Prevention, treatment and potential mechanism of herbal medicine for Corona viruses: A review

Figures & data

Figure 1. Frequency of commonly use herbs in herbal formulas for treating patients with COVID-19 in recovery stage.

Table 1. Summary of Chinese herbal medicines recommended for COVID-19 treatment (Chinese guidelines)

Group	Disease stage	Pattern identification	Name of herbal formula
Adult	Mild	Cold-Dampness Obstructing the Lung	Sang Bei Zhisou San
			Jia Jian Zhengqi San + Da Yuan Yin + Shen Shu San
			Jia Jian Zhengqi San + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
			Qingwen Baidu Yin + Da Yuan Yin + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang + Sheng Jiang San Jing Fang Baidu San
		Wind-Cold Assailing the Lung	Jing Fang Baidu San + Jiuwei Qianghuo Pill
			Jing Fang Baidu San + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
		Wind-Heat Invading the Lung	Yin Qiao San + Sheng Jiang San
			Yin Qiao San
			Sang Ju Yin + Yin Qiao San
			Yin Qiao San + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
		External Cold and Interior Heat	Da Qing Long Tang + Qianjing Weijing Tang
		Warm Pathogen Invading the Lung	Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Sheng Jiang San/Da Yuan Yin/Qianghuo Shengshi Tang
			Huo Po Xia Ling Tang + Xiao Chaihu Tang
			San Ren Tang + Sheng Jiang San + Xin Jia Xiang Ru Yin
			Huo Po Xia Ling Tang + Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang
			Sang Ju Yin + Yin Qiao San
			Xiao Chaihu Tang + Sang Xin Tang + Jiuwei Qianghuo Tang + Huoxiang Zhengqi San
			Ganlu Xiaodu Dan + Huoxiang Zhengqi San
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tanga + Da Yuan Yin
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Sheng Jiang San + Da Yuan Yin
			San Ren Tang + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Sheng Jiang San + Da Yuan Yin
		Heat Pathogen Assailing the Lung	Da Yuan Yin
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Da Yuan Yin
			Yin Qiao San + Qingwen Baidu Yin
			Yin Qiao San + Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Xiao Chaihu Tang
		Dampness Encumbering the Exterior and Interior	Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Da Yuan Yin + Sheng Jiang San + Xiang Ru Yin
			Huo Po Xia Ling Tanga + Yin Qiao San
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tanga + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
		Pathogen Invading the Stomach and Intestines	Wang Shi Lian Po Yin + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
		No specific PI	Qingfei Paidu Tang
	Moderate	Warm Heat Pathogen Congesting the Lung	Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Yin Qiao San
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tanga + Ganlu Xiaodu Dan + Sangbaipi Yin
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Qianjing Weijing Tang
			Qingqi Huatan Tang + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Ganlu Xiaodu Dan + Sheng Jiang San
		Exterior Cold and Interior Heat Complicated by Dampness	Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Chuwen Huadu Tang + Sheng Jiang San
			Chaihu Da Yuan Yin + Leng Xiao Pill
		Dryness Invading the Lung	Sang Xing Tang + Qingzao Jiufei Tang
		Cold-Dampness Obstructing the Lung	Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang
			Jia Jian Zhengqi Sana + Da Yuan Yin
		Dampness Obstructing Middle Energizer	Qianjing Weijing Tang + San Zi Yangqin Tang + Shengyang Yiwei Tang
			Yi Jia Jian Zhengqi San
		Dampness Obstructing the Lung	Ma Xing Shi Gan Tanga + Qingqi Huatan Tang + Sangbaipi Yin
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Da Yuan Yin
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Sheng Jiang San + Da Yuan Yin
		Dampness toxin Congesting the Lung	Ma Xing Yi Gan Tanga + Da Yuan Yin
		Phlegm-Heat Congesting the Lung	Qingwen Baidu Yin + Sheng Jiang San
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Ganlu Xiaodu Dan + Sheng Jiang San
			Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang + Huanglian Jiedu Tang + Jiedu Huoxue Tang
			Ma Xing Yi Gan Tang + Sheng Jiang San + Da Yuan Yin
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Qingqi Huatan Tang
		Epidemic Toxin Blocking the Lung	Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang Da Yuan Yin + Sheng Jiang San + Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang
			Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang + San Xiao Yin + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang
			Ma Xing Gan Shi Tang + Da Yuan Yin
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Huo Po Xia Ling Tang + Sheng Jiang
			San + Huanglian Wendan Tang
			Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang + Da Yuan Yin
		Heat Pathogen Assailing the Lung	Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang + Huanglian Jiedu Tang
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang
			Bai Hu Tang + Qingying Tang + Qingwen Baidu Yin
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Yin Qiao San
		No specific PI	Qingfei Paidu Tang
	Severe	Internal Block and External Collapse	Shen Fu Tang + Su He Xiang Pill/Angong Niuhuang Pill
			Shen Fu Tanga + Su He Xiang Pill/Angong Niuhuang Pill/Zi Xue San
			Shen Fu Tang + Su He Xiang Pill/Angong Niuhuang Pill/Shexiang Niuhuang Pill
			Shen Fu Tang
			Sheng Mai San + San Shi Tang + Angong Niuhuang Pill
			Si Ni Jia Renshen Tang + Angong Niuhuang Pill/Zi Xue San
			Si Ni Jia Renshen Tang + Zhi Xue San/Su He Xiang Pill/Angong Niuhuang Pill
			Xuanbai Chengqi Tang
		Toxin Blocking the Lung	Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Xuanbai Chengqi Tang
			Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang + Sang Bei San
			Xuan Bai Cheng Qi Tang + Sang Bei San
			(Self-prescribed) Tingli Xiefei Tang
			Shen Fu Tang
			Shen Fu Tang + Su He Xiang Pill/Angong Niuhuang Pill
			Xuanbai Chengqi Tang + Huanglian Jiedu Tang + Jiedu Huoxue Tang
			Qingwen Baidu Yin + Jiedu Huoxue Tang
			Huashi Baidu Formula
		Blazing of both qi and nutrient	Qingwen Baidu Yin
		Toxin Flowing through Five Viscera	Xiang Sha Liu Junzi Tang + Shen Su Jiangqi Tang
		Depletion of Essential Qi	Poge Jiuxin Tang + Gualou Xiebai Banxia Tang + Danshen Yin
		Exhaustion of Yin and Collapse of Yang	Shen Fu Long Mu Tang
		Toxin Clouding the Orifices	Zi Xue Dan/Zhi Bao Dan/Angong Niuhuang Pill/Su He Xiang Pill
		Cold Epidemic Blocking the Lung	Xiao Qinglong Tang
		No specific PI	Qingfei Paidu Tang
Children	Mild	Seasonal Epidemic Invading the Exterior-defense	Yin Qiao San
			Xiang Su San
	Moderate	Dampness-Heat Blocking the Lung	Ma Xing Shi Gan Tang+ San Ren Tang
	Severe	Dampness-Heat in the Spleen and Stomach	Buhuan Jin Zhengqi San
		Heat Toxin Blocking the Lung	Xuanbai Chengqi Tang + Ganlu Xiaodu Dan

