article · European Journal of Medicinal Plants
This literature review examines the virucidal and cytotoxic properties of Aloe vera to assess its potential role in addressing COVID-19. Aloe vera is an established nutraceutical plant that is safe for oral consumption in multiple forms. Existing research indicates that it demonstrates antiviral activity against a broad range of viruses, including influenza, human immunodeficiency virus, herpes simplex, and SARS-CoV-1. These antiviral effects appear to operate through mechanisms such as disrupting the viral envelope and interacting with viral enzymes. Additionally, the plant contains zinc, a mineral that has demonstrated inhibitory activity against SARS-CoV-1. Computational molecular docking of key Aloe vera compounds against the SARS-CoV-2 protease is currently underway, though comprehensive clinical trials remain essential to confirm whether the plant is effective against COVID-19.
Emerging viral pandemics demand rapid exploration of alternative therapeutics. As an accessible and widely consumed nutraceutical, Aloe vera possesses established antiviral characteristics against several major pathogens. Identifying whether its active components or mineral contents can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 provides a conceptual foundation for developing plant-derived supportive treatments, provided subsequent clinical testing substantiates these preliminary findings.
This work points towards potential nutraceutical or botanical antiviral treatments for viral infections, targeting pharmaceutical developers or health supplement manufacturers. However, this is very early-stage research. Practical commercial application remains distant because the proposed effects rely on previous literature and ongoing molecular docking, with formal clinical trials still required to validate safety and therapeutic efficacy specifically against SARS-CoV-2.
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Aims: A novel β-coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has become a pandemic affecting hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Since there is no effective treatment, the need of finding alternative methods which can help to curb this pandemic is urgent. This study aims to review the literature on the virucidal and cytotoxic properties of Aloe vera, one of the most studied plants considered as a nutraceutical in order to propose it as an alternative solution against COVID-19.
 Methodology: The literature review was based mainly on the COVID-19 resources that have been made freely available to the scientific community but also on the usual databases such as Pubmed and Google scholar.
 Results: The literature review shows that the plant has antiviral activity on several types of virus (Haemorrhagic Viral Rhobdavirus Septicaemia, Herpes simplex virus type 1, Herpes simplex virus type 2, Varicella-Zoster virus, human immunodeficiency virus, Influenza virus, poliovirus, Cytomegalovirus, Human papillomavirus) including coronavirus SARS-CoV-1. The plant is consumed orally in several forms and is safe. It is possible that molecules of this plant that have already shown effectiveness on other viruses by some mechanisms such as interaction of virus enzyme, breakdown of the viral envelope etc. could participate in the action of the plant. Also, the presence of minerals such as Zinc, which have shown an effect on SARS-CoV-1, could be involved in the antiviral effect of Aloe vera.
 Conclusion: Molecular docking of the main molecules of Aloe vera with SARS-CoV-2 protease is in progress and clinical trials are necessary to confirm the activity of Aloe vera on COVID-19.
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DOI: 10.9734/ejmp/2020/v31i830261
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