Nutraceutical to rescue

13/06/2022

A novel coronavirus (CoV) named 2019-nCoV or 2019 novel coronavirus or COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) oversees the current outbreak of pneumonia that began at the beginning of December 2019 near Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 is a pathogenic virus. Most people recovered from COVID-19 within 2 to 3 weeks, however, some had experienced a mild version of the disease & continued to suffer with symptoms after recovery.
These people are sometimes regarded as long haulers, and the conditions are known as post-COVID-19 syndrome or long COVID-19. These health issues are sometimes referred to as post-COVID-19 conditions. They are generally thought to be COVID-19 side effects that last for more than four weeks after you've been diagnosed with the virus.
Older people and those with a variety of serious health problems are more likely to have lingering COVID-19 symptoms, but even young, otherwise healthy people can feel ill for weeks to months after infection. The following are some of the most common long-term signs and symptoms: Shortness of breath, fatigue, joint pain, cough, chest pain, loss of smell or taste, anxiety, depression, fever, dizziness, headache, etc.
Nutraceuticals obtai-ned from herbs have been used as a source of medicine by humans since ancient times. Currently, a large proportion of the world's population relies on botanical remedies to meet their health needs. Now, there is a growing interest in and use of botanical therapies in the formulation of healthcare products. Different herbs which can be used in the treatment of Long COVID symptoms are as follows:
Ginger: It has proven its anti-inflammatory and antiviral action & therefo-re can be used in the CO-VID-19 symptom treatment.
Honey: Consists of different active components such as vitamins, phenolic acids, flavonoids etc which act as antioxidant agent and effective in down regulating viral RNA during infection.
Glutathione: They are called mast antioxidant agents which reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) & activation of Nf-kB. It is also effective in relieving respiratory symptoms.
Astaxanthin: It possess strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant action which act as Janus kinase/ signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) in the initiation of interferon-stimulated response elements (IS-RE), attenuating the pathway would play a crucial role in avoiding the inflammation in COVID-19.
Curcumin: It is an active constituent obtain-ed from Curcuma longa & possesses anti-inflammatory action. Clinical evidence showed that curcumin is an effective agent in the treatment of COVID-19.
Andrographis paniculate: Andrographolide which is an active constituent of Andrographis paniculata showed potent inhibitory effect against COVID-19. It binds with spike protein of glycoprotein and limits entry of virus into the host cell.
Vitamin D3: Literature review suggest that Vitamin D3 shows direct action on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which serves as the cell surface entry receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
Vitamin C: Ascorbic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that is proposed to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, & immun-omodulatory properties.
Selenium: Selenite, a type of selenium stops the entrance of viruses into healthy cells. Hence, selenium can be effectively used in the treatment of COVID-19.
Zinc: Zinc is helpful for the treatment of upper respiratory tract viral infection and hence can also be beneficial in the management of COVID-19.
Melatonin: Melatonin has proved to be effective in downregulating acute lung oxidative injury and inflammation.
Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha has properties like immune-modulatory, anti-stress and antiviral efficacy. Root extract of ashwagandha is effective against anxiety and stress which can be useful in the treatment of long COVID-19 symptoms. Furthermore, the medicine also has a very good pulmonary protective function and hence is beneficial in post-COVID care.
Different clinical studies indicate that nutraceuticals such as Ashwagandha, Zinc, curcumin Vitamin C & D etc. are found to play an important role in supporting immune function and reducing respiratory infection. All these nutrients can be obtained from diet or available as a dietary supplement. The use of specific nutraceuticals is effective in the treatment of long COVID-19 symptoms without any adverse events. However, further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms of action as well as the potential therapeutic value.

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