Background
While the timelines for vaccine discovery and clinical development are remarkable and unprecedented, at the time of writing, there is no known pharmacological cure for SARS-Cov-2 infection. In addition to the plethora of investigations into conventional therapies, it is also noteworthy that there has always been high interest in the use of traditional medicines for COVID-19 from early in the course of the pandemic. The dismally slow rate of vaccine access for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has galvanised healthcare practitioners and scientists to re-visit both conventional and traditional medicines.
China and countries in Africa have long histories of use of traditional and herbal medicine in the treatment and prevention of human and animal diseases1. In many communities, traditional medicine is an important contributor to primary health care building on a longstanding cultural acceptability in its use2–4. In Africa, anecdotal estimates are that they have been used for >80% of illness at least once. Most individuals who provide traditional medicine therapy are highly respected in their community. In some instances, this trust is linked with religion and steeped in culture and tradition. In addition, accessibility, availability and affordability of herbal medicines often makes them a preferred choice over conventional therapies. Even practitioners of modern medicine would find it difficult to deny the confidence that their patients have in traditional medicine and the relief that they afford in some circumstances.
Significant advances in the science of ethnopharmacology has helped to introduce single chemical entities, in contrast to composite natural product source, into modern medicine 5. Indeed, many of the natural products that have been developed into modern therapeutics have come from plants6.
In presenting our views as clinical pharmacologists, we acknowledge our bias in having been trained in conventional drug use, but highlight our respect for the potential role of traditional medicines in the current-, and future pandemics. Our purpose is to invite comment, critique, and alternate viewpoints.