Ocimum sanctum a remedy for Covid 19-a review study

Dr. Amrutha Manoharan,  B.H.M.S,  M.D (Hom.), DIP. YOGA
Former , Senior Research Fellow
National Homoeopathy Research Institute For Mental Health , Kottayam, Kerala.

ABSTRACT
The world is facing a huge burden of pandemic due to a small creature, the corona virus, royally said as ‘ THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUS’. The whole world is wearing mask and every one is experiencing a huge stress due to this virus. Homoeopathic medicine ocimum sanctum has the symptoms similar to covid 19 and is very valuable in curing the COVID 19.

KEYWORD : COVID 19 , ocimum sanctum.

INTRODUCTION
Human coronaviruses are α-coronaviruses (HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63) while the other two are β-coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1).These viruses are endemic in the human populations, causing 15–30% of respiratory tract infections . They cause  more severe disease in neonates, the elderly, and in individuals with underlying illnesses, with a greater incidence of lower respiratory tract infection in these populations. HCoV-NL63 is also associated with acute laryngotracheitis (croup). ^[1]

CLINICAL FEATURES 

most common symptoms are

• Fever
• Dry cough
• Fatigue
• Coughing up sputum, or thick phlegm, from the lungs
• Shortness of breath
• Bone or joint pain
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Chills
• Nausea or vomiting
• Stuffy nose
• Diarrhea
• Coughing up blood
• Swollen eyes ^[2]

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

• To find the efficacy of  ocimum sanctum  as a medicine for covid 19
• Materials andMethod
• The study is conducted as a review study collected from various research articles. 

OCIMUM SANCTUM AND ITS MEDICINAL  PROPERTIES
Tulsi is also known as the queen of herbs and revered as ‘ elixir of life’, it has both medicinal and spiritual properties.^[3]

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
Appearance is erect, branched and fragmented. When it mature the height is about 30 to 60 cm. The leaves are simple and opposite. Flowers  are small having purple to reddish colour.

TAXONOMY 

• Kingdom        : Plantae
• Subkingdom   : Tracheobionta
• Superdivision : Spermatophyta
• Division         : Magnoliophyta
• Class              : Magnoliopsida
• Subclass         : Asteridae
• Order              : Lamiales
• Family            : Lamiaceae
• Genus             : Ocimum 
• Species           : O. sanctum  ^[4]

CONSTITUENTS OF OCIMUM SANCTUM
Alkaloid extract of tulsi  has following  constituents ursolic acid, apigenin, luteolin, procatechuic acid, vallinin acid, chlorogenic acid, β stigmasterol , aesculin, chlorgenic acid, galuteolin, circineol, gallic acid, vicenin-2, vitexin, isovitexin, aesculetin, apigenin-7-O-glucuronide, isorientin, orientin, molludistin, stigmasterol. ^[5] The main active ingredient of occimum santum is Ursolic acid which has  the key role in its therapeutic activicty. ^[6]Ursolic acid has a pentacylic triterpene substance that has many pharmacological properties, including anti inflamtory , antiviral and anti bacterial activicty. ^[7]

Isothymusin,  Cirsilineol, cirsimaritin, rosmarinic acid isothymonin, apigenin,  and eugenol has been extracted from  from fresh leaves and stem ofoccimum santum ,  which are responsible for the anti-inflammatory  activity. cyclooxygenase-l inhibitory activity is shown by eugenol. ^[8]

HOMOEOPATHIC SYMPTOMS OF OCIMUM SANCTUM FOR COVID 19
Drowsiness, prostration, head feels heavy, throbbing pain in head. Pain in eyes and lacrymation. Nasal catarrh with frequent sneezing, influenza.  Bitter taste in mouth. Pain in throat with dysphagia, glairy mucous , tonsillitis.  Want of appetite. Heaviness of stomach. Pain in hepatic and splenic regions.  Copious , offensive watery , bloody stool. Diarrhea and fever associated with cough, cold, bronchitis, difficult respiration. Cannot lie quite in bed. Pain in chest while coughing and sneezing.  Fever with cough, diarrhea, pain over body, severe headache. ^[9]

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The study conducted was a review study , to be proven clinically by giving  medicine ocimum sanctum  for patients based on symptomatology.

BIBILIOGRAPHY

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6. Anandjiwala S, Kalola J, Rajani M. Quantification of eugenol, luteolin, ursolic acid, and oleanolic acid in black (krishna tulasi) and green (sri tulasi) varieties of Ocimum sanctum Linn. Using high-performance thin-layer chromatography. J AOAC Int 2006;89:1467–74.
7. . Extraction of ursolic acid from Ocimum sanctum and synthesis of its novel derivatives: effects on extracellular homocysteine, dihydrofolate reductase activity and proliferation of HepG2 human hepatoma cells. Apsara Batra and V. Girija  Sastry. DOI 10.1515/pterid-2013-0023. Pteridines 2013; 24(3-4): 191–199
8. Kelm MA, Nair MG, DeWitt DL, Strasburg GM. Antioxidant and cyclooxygenase inhibitory phenolic compounds from Ocimum sanctum Linn., Phytomedicine 2000 ; 7(1):7-13.
9. Boericke William . Boericke’ snew manual of homoeopathic materia medica with repertory. 996.