Phytotherapeutic approaches and ethnopharmacological responses against covid-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the most important public health problem in 2020, poses severe health and socioeconomic impact. Many people turn to herbal therapy to prevent infection with the virus or alleviate the symptoms caused by it. This study evaluates the patterns of phytotherapy-based product utilization in the prevention against SARS-COV-2 and their reported effectiveness. This cross-sectional survey used a convenience sample of 287 adults who had used any form of phytotherapeutics to help fight and/or treat COVID-19 infection. The majority (n = 194, 67.6%) of participants had used plants from the Rutaceae family (like lemon and oranges), followed by those of Amaryllidaceous (namely, Garlic and Onion). Participants said that physicians and pharmacists were the primary sources of information about phytotherapy (n=107, 37.3%), and their decision was driven by their positive attitude towards herbal medicine or plant-based products (n=133, 46.3%). Many participants did not notice any side effects of these remedies (n=270, 94%) and believed they were effective (n = 184, 64%). This study provides an overview of the many phytotherapeutic remedies used in the era of COVID-19 by Jordanian society, which could prompt the conduction of interventional trials to assess the effectiveness and safety of this modality of therapy, either as a stand-alone or adjuvant treatment.