Medicinal Plants Against SARS-CoV/Corona Virus Infections: Ethnopharmacology, Chemistry, and Clinical and Preclinical Studies

Recently, natural compounds have gained significant importance in health care, as they do not exhibit adverse effects compared to synthetic drugs. Since the dawn of civilization, plants have been one of the primary sources of medicine. Natural occurring medicinal plants, either alone or in combination, are widely used in the health care system. Medicinal plants can be a rich source of chemical substances with therapeutic potential. Coronavirus is an infectious disease that causes acute respiratory illness caused by a virus. Even a year after COVID-19’s first occurrence in Wuhan city, the number of cases is still rising daily throughout the world. SARS-CoV-2 infection spreads quickly and is distinct from other infections, probably due to variations in structural spike proteins. Patients suffering from critical conditions may die from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is characterized by rapid inflammatory reactions caused by the immune effector cells’ excessive production of cytokines and chemokines. This chapter reviews medicinal plants used against SARS-CoV or coronavirus infections, particularly emphasizing ethnopharmacology, chemistry, clinical, and preclinical studies. Various traditional herbs with medicinal values against coronavirus are discussed. AYUSH formulations that have advanced into pilot and full clinical trials against SAR-CoV-2 are also described. Phytoconstituents with potential against coronavirus were studied using activity miner studies, and cluster analysis; disparity and similarity scores were analyzed. To address the current problem, it is advised that promising AYUSH formulations and Indian medicinal plants be explored as soon as possible. This review can be utilized for both therapeutic and research purposes.