The Plausible Role of Indian Traditional Medicine in Combating Corona Virus (SARS-CoV 2): A Mini-Review.

ABSTRACT

SARS-CoV 2 is a novel virus strain of Coronavirus, reported in China in late December 2019. Its highly contagious nature in humans has prompted WHO to designate the ongoing pandemic as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. At this moment, there is no specific treatment and the therapeutic strategies to deal with the infection are only supportive, with prevention aimed at reducing community transmission. A permanent solution for the pandemic, which has brought the world economy to the edge of collapse, is the need of the hour. This situation has brought intense research in traditional systems of medicine. Indian Traditional System, Ayurveda, has a clear concept of the cause and treatment of pandemics. Through this review, information on the potential antiviral traditional medicines along with their immunomodulatory pathways are discussed. We have covered the seven most important Indian traditional plants with antiviral properties Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (family Solanaceae), Tinospora cordifolia (Thunb.) Miers (family Menispermaceae), Phyllanthus emblica L. (family Euphorbiaceae), Asparagus racemosus L. (family Liliaceae), Glycyrrhiza glabra L. (family Fabaceae), Ocimum sanctum L. (family Lamiaceae) and Azadirachta indica A. Juss (family Meliaceae) in this review. An attempt is also made to bring into limelight the importance of dietary polyphenol, Quercetin, which is a potential drug candidate in the making against the SARS-CoV2 virus.