Possible role of traditional medicinal plant Neem (Azadirachta indica) for the management of COVID-19 infection

Abstract

The novel corona virus disease (COVID-19) was originated from Wuhan, China. Afterwards, COVID-19 outbreak was declared as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). Now, around two and a half million people are suffering and several thousand are dead worldwide due to the highly infectious and deadly nature of the virus. Unfortunately, no standard medicine or vaccine is available to treat the disease. The major clinical symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, chills, cough, fatigue, respiratory symptoms, diarrhoea, and shortness of breath. Clinical symptom-based Indian traditional medicinal practices like Ayurveda and Siddha could be beneficial to treat and prevent the infection. Indian origin traditional medicinal plant Neem (Azadirachta indica) has been reported to have antiviral potential against bovine herpes virus type-1, poliovirus type 1, duck plague virus, dengue virus type-2, newcastle disease virus, infectious bursal disease virus, avian influenza virus, and group B coxsackievirus. Neem is widely used as Ayurvedic medicine to treat fever, cough, asthma, and diarrhoea, which are also reported as the common clinical symptoms of COVID-19. Neem is reported to enhance both humoral and cell-mediated immune response during viral infection. Multidimensional antiviral therapeutic potentials of Neem insist on hypothesizing its probable application to control COVID-19 along with modern medicinal practices. But, a series of experimental database and translational research is required to establish the hypothesis.