Gastrointestinal Viral Diseases and the Assessment of Effectiveness of Herbal Drugs in Prevention and Treatment

Viral gastroenteritis, usually a self-limiting disease condition, is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality all over the world, especially in developing countries. Although it can affect individuals of all ages, children under the age of 5 and immunocompromised individuals are the most susceptible due to their underdeveloped immune systems. The most common symptom is diarrhea accompanied by vomiting, fever, nausea, stomach-ache, dehydration, and weight loss. The main cause of viral gastrointestinal complications are the enteric viruses: norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus. Other enteric viruses like astroviruses, parvoviruses, enteroviruses, and coronaviruses are also associated with gastrointestinal comorbidities. Coronaviruses have also been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea. With the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic still showing no end in sight, having multi-organ system complications further raises the difficulty in its eradication process. Oftentimes, the prescribed treatment option against gastroenteritis is rehydration and replenishing of electrolytes like ORS aimed at symptom alleviation. This is due to the lack of targeted anti-virals and vaccination, except for human rotavirus and COVID-19 causing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, traditional medicinal practices from all over the world have several concoctions to cure diarrhea. Given the rise of interest in naturally produced goods, the scientific community has also conducted medical research to better understand the underlying mechanisms of action of these compounds. In this chapter, we shall see viral gastroenteritis and its causative agents in detail and the available herbal drugs in use for treatment.