Prospects of honey in fighting against COVID-19: pharmacological insights and therapeutic promises

Abstract

Honey and its various ingredients have been in limelight as an effective natural therapy capable of normalizing the situation by attenuating acute inflammation through encouraging immune response. Several studies have proved its potential healing capability against numerous chronic diseases/conditions, including pulmonary disorders, cardiac disorders, diabetes, hypertension, autophagy dysfunction, bacterial and fungal infections. More importantly, honey showed its virucidal effect on several enveloped viruses such as HIV, influenza virus, herpes simplex, and varicella zoster virus. Honey may be beneficial for patients with COVID-19 caused by an enveloped virus SARS-CoV-2 through simultaneously boosting the host immune system, improving comorbid conditions and antiviral activities. Moreover, a clinical trial of honey on COVID-19 patients has been undergoing. In this review, we summarized the potential benefits of honey and its ingredients in the context of antimicrobial activities, numerous chronic diseases, and host immune system and thereby tried to establish a relationship with honey for the treatment of COVID-19. This review will be helpful to reconsider the insights into the possible potential therapeutic effects of honey in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. However, the effects of honey on SARS-CoV-2 replication and/or host immune system need to be further investigated by in vitro and in vivo studies.