Herbal remedies for respiratory ailments from Melghat region: a review with relevance to COVID-19 symptoms

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a global health crisis, leading to a range of respiratory symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, headache, shortness of breath, and chest pain. In this review, we compile a list of 355 medicinal plant species from the Melghat region that have been traditionally used to alleviate respiratory ailments, particularly those associated with COVID-19 symptoms. Pre-defined criteria were taken into consideration for selecting the research articles and compilation of data presented. The plants in this compilation belong to 274 genera and 93 families. The most frequently reported plant families are Fabaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Malvaceae, Poaceae, Acanthaceae, Solanaceae, Rubiaceae, Apocynaceae, and Cucurbitaceae. The most dominant genus is Solanum, with seven species. The plants in this compilation are categorised as herbs (38.59%), trees (25.07%), shrubs (23.38%), climbers (7.32%), grasses (3.94%), orchids (0.84%), bamboo (0.56%), and aquatic plants. The most frequently utilised plant parts are leaves (29.53%), roots (15.78%), the whole plant (13.35%), fruits (9.45%), stem bark (8.90%), seeds (6.25%), and flowers (5.31%). This curated dataset provides valuable information on the botanical names of the plants, their families, categorisation, associated ailments, and the specific plant parts used with relevant references. It also encompasses relevant traditional, folk, and ethnobotanical uses. This compilation offers a wealth of information for researchers involved in the discovery and development of herbal drugs. [Display omitted] •The study area is a bio-diversity hotspot of central India and huge treasure of knowledge from the tribal population.•Prime focus on all the diseases under screening as symptoms for the COVID-19.•Exhaustive review for 355 plants under use for chest pain, cold, cough, fever, headache, shortness of breath, and sore throat.•The applications of the herbals are referred from more than 250 research articles.•Exhaustive review will serve as scientific baseline information for the entire global communities exploring various options to treat spectrum of diseases covered in COVID 19.