Preface

The pandemic outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has become an increasing threat to public health across the globe. It is an unprecedented infectious disease caused by the newly discovered severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) with the widespread occurrence, severe respiratory problems and devastating fatality worldwide. Despite rigorous physical distancing, quarantine, and containment efforts, the incidence of COVID-19 has continued to rise globally. COVID-19 is a severe respiratory malady causing mild symptoms to severe illness and fatal complications acute respiratory distress syndrome, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiovascular shock, heart attack, kidney or multiple organ failure and even death. The most serious complication is a type of pneumonia attack named 2019 novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP). Based on current consensus, COVID-19 has imposed a significant healthcare crisis alongside severely affecting the global economies. Certain therapeutic/ prophylactic interventions that are currently in clinical practice include antiviral or anti-retroviral medications, corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, breathing support such as mechanical ventilation, and blood plasma transfusions (convalescent plasma therapy). Since no specific approved drugs or vaccines are currently available, the discovery and development of potential drugs for the treatment as well as the management of COVID-19 is an urgent need of the hour. The chapters covered in this book would be useful to researchers or scientists to discover and develop new drugs or lead molecules using various plant-based or herbal resources and/or phytochemical bioactive compounds for the treatment as well as management of COVID-19.

The book titled “Medicinal Plants, Phytomedicine and Traditional Herbal Remedies for Drug Discovery and Development against COVID-19” presents drug discovery opportunities from medicinal plants, phytomedicines, and traditional herbal remedies for the prevention as well as treatment of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). This book comprises chapters on basic aspects of SARS-CoV-2 virology, disease biology, and pathogenesis of COVID-19 including prevention and control measures of SARS-CoV-2-induced respiratory infection with possible drug discoveries from phytomedicines and traditional herbal therapies. This book specially deals with bioactive compounds-based drug discoveries from various medicinal plants of traditional importance and herbal medicines for combating SARS-CoV-2 infections and associated respiratory complications. In addition, possible preventive strategies using natural immune-boosting foods, functional foods, herbal drugs, indigenous spices and alternative medicines are also presented in the book. The discovery of drugs from phytomedicines/ herbal drugs using phytochemical database searching or by in silico repurposing approach is the special attraction of this book. The key features of the book are depicted below:

1. Presents drug discovery scopes and opportunities from medicinal plants, phytomedicine and traditional herbal remedies against COVID-19.

2. Details current advances in the utilities of medicinal plants, herbal drugs and traditional medicines for combating COVID-19.

3. Documents natural immune boosting indigenous herbs/ spices/ functional foods and herbal drugs or traditional antiviral remedies for chemo-prophylactic potential against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

4. Highlights drug repurposing strategies of phytomedicine-derived bioactive compounds or phytochemical databases for drug discovery against COVID-19.

This book is proposed to contain chapters covering various cutting-edge topics on virological research and possible drug discovery updates to deal with SARS-CoV-2 infections and respiratory complications associated with COVID-19. The authors contributing chapters to this book are renowned researchers and/or subject experts from reputed academic and research institutions from different regions of the world. The chapters are integrated properly within a well-structured format in a sequential order to aid flow, consistency and continuity. This book consists of chapters on various topics in various segments of COVID-19 research avenues as enumerated in the content. The book is intended to be useful to drug developers, drug discovery scientists, medicinal chemists, public health scientists, molecular biologists, biochemists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, biologists, immunologists, biotechnologists, industrialists, food technologists, policymakers, students, and educators and many others.