Herbal and Traditional Plant Medicine

Medicinal plant in Covid-19

According to our evidence summaries, N. Sativa (black cumin) seed was among one of the medicinal plants with the most published positive evidence. Ethanolic extracts of N. Sativa seeds demonstrated antiviral properties by decreasing viral load, alpha-fetoprotein, and improved liver function parameters among hepatitis C infected patients. In animal studies, N. Sativa seed oil presented both antiviral and immunomodulatory effects against cytomegalovirus, reducing viral loads to an undetectable level. It can also enhance the immune response by increasing CD3 and CD4 counts, as well as up-regulating interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) release from Natural Killer T-cells and macrophages. In cell studies, ethanolic extracts of N. Sativa seeds also demonstrated inhibitory activity against coronavirus species MHVA59 (mouse hepatitis virus-A59) replication by downregulating gene expressions of various leukocyte transient receptor proteins (TRP) such as the TRPA1, TRPC4, TRPM6, TRPM7, TRPM8, and TRPV4 genes.