Infect Chemother. 2022 Mar;54(1):176-177. English.
Published online Jan 21, 2022.
Copyright © 2022 by The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, Korean Society for Antimicrobial Therapy, and The Korean Society for AIDS
letter

In Support of Ethnopharmacological Practices: Exploring a Long-Term Solution for the Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 in the Philippines

Dalmacito A. Cordero, Jr.
    • Department of Theology and Religious Education, De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines.
Received January 06, 2022; Accepted January 10, 2022.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Dear Editor:

Several efforts are initiated worldwide regarding the rapid search for potential coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. In a recent article published in this journal, the authors affirmed this continuous search for therapeutic options and they presented ruxolitinib as a potential treatment approach for severe COVID-19 [1]. In relation to this, developing countries such as the Philippines faces a big challenge concerning this endeavor since the government are having a difficult time in purchasing such medicines due to complicated policies for imported drugs, lack of funds, public’s fear of the drugs’ side effects, and even delay in delivery. With this, I suggest that the facilitation of ethnopharmacological approaches must be explored. The discovering and testing of other “safer” alternatives, with lesser side effects, may cause a big difference in developing an effective response to the disease. This may also address vaccine hesitancy as well as solve the problem of vaccine/drug unavailability and delivery since they will be produced locally. Thus, the government must give equal priority and full support to a plant-based intervention. The country still depends on the technological advancement from other nations that is why all the vaccines/drugs are imported abroad. However, it is important to note that the Philippines is renowned as one of the species-rich countries with regard to medicinal plants. This reality can pave way for the development of a “homegrown” vaccine/drug which will not only be economically helpful but will address the interconnected problems mentioned.

Some raw materials of many chemical drugs came from medicinal plants, usually from their extracts and other derivatives. The Philippines has over 2,000 medicinal plants and that there is a need to advance research and development as these could be used medically. A BioMed Central research said that 120 have been scientifically validated for safety and efficacy [2]. Evolutionary approaches in studying in-depth these medicinal plants like metabolic engineering, integrative molecular confirmation, structural gene, phylogenetic, and many other ways needed much attention for a successful drug discovery. The local raw materials and other plant- or herb-based medicines which have been used to cure other diseases such as: virgin coconut oil, lagundi, tawa-tawa, ampalaya, niyog-niyogan, sambong, tsaang gubat, among others, can possibly provide the same benefit of prevention and treatment against COVID-19 if well explored. In fact, Dr. Lourdes Cardenas, a botany professor, recently presented two medicinal plants that can potentially be harnessed for their medicinal properties in treating COVID-19 patients. These are bagis or subit (Berberis barandana), a common weed with small yellow flowers which contains berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid that can act as an antiviral and antimicrobial agent; and sulsulitik (Curculigo orchioides), a plant that contains saponin, a compound that can boost the immune system and can be useful in treating weakened COVID-19 patients [3]. The virus continues to mutate and new variants are discovered as time passes by. If ethnopharmacological practices will be enriched in the country and fully supported, proper intervention can help address the problem. It is just a matter of continuing what has been started by the local experts in various far-flung provinces and universities.

Notes

Conflict of Interest:No conflict of interest.

References

    1. Quiros JR, Ross-Comptis J, Hathaway D 3rd, Sarfraz A, Sarfraz Z, Grigoryan Z, Romero KA, Gapizov A, Príncipe-Meneses FS, Somagutta MR, Riva-Moscoso A, Kapasi A. Ruxolitinib and the mitigation of severe COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Infect Chemother 2021;53:436–448.
    1. University of the Philippines Los Baños. UPLB botanist cites potential medicinal plants against COVID-19. [Accessed 23 November 2021].

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