ABSTRACT
A zoonotic pandemic coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a potential source of social, economic, and mortality stress since 2019. Because of the severity of the illness, it may cause many organs to be injured or even killed, which in turn results in neurological, hepatic, and pulmonary problems. The treatment protocols currently in use for its cure include synthetic drugs, dietary supplements (vitamins C and D), a few vaccines (Sinovac Biotech, Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson), and herbal remedies. This chapter focuses on the treatment strategies against coronaviruses (mainly SARS-CoV-2) by employing the use of bioactive compounds and secondary metabolites from natural products. Natural products, because of their vast structural efficacy and proven antiviral activities due to the presence of bioactive compounds, have been utilized for centuries for many ailments and have been shown to be efficacious against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in many clinical studies. Moreover, reduced side effects, more efficacy, and less toxicity are some of the very prominent advantages of plant-based remedies. This chapter discusses the antiviral role of medicinal plants and secondary metabolites to mitigate the danger of COVID-19. Additionally, insights to increase the production of secondary metabolites using various biotechnological techniques have also been provided.
