The practice of herbal medicine to prevent Sars-CoV-2 in Salé, Morocco

Coronaviruses are important animal and human pathogens. Towards the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China, the basis of which consisted of a cluster of pneumonia problems. Its quick spread resulted in a worldwide pandemic. This research was aimed to document detailed ethnopharmacological information on the medicinal plant species used by herbalists against coronavirus disease. The study was conducted in Salé Prefecture, from March 1st, 2020 to May 31st, 2020. Semi-structured direct interviews were held with 30 herbalists to collect the socio-demographic features, the name of local species, and traditional remedies. The data were analyzed through the use reports (UR) and medicinal use value (MUV). In total, 20 plant species from 20 genera and 14 families had been the most frequently used by herbalists from Salé Prefecture for the prevention and treatment of Sars-CoV-2. The most mentioned plant is Eucalyptus globulus Labill, followed by Azadirachta indica A. Juss, and Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam. Moreover, the most commonly used plant parts for herbal preparations were leaves (28.43%) and seeds (17.5%), whereas the majority of remedies were prepared through infusion. The present study is the first contribution to the ethnopharmacological of this Prefecture. It is recommended that the constituents of indigenous species be studied to determine the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action. Urgent attention must be paid to the conservation of medicinal species, in addition to comprehensive documentation of traditional medicinal knowledge, on top of phytochemical validation of reported plants.