Natural Products from Medicinal Plants with Anti-Human Coronavirus Activities

Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread to all the continents at an unprecedented pace. This pandemic has caused not only hundreds of thousands of mortalities but also a huge economic setback throughout the world. Therefore, the scientific communities around the world have focused on finding antiviral therapeutic agents to either fight or halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Since certain medicinal plants and herbal formulae have proved to be effective in treatment of similar viral infections such as those caused by SARS and Ebola, scientists have paid more attention to natural products for effective treatment of this devastating pandemic. This review summarizes studies and ethnobotanical information on plants and their constituents used for treatment of infections caused by viruses related to the coronavirus family. Herein, we provide a critical analysis of previous reports and how to exploit published data for the discovery of novel therapeutic leads to fight against COVID-19.

Automated summary

Following the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, global scientific communities have been focusing on finding antiviral therapeutic agents to combat the spread of the virus. Research on natural products, particularly those derived from medicinal plants, has gained attention for their potential effectiveness in treating viral infections. This review summarizes studies on plants and their constituents used for treating infections related to the coronavirus family, aiming to provide critical analysis and insights for discovering novel therapeutic leads to fight against COVID-19.