Figure 2. Countries were reported using herbal medicine for treating COVID-19 patients.

Table 2. Summary of herbal drug and components with anti-COVID-19 potential

Herbal plant	Compound	Chemical structure	Target	Reference
/	Kurarinone		/	[81]
/	Artemisinin		/	[93]
Rhizoma Polygonati	Diosgenin		/	[94]
	(+)-Syringaresinol-O-beta-D-glucoside
Huang Qi, Fu Ling, Bai Zhu, Di Huang, Shan Yao	Quercetin		PTGS2 (COX2), PTGS1 (COX1), IL6, CASP3, NOS2, and TNF, etc.	[82]
	Formononetin
	Kaempferol
Anupana	Epicatechin		/	[98]
	Hesperidin
/	Uncaria Tomentosa	/	ACE-2	[95]
Lianhua Qingwen and Shuanghuanlian	Rutin		Mpro	82
Shufeng Jiedu	Quercetin		/	[97]
	Wogonin
	Polydatin
Andrographis paniculata	/	/	Toll-like receptor pathway, PI3/AKT pathway and MAP kinase pathways	[52]
Piper nigrum	Moupinamide		S Protein	[83]
EGYVIR extract (Curcuma longa root, Piper nigrum seeds)	Pentatriacontane		Spike receptor-binding domain, NF-κB pathway	[84]
	Curcumin
	Piperine
	Sitosterol
	Amyrin
	Turmerone
	Lupeol
	Quercetin		S Protein	[85]
Yangyinjiedu, Dayuanxiaodu and Chaihuqingzao	Epigallocatechin-3-gallate		MPRO	[87]
Nigella sativa	Campesterol		N and PLPRO	[86]
	Cycloeucalenol
	Alpha-spinasterol
	Beta-sitosterol
	Cichoriin		RdRp, Nsp14, Nsp3 and PLPRO	[62]
Ephedra sinica	Ephedrine		ACE2	[88]
	Pseudoephedrine
	Methylephedrine
	Eugenin		Several active site of the SARS-CoV-2	[50]
	Silymarin
	Amoxycillin
	Curcumin
Coronil	/	/	inhibiting spike protein-ACE-2 interactions	[99]
species found in the Brazilian herbal medicine	Triterpenes and Phenolic compounds	/	/	[89]
Horchata infusion	Benzoic Acid		MPRO	[91]
	2-(ethylthio)-ethylester
	l-Leucine-N-isobutoxycarbony l-N-methyl-heptyl
	Isorhamnetin
	PLpro: isorhamnetin-3-O-(6-Orhamnosyl-galactoside)	/
	dihydroxy-methoxyflavanone and dihydroxyphenyl)-5-hydroxy-4-oxochromen-7-yl]oxy-3,4,5-trihydroxyoxane-2-carboxylic acid	/
Houttuynia cordata Thunb	7-oxodehydroasimilobine		RdRp	[92]
	1,2,3,4,5-pentamethoxy-dibenzo-quinolin-7-one	/
	1,2-dimethoxy-3-hydroxy-5-oxonoraporphine

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