Traditional Medicine Practice in the Context of COVID-19 Pandemic: Community Claim in Jimma Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose: To assess traditional medicine practice claims by the community for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 422 households of Jimma Zone, and the data were collected by interviewing individuals from the selected households. The medicinal plants were recorded on Microsoft excel 2010 with their parts used, dosage form, route of administration and source of plants and tabulated in the table. Descriptive statistics were used to describe and organize the data. The Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC) was calculated for each traditional medicine to identify the top 10 medicinal products. Results: Around 46% of participants used traditional medicines for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The study recorded 32 herbal and non-herbal medicinal products. Garlic (RFC: 0.166), ginger (RFC: 0.133), lemon (RFC: 0.133), garden cress (RFC: 0.069) and "Damakase" (RFC: 0.031) were the frequently used herbal medicines. Seeds (47.22%) and leaves (30.56%) were the most used parts of medicinal plants. Most preparation of medicinal plants (90.63%) was administered through the oral route. The majority of medicinal plants were from home gardens. Conclusions and Recommendations: Around half of the participants practiced traditional medicines for COVID-19. Garlic, ginger, lemon, garden cress and "Damakase" were the frequently used herbal products. Seeds and leaves were regularly used parts. The oral route is the most used route of administration. The majority of medicinal plants were from home gardens. This quantity of traditional medicine practice is probably challenging to control the pandemic. However, it might open possibilities for pharmaceutical industries and researchers to look into the effectiveness and safety of claimed medicinal products. Therefore, all responsible bodies are advocated to behave accordingly.

Inhibitory Activity of Saussurea costus Extract against Bacteria, Candida, Herpes, and SARS-CoV-2

“…Stephania glabra, Woodfordia fruticosa, Betula utilis, Nelumbo nucifera , and Calotropis gigantean have been identified as effective antimicrobial plants (in vitro) [ 6 ]. Recently, some medicinal plants have been reported to possibly possess anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity (in vitro), such as Lycoris radiate, Artemisia annua, Pyrrosia lingua, Nigella sativa , and Houttuynia cordata [ 7 ]. It is important to mention that clinical trials are required to demonstrate all these possible activities, particularly regarding SARS-CoV-2, for which no effective drug based on natural products has been approved yet.…”

Herbal supplements as treatment options for COVID-19: A call for clinical development of herbal supplements for emerging and re-emerging viral threats in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…[ 1 , 5 , 6 , 9 , 12 , 17 , 19 , [23] , [24] , [25] , 28 , 37 , [39] , [40] , [41] , 51 , 52 , 56 , 64 , 68 , 70 , 72 , 73 , 75 , 79 , 80 , [85] , [86] , [87] ]…”

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

“…ex Benth.) Umeta Chali et al [ 110 ] Peru 17 (used in the treatment of respiratory symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic Eucalyptus globulus Labill. , Piper aduncum L. , Zingiber officinale Roscoe , Allium sativum L. , Matricaria recutita L Villena-Tejada et al [ 115 ] Cameroon 29 Citrus aurantiifolia (Christm.)…”

“…As reported in Table 2 , in Ethiopia, 32 herbal and non-herbal medicinal products and 15 plant species have been used in African traditional medicine to treat and prevent symptoms of COVID-19 [ 110 ]. In another study, a total of 111 plant species have been identified which are used to treat viral infections by the traditional healers of Ethiopia and are suggested as potential therapeutics against COVID-19 [ 103 ].…”