Phytomedicine Plus (May 2024)
Shortening the long-COVID: An exploratory review on the potential of Unani medicines in mitigating post-Covid-19 sequelae
Abstract
Background: Since the early days of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, a number of persistent symptoms have been observed in the patients, continuing for weeks or even months after recovery, now named as post-COVID-19 condition, or long-COVID. The commonest symptoms are neurological (cognitive decline, headache, insomnia etc.), cardiovascular afflictions (thromboembolism, hypertension etc.), respiratory problems, and general symptoms like fatigue, malaise etc. In this context, traditional medicine systems are being explored for their holistic and multi-dimensional effects, often not attainable in synthetic drugs. Purpose: This review is done to explore the potential medicaments (single raw/ natural ingredients only) in Unani system of medicine which may be beneficial in post-COVID-19 condition. Methodology: We explored four important textbooks of Unani medicine for medications beneficial for conditions similar to COVID-19, in the light of guidelines of post-febrile phase in Unani medicine. Results: After following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 159 medicaments of herbal, animal and mineral origin were identified. It was observed that 57.23 % herbs (e.g. Pistacia vera L., Pimpinella anisum L.) had efficacy in various respiratory conditions, while 38.36 % herbs (e.g. Crocus sativus L., Borago officinalis L.) were effective in various neurological conditions. Besides, many other medications are described to be effective in various ailments of gastro-intestinal tract, as vital-organ tonics, nutritive, etc. An important observation is that most herbs are effective in more than one condition. Some of the important medicaments include C. sativus, honey, Cichorium intybus L., Aucklandia costus Falc., B. officinalis, Cordia dichotoma G.Forst. etc. Pre-clinical and clinical studies on the drugs corroborate the classical Unani literature. Conclusion: Several Unani herbs can be potentially utilized in post-COVID-19 conditions due to their multi-dimensional therapeutic and protective actions. Hence, clinical research in this direction may provide a practical solution to overcome the sequelae of COVID-19.
