WHOLE PLANT ADIANTUM CAPILLUS-VENERIS LINN. EXTRACT AS AN ANTI-COVID-19 THERAPY.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered strain of Corona viruses (SARS-CoV-2). The disease causes mild to severe symptoms, mainly respiratory. Some patients can develop pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death. Any patient can develop mild to severe illness, but old age and severe underlying medical conditions like chronic lung diseases, diabetes, obesity, etc. seem to be higher risk factors for developing more serious complications from COVID-19. There is no specific treatment for COVID-19. However, many of the symptoms can be treated according to the patient’s clinical condition. Adiantum capillus-veneris (Maidenhair fern) is a medicinal herb of the family Pteridaceae. The plant extract showed a potential efficacy as ancient physicians used it for curing different diseases. In modern medicine, the plant was proven to possess a pharmacological efficacy to treat many symptoms similar to that caused by COVID-19 and its underlying medical conditions. Herbal agents extracted from Adiantum capillus veneris is widely used for the treatment of COVID-19 in Egypt, but Unfortunately, specific preclinical and clinical trials to evaluate the effects of the herbal immunoregulators in COVID19 patients have not been conducted. However, Certain natural compounds are proven here to be possibly effective for the treatment of COVID-19 symptoms based on general concepts from previous experiments. Meanwhile, people believe that consuming herbal immunomodulators can prevent or even cure COVID-19, this review is done to discuss the pros and cons of utilising the extract of Adiantum capillus veneris during COVID-19 pandemic, draw conclusions, and make recommendations of modern therapeutic application of an extract-based drug to treat symptoms of patients with COVID-19.