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With the increase in cases and deaths of COVID-19 in the United States and around the world, identifying new therapies to prevent and combat the virus is a top priority. Natural herbal products are an attractive option in finding a cure. About 374,000 plant species are present on Earth; humans have used over 28,000 of them as medicine.
But not everything that is natural is necessarily safe. Scientists have yet to explore most of these species for their chemical composition or therapeutic potential.
As a medical ethnobotanist, I study the traditional uses of medicinal plants to discover promising avenues for new drugs to fight infectious diseases. It is essential to consider both the potential benefits and the risks of plant extracts in such research. I am concerned about recent reports that a chemical found in the oleander plant is being touted as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
About the oleander plant
Nerium oleander is a highly toxic plant from the Apocynaceae family. Although renowned for its beauty and use in landscaping, this Mediterranean shrub is responsible for accidental poisoning cases around the world. All parts of the plant are poisonous. If consumed, it causes heart arrhythmias or irregular heart rhythms and can be fatal to humans and animals.
The chemical structure of oleandrine, the toxic compound of the magnificent oleander. Casssandra Quave, CC BY-SA
Oleandrin is the chemical that causes the plant’s deadly toxicity. It is known to scientists as the cardiac glycoside, a class of organic compounds with one common characteristic: they exhibit powerful effects on heart tissue, often with fatal consequences.
A pre-printed article – that is, an article not reviewed by other scientists – is now online. He reports how, in a test tube, oleandrin reduces the production of the virus that causes COVID-19. But that doesn’t take into account the well-known cardiac toxicity of the chemical when consumed by an animal or a human.
Of particular concern is the idea that consumers may misinterpret any advertising surrounding oleander and attempt to self-medicate with this highly toxic plant. I’m also concerned that the dietary supplement industry is trying to capitalize on the public fear of COVID-19 by developing supplements containing oleandrine.
There are many other examples of harmful natural plant extracts. But oleander is especially dangerous, since ingesting any part of the plant can lead to serious illness and even death. Additionally, there is no published scientific evidence on the safety of consuming oleandrine or its plant source, Nerium oleander. It is essential that the Food and Drug Administration and its commissioner, Dr. Stephen Hahn, ensure that the public is protected from this poison.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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