How Herbal Medicine Might Help Battle COVID-19
The ongoing pandemic, namely COVID-19, continues to haunt the entire world. Due to the mutated viral strain, even experts are unable to create effective vaccines as of yet. To a large extent, this has ushered in the usage of therapeutic herbs to treat the disease’s symptoms as adequate treatments have not yet emerged. Natural remedies are all about holistic health and optimum salubrity. With the help of well known herbs which have been used for generations, we may at least be able to address the symptoms if not the disease. Certain herbal medications like St. John’s Wort, Ginger, and other related extracts might help to relive the symptomatology with minimal side effects.
Keep reading to know the top therapeutic herbs that may be useful weapons in the COVID-19 war.
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
If you have a sore throat and the common cold, then this herb is ideal for its soothing properties. Enriched with high levels of antioxidants, phytonutrients, and minerals, it can act as a powerful immune booster. Just add a few leaves in your meals, beverages, or eat them in raw form.
Potential Health Benefits
- Adaptogen Herb that possesses innumerable healing powers. It helps to balance hormone levels and accelerates the neurological functions.
- Antiviral Properties – headaches, shortness of breath, dry cough, and joint pains have been known to subside with regular usage of this herbal extract.
- Reduces Hyperthermia & Improves the Vital Organ Functioning as it contains a significant amount of flavonoids and bioactive compounds like Eugenol.
Cannabis (Cannabis Sativa)
Traditional medicine often provide a holistic cure with negligible harm to the body. One such herb used in traditional medicine is Cannabis Sativa. Emerging from the premises of Eastern Asia, this plant can help in the amelioration of flu-like symptoms. The majority of the healing properties related to this plant arise from the active components, the most well known of them Cannabidiol and THC. From increasing the serotonin levels to imparting antiviral properties in the body, various cannabis strains and cbd oil do it all.
Potential Health Benefits
- Induces Relief from Chronic Illness & Pains related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Loaded with the CBD, it inhibits the neurotransmitters released in painful conditions. Joint pains might subside within only a few minutes.
- It Helps in Lung Diseases that lead to breathlessness and cough. As the dyspnoea and cough are the classic symptoms of COVID-19, this herb might treat such patients as well.
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)
Here’s a herb that strengthens the immune system with just a few doses. Being used in Chinese medicine extensively, it provides top-notch benefits against flu symptoms. Experts suggest that fenugreek extracts work best in the management of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension. Recently, it’s utility in combating COVID-19 has also emerged.
Potential Health Benefits
- Improves the Sperm Count and accelerates the spermatogenesis process by stimulating the Sertoli cells in the male reproductive organs. Along with this, it also ensures that the sperms produced are qualitatively optimum for inducing fertility. While this may not seem particularly helpful for COVID related symptoms it’s widely believed that it does raise testosterone levels and there have been some studies suggesting the mortality rate increases in men with low testosterone
- Lowers the Blood Glucose Levels as it contains antioxidants and magnesium content. Also, the herb aids in lowering the levels of Low-Density Lipids (LDL) cholesterol.
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
With its origin in Northern America and some parts of Asia, mugwort is the ideal “tonic” for a variety of diseases. You might use the Artemisia extracts to get rid of indigestion, dry cough, constipation, and other related ailments. Nowadays, people are using the therapeutic utilities of this plant for the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts regard this ecstatic herb as the Madagascar Tonic owing to its reported benefits in this pandemic.
Potential Health Benefits
- Gastric Ailments like diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain often subside with the long-term usage of mugwort leaves. The herb boosts your gastric functions and increases the secretion of gastric juices.
- Acts as a Sedative & Anti-Epileptic herb, controlling convulsive seizures to a great extent. Other neurological advantages are relief from nervous headache, neurasthenia, insomnia, anxiety, and hypochondria.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Here’s a herb with extensive culinary benefits coupled up with therapeutic value. Ginger is the ideal herb used for various conditions like sore throat, dry cough, and indigestion. It provides innumerable health benefits due to high levels of active components like gingerol, shogaol, and paradol. This herb may provide relief from COVID-19 symptoms like shortness of breath.
Health Benefits
- Anti-inflammatory properties imparted due to the active constituent gingerol can boost the immune system allowing your body fights off the microbial agents at a faster rate.
- Relief From Morning Sickness & Nausea as it contains paradol in large quantities. All you need to do is start your mornings with a cup of warm ginger tea. You might also want to drink ginger-infused juices during the daytime.
- Reduces Muscle Soreness & Pains that might occur after a long day. The herb contains potent components that reduce muscle fatigue. You can also use the herb for treating exercise-induced soreness of the muscle.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Thyme is the culinary herb used mainly for adding flavor to beverages and dishes. However, this herb has also been used to treat major flu-like symptoms. Due to this, Thymus vulgaris may helps in treating COVID-19 related symptoms like diarrhea, fever, and joint pains. From lowering your blood pressure to reducing acne marks, this eloquent has some incredible utility. What’s even better is that you can also use this herb for arthritic pains, mood disorders, and weak immunity.
Potential Health Benefits
- Boosts The Immune system and helps reduce bacterial infections greatly. The herb contains high levels of Vitamin C and Vitamin A helping to keep the body salubrious and disease-free.
- Reduces Dry Cough related to pulmonary diseases like Acute Bronchitis. It contains bioactive components that alleviate the cough symptoms.
- Improves Mood-Related Disorders and induces a sense of well-being. This is due to the high levels of carvacrol that increases the serotonin levels in the brain. You might feel slightly euphoric for a few minutes after ingesting the herb.
Final Verdict
Herbal medications are potential aides for many health abnormalities, and the ongoing pandemic is probably no exception to this. These potent herbs might help in treating the major symptoms. From shortness of breath to hyperthermia, these plant extracts have been known to relieve numerous ailments. You might consider the popular herbs like Ginger, Artemisia, and Thyme for boosting immunity. Not only can they provide amelioration in flu-like conditions, but they also likely prevent the recurrence of these symptoms. To read more about cannabis and its applications click here.
You can easily incorporate many of these into your diet without much fuss and when you consider the potential health benefits it’s probably worth making an effort to include them in your diet. Always remember herbs may be natural but there can be interactions with a person’s genetic makeup as well as counteractions with other medications you may be taking. Always do your research and consult a healthcare professional.
We hope that these herbs will be studied further for showing promise in treating COVID-19 symptoms but it’s probably very unlikely that plants will be properly studied as they cannot be patented. Cannabis is probably the most likely to be studied as one of the few plants that has been declared an actual medicine in many parts of the world.
The statements made regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products has not been confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All information presented here is not meant as a substitute for or alternative to information from healthcare practitioners. Please consult your healthcare professional about potential interactions or other possible complications before using any product. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this notice.
