COVID-19: honey as a potential adjuvant treatment

ABSTRACT

This article sums up the possible impact of honey in the amelioration of COVID-19 induced recognized pathogenesis. The pandemic due to the current outbreak of COVID-19 infected thousands of individuals round the globe. The indicator of COVID-19 infection suggests that increased inflammation, oxidation, and an overstressed immune reaction are key contributor of COVID-19 pathogenesis. This overstressed immune response leads to numerous cytokine production and consequently and led to the development of severe injury in lungs (ALI)/acute respiratory distress disorder and in some conditions becomes reason of death. Honey is formed when honey bees collect nectar from various, and then process it to form the honey. It is a natural remedy to reduce the incidence of various diseases, due to its potential anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, immune booster, antiviral, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, anti-proliferative, cardiovascular, neurological and gastrointestinal diseases and anti-metastatic properties. Honey has been used for the curing of bronchial asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst, hiccups, fatigue, and hepatitis and also for the ALI/ARDS treatment caused by virus or any other pathogen. Doctors recommend honey as a nutritional supplement to boost the immunity of patients under critical conditions, reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, viral infections that confirm that honey may be used to combat the infection and other complications caused by COVID-19 pandemic. There are many reports which reveal that honey may be used in bacterial and viral infections such as COVID-19, however, further experimental studies are required to validate these speculations.