active role in the prevention and control of this epidemic. China's ethnomedicine has recognized infectious diseases since ancient times, and formed a medical system including theory, therapies, formula and herbal medicines for such diseases. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Chuxiong Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan, Qiandongnan Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou have issued the prevention and control programs for COVID-19 using Tibetan, Mongolian, Uygur, Yi and Miao medicines. These programs reflect the wisdom of ethnomedicine in preventing and treating diseases, which have successfully extracted prescriptions and preventive measures for the outbreak of the epidemic from their own medical theories and traditional experiences. In this paper, we summarized and explained the prescriptions and medicinal materials of ethnomedicine in these programs, and the origin of Tibetan medicine prescriptions and Mongolian medicine prescriptions in ancient books were studied. These become the common characteristics of medical prevention and treatment programs for ethnomedicine to formulate therapeutic programs under the guidance of traditional medicine theories, recommend prescriptions and prevention and treatment methods with characteristics of ethnomedicine, and focus on the conve-nience and standardization. However, strengthening the support of science and technology and the popularization to the public, and improving the participation of ethnomedicine in national public health services and the capacity-building to deal with sudden and critical diseases are key contents in the development of ethnomedicine in the future.