Khalil Mohamad, Abdallah Hala, Calasso Maria, Khalil Nour, Daher Ahmad, Missaoui Jihen, Diab Farah, Zeaiter Lama, Vergani Laura, Di Ciaula Agostino, Portincasa Piero
Clinica Medica "A. Murri", Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePre-J), University of Bari Medical School, 70124 Bari, Italy.
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Amendola 165/a, 70126 Bari, Italy.
Plants (Basel). 2024 Nov 28;13(23):3340. doi: 10.3390/plants13233340.
Despite herbal medicine being popular across the Mediterranean basin, there is no evidence in favor of COVID-19 infection. This study investigates the utilization and effects of medicinal plants in Italy, Lebanon, and Tunisia during COVID-19 and its effects on post-COVID-19 pandemics. We used a tailored, web-based "Google Form" questionnaire with the random sampling method. We gathered 812 complete responses (Italy: 116, Lebanon: 557, and Tunisia: 139), revealing diverse demographics and symptom experiences. Fatigue prevailed across all groups (89.0-94.2%), while psychological impacts ranged from 20.1% to 30.9%, with higher rates in Lebanon. Post-COVID-19 symptoms affected 22.4% (Italy), 48.8% (Lebanon), and 31.7% (Tunisia). General use of herbs was consistent (41.4-50.4%), with 23.3% (Italy), 50.2% (Lebanon), and 65.5% (Tunisia) employing herbs for COVID-19 therapy. Notably, in Lebanon, Za'atar, a thyme-like plant, correlated with reduced symptoms, suggesting potential protective effects that are likely due to its polyphenol richness. This study underscores the persistent reliance on traditional medicinal plants remedies in the Mediterranean area, with regional variations. Further exploration of herbal compounds for COVID-19-like symptoms is warranted.
尽管草药在地中海盆地广受欢迎，但尚无证据表明其对新冠病毒感染有效。本研究调查了意大利、黎巴嫩和突尼斯在新冠疫情期间药用植物的使用情况及其效果，以及对后新冠疫情的影响。我们采用随机抽样方法，使用了一份量身定制的基于网络的“谷歌表单”问卷。我们收集了812份完整回复（意大利：116份，黎巴嫩：557份，突尼斯：139份），揭示了不同的人口统计学特征和症状体验。所有群体中疲劳症状普遍存在（89.0 - 94.2%），而心理影响范围在20.1%至30.9%之间，黎巴嫩的比例更高。新冠后症状在意大利影响了22.4%，在黎巴嫩影响了48.8%，在突尼斯影响了31.7%。草药的总体使用率较为一致（41.4 - 50.4%），意大利有23.3%、黎巴嫩有50.2%、突尼斯有65.5%使用草药治疗新冠。值得注意的是，在黎巴嫩，类似百里香的植物扎塔尔与症状减轻相关，这表明其可能具有保护作用，可能是由于其富含多酚。本研究强调了地中海地区对传统药用植物疗法的持续依赖以及地区差异。有必要进一步探索针对新冠类似症状的草药化合物。
