Pharmacognostic review of Astercantha longifolia (L.) Nees, & its possible use in prevention of COVID-19

Astercantha longifolia is an annual herb from Acanthaceae family found almost as weed throughout plainlands, all over India. It is very much important from Ayurveda point of view for its curative role in many disease conditions. It is called as Kokilakshya in Ayurveda & Talamakhanna in Unani system. Its importance in Ayurveda can be judged by its visibility in Samhitas & Nighantus. India is a young country with billion plus population & having second highest in COVID affected numbers. Being a viral disease, immunity boosting drugs are the need of the hour & Astercantha longifolia (L) Nees or Kokilakshya fits in this situation perfectly. It has many pharmacological activities and the best action is, its free radical scavenging activity. Viral infections unleash storms of cytokinin, which produces abundant free radicals & the complications of COVID 19 are mainly due to these free radicals [1] . So, keeping all these qualities in mind, an honest attempt is made to enumerate those details and justify its perspective utility in Covid 19.