Antiviral activity of a composition of Gentiana lutea L., Primula veris L., Sambucus nigra L., Rumex spec. and Verbena officinalis L. (Sinupret®) against viruses causing respiratory infections

Sambucus ebulus (Elderberry) Fruits Modulate Inflammation and Complement System Activity in Humans

Sambucus ebulus (SE) fruits are used for immune stimulation and amelioration of gastrointestinal inflammatory conditions. Currently, there is no scientific evidence of their effects on various aspects of the immune response mechanisms in humans. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the immunomodulatory potential of SE fruit infusion intake in healthy humans. Anthocyanin content was determined with UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Fifty-three volunteers enrolled in a 4-week SE infusion intake intervention. Blood count, serum total protein, Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNFα), High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), C3, and C4 levels were measured on automatic analyzers, and Interleukin 8 (IL-8) was measured manually with an ELISA kit. Cyanidin-3-O-galactoside (48.15 mg/g DW), followed by cyaniding-3-sambubioside (43.41 ± 1.07 mg/g DW), were the most abundant anthocyanins in SE samples. A significant decrease in total protein (2.82%), IL-6 (20.15%), TNFα (5.38%), IL-8 (5.50%), C3 (4.16%), and C4 (14.29%) was established in the whole group. Total protein, IL-8, TNFα, and C4 decreased in women (3.11%, 4.76%, 5.09%, and 11.11%), and IL-6 decreased (40.61%) in men. Hb (1.20%) and hematocrit (1.55%) levels decreased in the whole group and in the women group (1.61% and 2.20%). SE fruits exert immune-modulatory activity as revealed by decreased pro-inflammatory status and complement activity markers in healthy volunteers after a 4-week intervention.

Efficacy of the Unani Regimen as an Add-On to Standard Treatment in Hospitalised RT-PCR-Confirmed Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients: An Open-Label Randomized Controlled Trial

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in mortality and morbidity worldwide. Many treatment modalities have been experimented with limited success. Therefore, the traditional system of medicine needs to be explored. Objective To evaluate the benefits of Unani regimensTiryaq-e-Arba and Unani Joshanda, as adjuvant therapy, were compared to standard treatment alone among reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19 cases. Materials and methods An open-label, double-arm, randomized, controlled interventional clinical study was conducted among 90 RT-PCR-confirmed mild to moderate COVID-19 inpatients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in New Delhi, India. Participants who fulfilled the criteria for inclusion were randomly assigned to two arms, with 43 subjects allocated to the Unani add-on arm and 47 subjects to the control arm receiving standard treatment alone. Results Clinical recovery was achieved in all patients of the Unani arm, while in the control arm, three (6.4%) patients deteriorated and had to be shifted to ICU following admission. In the intervention arm, a shorter duration of hospitalization was observed (mean 5.95 days {SD = 1.99}) than in the control arm (mean 7.62 days {SD, 4.06}); which was a statistically significant difference (p-value 0.017). The majority of the patients recovered within 10 days in the Unani add-on arm. The number of days taken for the reduction of symptoms was significantly less in the intervention arm (mean 5.14 days {SD, 2.39}) as compared with standard treatment (mean 6.53 days {SD, 3.06}) (p < 0.02). Renal and liver safety parameters were within the normal limits in both arms and no serious adverse event was reported. Conclusion Adding Unani formulations to standard treatment significantly reduced the duration of hospital stay and showed early recovery in COVID-19 patients compared with the control arm. It may be concluded that the synergistic effect of the Unani add-on with standard treatment gave more promising results in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.

Medicinal plants used for respiratory affections in Navarra and their pharmacological validation

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

This paper provides important ethnopharmacological information on plants used in respiratory affections in Navarra.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Information was collected using semi-structured ethnobotanical interviews with 667 informants in 265 locations. In order to confirm the pharmacological validation of the uses claimed by the informants, monographs from Official International Agencies (ESCOP, Commission E, WHO and EMA) were reviewed. A literature review was conducted focusing on the plants that were widely used but had no published monograph.

RESULTS

A total of 456 pharmaceutical uses was reported, for 79 plants and 34 families, mainly represented by Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Crassulaceae and Malvaceae. The most frequently used parts were the aerial parts followed by inflorescences and leaves. Twenty-two out of 79 plants (28%) and 270 of 456 uses (42%), had already been pharmacologically validated.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors propose Verbena officinalis for validation.