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10.30699/jambs.29.133.83Background & Objective: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a worldwide pandemic disease. There is currently no effective cure for this virus, but some types of herbs can be a good choice for reducing its symptoms.There are some reports that Thymus vulgaris has high antioxidant compounds effective in strengthening the immune system, as well as antiviral effects in reducing the respiratory symptoms. Therefore, we speculated that T. vulgaris could be useful for reducing some of the symptoms in patients suffering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Materials & Methods: First, thyme essential oil was prepared, and a questionnaire regarding the patients' symptoms was designed. Then, 83 patients with COVID-19 were randomly selected and divided into control and thyme-receiving groups. The questionnaire was completed and emphasized to consume 5 mL of the syrup or essential oil three times per day. Finally, one week after the first visit, the questionnaire was completed again to determine the effects of thyme on the mentioned symptoms.Then, the test results were reviewed and reported. Results:The results one week after taking thyme showed that the fever (P<0.027), dizziness (P<0.003), cough, dyspnea, muscular pain, headache, anorexia, weakness and lethargy, fatigue, and chest wall pain were significantly reduced (P<0.001). Also, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) (P<0.004), neutrophil count (P<0.001), and calcium were (P<0.034) decreased, but lymphocyte count was increased significantly (P<0.001). Conclusion:Thyme plant, which has high antioxidant properties, strengthens the immune system, and by inducing the antiviral effect could reduce the symptoms of coronavirus; therefore, it is recommended for reducing the symptoms of COVID-19.

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Background: Dyslipidemia leads to micro-and macro-vascular complications. Atorvastatin is the main therapeutic drug used for dyslipidemia, but it causes side effects such as new type 2 diabetes mellitus onset and elevation of liver enzymes. Herbs may be useful in reducing atorvastatin doses. Caper fruit, an herbal drug in Persian Medicine, has hypolipidemic effects. Hence, the effect of atorvastatin therapy with and without daily caper fruit pickle (CFP) consumption was assessed on hyperlipidemia. Materials and Methods: In this single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial, 60 hyperlipidemic patients were allocated in two groups and treated with 10 mg atorvastatin plus 40-50 g CFP (A10+CFP) or atorvastatin alone (A10) for eight weeks. Biochemical parameters were measured at baseline, 4, and eight weeks of the intervention. One-way repeated measure ANOVA and mixed ANOVA were used to measure the effect of the two treatments and the interaction between the type of treatment and time on lipid profile. Results: Serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly decreased in the A10+CFP group compared with the A10 group (P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively) from baseline up to the week 8. At week 4, mean changes of LDL-C was significantly higher in the A10+CFP compared with the A10 (P=0.01). Adjusting for the baseline variables, the mean difference of alanine aminotransferase (P<0.01) and triglyceride (P=0.003) were significantly higher in the A10+CFP group at the end. Conclusion: This study reports that the intake of CFP along with atorvastatin daily may have synergistic effects which improve the lipid profile in hyperlipidemic patients. [GMJ.2019;8:e1345]