Keywords: Herbal medicine; Viral infections; Critical illness; Inflammatory response; Organ protection
Viral infections, including SARS CoV-2, influenza virus, and other viruses, poses a serious threat to global public health and safety. Secondary critical illness caused by viral infections is a major cause of death among patients receiving intensive care. Herbal medicines have been proven effective for treating viral infections and critical illness. However, high-level evidence and in-depth mechanistic research are still lacking, limiting the clinical application of such medicines.
This issue welcomes basic and translational studies evaluating the clinical effectiveness, underlying mechanisms, and integrative pharmacology of herbal medicines and bioactive ingredients for treatment of viral infections. The studies may include, but are not limited to, humans and animal models.