The Use of Medicinal Plant to Prevent COVID-19 in Nepal

Abstract

Background: Medicinal plants are the fundamental unit of traditional medicine system in Nepal. Nepalese people are rich in traditional medicine especially in folk medicine (ethnomedicine) and this system is gaining much attention after 1995. The use of medicinal plants have increased during COVID-19 pandemic as a private behavior (not under the control of government). Lot of misinterpretations of the use of medicinal plants to treat or prevent COVID-19 have been spreading throughout Nepal which need to be managed proactively. In this context, a research was needed to document medicinal plants used, their priority of use in society, cultivation status and source of information people follow to use them. This study aimed to document the present status of medicinal plant use and make important suggestion to the concern authorities.Methods: This study used a web-based survey to collect primary data related to medicinal plants used during COVID-19. A total of 774 respondents took part in the survey. The study calculated the relative frequencies of citation (RFC) for the recorded medicinal plants. The relationship between plants recorded and different covariates (age, gender education, occupation, living place, and treatment methods were assessed using Kruskal Wallis test and Wilcox test. The relationship between the information sources people follow and respondent characteristics, were assessed using chi-square test.Results:The study found that the use of medicinal plants has increased during COVID-19 and most of the respondents recommended medicinal plants to prevent COVID-19. This study recorded a total of 63 plants belonging to 42 families. The leaves of the plants were the most frequently used. The Zingiber officinale was the most cited species with the frequency of citation 0.398. Most of the people (45.61%), were getting medicinal plants from their home garden. The medicinal plants recorded were significantly associated with the education level, location of home, primary treatment mode, gender, and age class. The information source of plants was significantly associated with the education, gender, method of treatment, occupation, living with family, and location of home during lockdown caused by COVID-19.Conclusions:People were using more medicinal plants during COVID-19 claiming that they can prevent or cure COVID-19. This should be taken seriously by concerned authorities. The authorities should test the validity of these medicinal plants and control the flow of false information spread through research and awareness programs.

A cross-sectional survey of herbal remedy taking to prevent Covid-19 in Turkey

“…We also found that healthcare professionals showed a higher frequency of herbal remedies use. However, in our research, there was no significant difference between age, education status, and living status and the frequency of using herbal remedies, unlike previous study [23].…”

“…In our previous study on patients with respiratory diseases, we reported that participants obtained medicinal plants from their friends and relatives [24]. In Nepal and Saudi Arabia, most of the people provided medicinal plants from their own home, home gardens or farms [21,23]. Our current results are not consistent with other studies, participants stated that they have obtained herbal remedies mostly from herbalist (41.4%) or pharmacist (41.4%).…”

“…It can be concluded that Turkish people prefer herbal remedies more than other nations, especially, for the protection from Covid-19. In our study, women showed a statistically significant difference in the frequency of using herbal remedies compared to the men, which was consistent with the study conducted by Khadka et al [23]. Our results indicated that women are more interested in using plants than men.…”

“…Similar results were obtained from Nepal, where it was recorded that respondents used either single plant species or mixed plants up to 12 species. A total of 63 medicinal plant species were recorded used to prevent Covid-19 in Nepal and 23 medicinal plant species were recorded in Morocco [19,23]. In these studies, Zingiber officinale Roscoe was reported as one of the most commonly used medicinal plants.…”

Tinospora Cordifolia (Gurjo) and Its Potential Role to Combat with COVID-19: A Review

“…The US cordifolia to cure COVID-19 (Gyanwali & Dhimal, 2020). An article by Khadka et al (2021) reports when T. cordifolia stem is boiled with water or milk shows an immune modulatory effect and therefore it acts as a potential herb to fight against COVID-19 (Khadka et al, 2021). Dr. Kopila Adhikari (an Ayurvedic physician at Chitwan's District Ayurveda Health Centre) stated, "Medicines are prescribed only when certain criteria are observed such as pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, and others when prescribing T. cordifolia or any other medicine to the patient, taking into account the nature, age, digestion capability and health conditions" (Budathoki, 2020).…”