Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: An Overhyped Hope

Shankar, Abhishek; Dubey, Anusha; Saini, Deepak; Prasad, Chandra Prakash

doi:10.1007/s11655-020-2851-y

Cited by 45 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Different researchers have suggested herbal medicine as a potential option to cure or prevent COVID-19 [ 19 , 20 ]. Countries like China and India are integrating their use with western medicine to boost the immunity power of COVID-19 patients [ 21 , 22 ]. In China, traditional medicine showed encouraging results in improving symptom management and reducing the deterioration, mortality, and recurrence rates [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Khadka

Dhamala

et al. 2021

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

101

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Background Medicinal plants are the fundamental unit of traditional medicine system in Nepal. Nepalese people are rich in traditional medicine especially in folk medicine (ethnomedicine), and this system is gaining much attention after 1995. The use of medicinal plants has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as a private behavior (not under the control of government). A lot of misinterpretations of the use of medicinal plants to treat or prevent COVID-19 have been spreading throughout Nepal which need to be managed proactively. In this context, a research was needed to document medicinal plants used, their priority of use in society, their cultivation status, and the source of information people follow to use them. This study aimed to document the present status of medicinal plant use and make important suggestion to the concerned authorities. Methods This study used a web-based survey to collect primary data related to medicinal plants used during COVID-19. A total of 774 respondents took part in the survey. The study calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for the recorded medicinal plants. The relationship between plants recorded and different covariates (age, gender education, occupation, living place, and treatment methods) was assessed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon test. The relationship between the information sources people follow and the respondent characteristics was assessed using chi-square test. Results The study found that the use of medicinal plants has increased during COVID-19 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This study recorded a total of 60 plants belonging to 36 families. The leaves of the plants were the most frequently used. The Zingiber officinale was the most cited species with the frequency of citation 0.398. Most of the people (45.61%) were getting medicinal plants from their home garden. The medicinal plants recorded were significantly associated with the education level, location of home, primary treatment mode, gender, and age class. The information source of plants was significantly associated with the education, gender, method of treatment, occupation, living with family, and location of home during the lockdown caused by COVID-19. Conclusions People were using more medicinal plants during COVID-19 claiming that they can prevent or cure COVID-19. This should be taken seriously by concerned authorities. The authorities should test the validity of these medicinal plants and control the flow of false information spread through research and awareness programs.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Khadka

Dhamala

et al. 2021

J Ethnobiology Ethnomedicine

101

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Different researchers have suggested herbal medicine as a potential option to cure or prevent COVID-19 [19,20]. Countries like China and India are integrating their use with western medicine to boost the immunity power of COVID-19 patients [21,22]. In China, traditional medicine showed encouraging results in improving symptom management and reducing the deterioration, mortality, and recurrence rates [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Medicinal Plant to Prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Khadka

Dhamala

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Medicinal plants are the fundamental unit of traditional medicine system in Nepal. Nepalese people are rich in traditional medicine especially in folk medicine (ethnomedicine) and this system is gaining much attention after 1995. The use of medicinal plants have increased during COVID-19 pandemic as a private behavior (not under the control of government). Lot of misinterpretations of the use of medicinal plants to treat or prevent COVID-19 have been spreading throughout Nepal which need to be managed proactively. In this context, a research was needed to document medicinal plants used, their priority of use in society, cultivation status and source of information people follow to use them. This study aimed to document the present status of medicinal plant use and make important suggestion to the concern authorities.Methods: This study used a web-based survey to collect primary data related to medicinal plants used during COVID-19. A total of 774 respondents took part in the survey. The study calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for the recorded medicinal plants. The relationship between plants recorded and different covariates (age, gender education, occupation, living place, and treatment methods were assessed using Kruskal Wallis test and Wilcox test. The relationship between the information sources people follow and respondent characteristics, were assessed using chi-square test.Results:The study found that the use of medicinal plants has increased during COVID-19 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This study recorded a total of 63 plants belonging to 42 families. The leaves of the plants were the most frequently used. The Zingiber officinale was the most cited species with the frequency of citation 0.398. Most of the people (45.61%), were getting medicinal plants from their home garden. The medicinal plants recorded were significantly associated with the education level, location of home, primary treatment mode, gender, and age class. The information source of plants was significantly associated with the education, gender, method of treatment, occupation, living with family, and location of home during lockdown caused by COVID-19.Conclusions:People were using more medicinal plants during COVID-19 claiming that they can prevent or cure COVID-19. This should be taken seriously by concerned authorities. The authorities should test the validity of these medicinal plants and control the flow of false information spread through research and awareness programs.

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“…TCM has been frequently used in China to treat COVID-19 patients [7]. And although it sometimes is reported that TCM has reduced COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, there are no large randomized clinical trials published [6].…”

Section: Traditional Chinese Medicinementioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Approaches to COVID-19: A Narrative Review

Pergolizzi¹,

LeQuang²,

Magnusson³

et al. 2021

obm icm

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Traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM) approaches to COVID-19 represent a paradigm shift from Western medicine, in that TCIM emphasizes prevention, encouraging wellness, and supporting health and recovery. A wide range of TCIM approaches exist: whole medical systems (such as traditional Chinese medicine), mind-body approaches, biological therapies, body-based treatments, and energy therapies. TCIM is used to help people resist infection, but people with moderate to severe COVID-19 symptoms often relied on integrative approaches using both traditional and Western medicine. It is estimated that over 90% of the infected population in Hubei China had used some form of traditional medicine to treat COVID. Ayurvedic medicine promotes immune-boosting strategies. Among biologically based therapies, there are vitamin therapies and “immune-nutrition” as well as traditional botanical treatments. Energy therapies have been promoted by the Chinese government to treat COVID-19 which may cause a loss of qi energy and an imbalance with too much yang energy in relation to yin. In many ways, it is difficult to apply Western approaches of clinical trials to TCIM, where most treatments are preventive, restorative, and highly individualized. However, the role of TCIM in COVID-19 was significant and underscores the value of TCIM approaches not just in this pandemic but for other infectious diseases as well. This is a narrative review rather than a systematic review or meta-analysis.

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Role of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: An Overhyped Hope

Cited by 45 publications

References 17 publications

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

The use of medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

The Use of Medicinal Plant to Prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Approaches to COVID-19: A Narrative Review

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