The current COVID-19 pandemic has proved devastating, claiming millions of lives worldwide. It has not only shattered the population as a whole but has also hit the healthcare industry. Although most people infected with the COVID-19 virus are reported to experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, some groups of people are vulnerable to develop serious illnesses. These may include older people, individuals with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer.¹

Adults and adolescents without underlying medical conditions and showing mild symptoms are suggested to self-manage their symptoms in isolation with a minimum of drugs and lifestyle adjustments. Self-management recommendations of SARS-CoV-2 disease (COVID-19) involve self-isolation, plenty of rest, good hydration, and the use of NSAID (in high fever only). But it won′t be a surprise to witness many patients adding other symptomatic/adjuvant treatments, such as herbal medicines in their treatment regimen.¹

One such popular herbal preparation is from ivy leaf (Hedera helix). Ivy leaf extract preparations are widely used over-the-counter, non-antibiotic cough remedies authorized by the European Medicines Agency. They are rich in saponins, which possesses expectorant properties and have also demonstrated antispasmodic and bronchodilating activity, anti-inflammatory effects, and antitussive properties in-vitro.²

A group of researchers assessed the benefits/risks of selected herbal medicines, used traditionally for respiratory diseases, for utilizing in the current COVID-19 pandemic as an adjuvant treatment.¹

The researchers selected plant species listed by the WHO and EMA, but some other herbal remedies were also considered due to their widespread use in respiratory conditions. The collection of preclinical and clinical data on their efficacy and safety were done from authoritative sources. The study population was adults with early and mild flu symptoms without underlying conditions. Paracetamol, ibuprofen, and codeine were used as reference drugs. The benefits/risks balance of the treatments was described as positive, promising, negative, and unknown.¹

The observations of the study were as follows^-1

• 39 herbal medicines were identified as the most popular among COVID-19 patients.
• The benefits/risks assessment of the herbal medicines was found to be: 

• Positive in 5 cases - Hedera helix, Althaea officinalis, Commiphoramolmol, Glycyrrhizaglabra and Sambucusnigra)
• Promising in 12 cases - Pelargonium sidoides, Pimpinellaanisum, Salix sp, Allium sativum, Andrographispaniculata, Echinacea angustifolia, Echinacea purpurea, Eucalyptus globulus essential oil, Justiciapectoralis, Magnolia officinalis, Mikaniaglomerata, Zingiberofficinale)
• Unknown for the rest.
• Only ibuprofen resulted promising on the same grounds, 

• Compelling evidence to endorse the use of paracetamol and/or codeine was not found.

This study suggested the safety margins of several herbal medicines to be superior to those of reference drugs. They also rendered enough evidence for their potential use as adjuvants in the treatment of early/mild common flu in otherwise healthy adults with COVID-19 disease. These herbal medicines may help improve general patient well-being and offer them an opportunity to personalize the therapeutic approaches.¹

Source: 

1. Silveira D, Prieto-Garcia JM, Boylan F, Estrada O, Fonseca-Bazzo YM, Jamal CM, Magalhães PO, Pereira EO, Tomczyk M, Heinrich M. COVID-19: Is There Evidence for the Use of Herbal Medicines as Adjuvant Symptomatic Therapy?Front. Pharmacol.,2020 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2020.581840
2. Sierocinski E, Holzinger F, Chenot JF. Ivy leaf (Hedera helix) for acute upper respiratory tract infections: an updated systematic review. Eur J ClinPharmacol. 2021;77(8):1113-1122. doi:10.1007/s00228-021-03090-4