Tuğba Kaman, Head of the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Program at Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services, drew attention to the points to be considered in the consumption of medicinal plants used to strengthen the immune system during the pandemic process.
During the pandemic, care should be taken in the consumption of herbal products, which are preferred especially for strengthening the immune system. Stating that medicinal and aromatic plants such as sumac, thyme, black elderberry, turmeric and ginger are most popular during this period, experts say that many points should be considered from their collection to storage. Experts warn, "Under the wrong storage conditions, even if it is a quality product, the active ingredient can turn into a harmful, allergic, toxic product."
Used in many ailments
Stating that the use of medicinal plants to protect against diseases is as old as human history, Dr. Tuğba Kaman, Faculty Member Tuğba Kaman said, "Herbal products traditionally prepared from medicinal plants are used to strengthen immunity and in chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, upper respiratory tract infections, psychological disorders, gastrointestinal disorders. Many drugs used in modern medicine are also derived from plants. It has been reported in the literature that medicinal plants prevent viruses from attaching to the cell and entering the cell, reduce airway inflammation, interferon secretion and immune system stimulation."
Demand for antioxidant effective plants increased
Prof. Dr. Tuğba Kaman said that during the pandemic process we are experiencing due to Covid-19, the demand for medicinal and aromatic plants such as sumac, black elderberry, turmeric, ginger, black cumin seed and oil, olive leaf, sage, carob fruit and extract, lemon balm, lavender, thyme and licorice root, which are known for their antioxidant effects to strengthen immunity and have antimicrobial potential, has increased considerably.
Make sure it is the right kind
Emphasizing that the safety of medicinal and aromatic plants is as important as their effectiveness, Dr. Tuğba Kaman, Faculty Member Tuğba Kaman said, "Health problems and undesirable effects can be seen especially in herbal products due to situations such as adulteration, wrong plants and lack of standardization. First of all, it is necessary to make sure that the species to be procured is the right species. Because there may be many species belonging to the same genus in plants and not all species may have the same effects. For example, thyme was one of the most talked about plants during the pandemic. In fact, thymol-carrying essential oils and thymol-carrying plant extracts are the most preferred herbal products as respiratory antiseptics and cough suppressants for colds. However, there are many thyme species containing thymol and carvacrol in our country and not all species have the same amount of these effective substances."
Harvesting at the right time and storage conditions are important...
Prof. Dr. Tuğba Kaman said, "Apart from this, the quality of the plant is significantly affected by many situations such as growing in suitable climatic conditions, harvesting at the right time, and proper storage, and the active substance ratios found in it may vary. Of course, shelf life should also be taken into consideration. In summary, there may be loss of active substance in herbal products at every stage from plant production to consumption, and even if it is a quality product under wrong storage conditions, the active substance can turn into a harmful, allergic, toxic product."
Beware of herbal product-drug interaction!
Stating that many reasons such as the perception that herbal products are natural and have no side effects, as well as being easily accessible, being cheap and the presence of many news in the press / media about their therapeutic effects that can be shared without being based on science, Kaman said, "One of the important problems that may occur in the use of herbal products is herbal product-drug interactions. Many herbal supplements can interact with some regularly used drugs, changing their pharmacological effects by changing their absorption, metabolism, distribution and excretion, and increasing the potential for toxicity or side effects. People with chronic diseases should be especially careful in this regard and should not use herbal products without consulting a physician."
Liver patients should be careful
Stating that there are studies reporting that some of the compounds found in medicinal and aromatic plants, especially some flavanoids, polyphenolic compounds such as glycyrrhizin in licorice and curcumin in turmeric, show antiviral activity, prevent inflammation, reduce oxidative stress and prevent the proliferation of SARS coronavirus when used in certain doses. Faculty Member Tuğba Kaman said, "However, considering that hypersensitivity may develop to its active ingredients, it is of great importance that those with bile duct, liver disease and gallstones use these herbal products carefully."
Licorice may increase the risk of miscarriage
Stating that licorice is a chest softening and expectorant plant with mucolytic effect for the upper respiratory tract, which is used in respiratory and digestive problems and diabetes, Kaman said, "However, due to its active ingredient glycyrrhizin, it has been reported that it may interact with antihypertensive, antiarrhythmic drugs, increase the risk of bleeding by interacting with warfarin and increase the risk of miscarriage in pregnant women. Ginger, like licorice, may increase bleeding in individuals taking some anticoagulants. Especially those who use antiplatelet agents, blood thinners such as aspirin, warfarin and calcium channel blockers (high blood pressure medication) should be careful in this sense."
Be careful when consuming echinacea and olive leaves
Stating that echinacea is a plant that is frequently used to help fight colds and flu and is considered a natural immune supporter, Dr. Faculty Member Tuğba Kaman said the following:
"However, attention should be paid to the use of echinacea in individuals with known sensitivity to daisy family (Asteracea) plants or people with systematic disorders and individuals with autoimmune diseases. It is stated that oleuropein and other phenolic compounds identified from olive leaf extracts have antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycemic, hypocholesterolemic, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects. Oleuropein has also been shown to have antiviral activity against hepatitis viruses, mononucleosis herpes viruses and rotaviruses.
It is stated that olive leaf used at the appropriate therapeutic dose does not cause any side effects, but internally it may trigger colic in patients with gallstones, increase the effect of drugs that lower blood pressure and interact with antidiabetic drugs and affect blood glucose levels, and it is recommended that diabetic patients should be carefully monitored. The sage plant is known to have antibacterial, fungistatic, virustatic, secretion stimulating and sweating inhibitory, in vitro and in vivo strong antioxidant effects. However, caution should be exercised due to its cytotoxic compounds such as α and β tuyones.
Method, temperature and storage conditions are important in black cumin oil.
The important component of black cumin oil, thymoquinone, is a phenolic compound and is widely used to strengthen immunity, respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis and many other diseases due to its high antioxidant properties. However, the amount of effective substances in it is important for these effects to be seen. The amount of thymoquinone in black cumin oil varies depending on conditions such as the method of obtaining the oil, exposure to very high temperatures while obtaining the oil, waiting or storing the oil in the open for a long time."
Scientific studies are needed
Drawing attention to the plants whose consumption increased during the pandemic period, Dr. Faculty Member Tuğba Kaman stated that studies proving their effectiveness with coronavirus are needed and said, "Black elderberry fruit extracts, whose use increased during the pandemic period, are used in the treatment of febrile diseases, cough, moderate upper respiratory tract disorders, as well as studies showing their effectiveness on Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), HIV, Influenza A-B. Gallic acid, a phenolic substance found in carob, is known to be an effective antioxidant. The sumac plant was also one of the most popular plants in the early stages of the pandemic. There are studies reporting positive effects of sumac on herpes simplex virus and showing that it has antibacterial properties. However, although the effectiveness of some herbal products on a specific virus or bacteria is presented by scientific studies, these results do not conclude that these herbal products are effective on all kinds of bacteria or viruses. Scientific studies are needed to prove the effectiveness of sumac or other herbal products with coronavirus."