Therapeutic potential of selective medicinal plants and their phytoconstituents in respiratory diseases: A review with an emphasis on COVID-19

Respiratory diseases, spanning from mild illnesses like the common cold to more serious problems like pneumonia and COVID-19, pose significant challenges to global health and contribute significantly to morbidity and death. The emergence of COVID-19 has increased the need for efficient therapeutic approaches. This review article examines the potential of specific medicinal plants, namely Black Cumin, Licorice, and Echinacea, and their phytoconstituents in the management of respiratory diseases, with a specific emphasis on COVID-19. It synthesizes extant knowledge on the therapeutic efficacy of these plants, which have been used traditionally in Unani, Ayurvedic, and Chinese medicine to alleviate respiratory symptoms and boost immune functions. This review also discusses the immunomodulatory and antiviral properties of these three specific medicinal plants, as well as their function in the treatment of a number of life-threatening diseases. Incorporating insights from ethnomedicine and contemporary scientific research, this review highlights the urgency of exploring herbal medicines as complementary therapies for respiratory diseases and offers perspectives on incorporating these natural remedies into contemporary treatment paradigms, particularly in the perspective of combating COVID-19.