A Comparison Study of Medicinal Plants Used Against SARS-CoV-2 and Those Recommended Against Malaria in Africa

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and malaria are two different diseases but both lead to serious crisis in public health in Africa. These two distinct diseases are caused by different pathogens, i.e., viruses and parasites, respectively. However, interestingly, they share some similarities in the symptomatic manifestation. In the past years, a number of studies have been conducted in Africa for proposing medicinal plants that have potential roles in COVID-19 management. Among them, some have a strong correlation with those that have been used against malaria when compared. The most cited botanical families against both diseases are mainly from the Pentapetalae group. For combating malaria, different species of the Artemisia genus have been proposed. One of the most critical bioactive compounds, i.e., artemisinin and its derivatives is evaluated in bioassays and then clinical trials for proving its efficacy. Additionally, some secondary metabolites from these plants have shown potential effects against coronavirus, but the mode of action remains to be elucidated in the future.