Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases by Herbal Medicine

The changing natural and social environments, coupled with pathogen mutations, have led to a spike in the emergence of new infectious diseases. This presents a severe medical challenge for the world. Herbal medicine offers personalized treatment tailored to specific conditions and physical characteristics. The combined use of herbal medicine is employed to restore the body’s balance and fortify immunity, thus achieving therapeutic effectiveness. The treatment provided by herbal medicine in viral and bacterial infectious diseases boasts benefits such as enhancing the therapeutic effect when paired with Western medicine, reducing drug resistance, and facilitating recovery in the post-disease stage. Importantly, against the backdrop of multi-drug-resistant infections, it reveals unique advantages – from strengthening immunity and antimicrobial activity to aiding the recuperation of tissue and organ functions. Therefore, utilization of herbal medicine for treating infectious diseases promises a vast potential and holds a promising future.

In reference to the treatment of infectious diseases with herbal medicine or natural products, pertinent experimental research primarily concentrates on exploring their effective elements at the cellular, molecular, and genetic levels. Simultaneously, clinical research underscores the principle of individualized treatment, advocating the usage of herbal medicine or natural compounds in treating infectious diseases. However, our focus lies in understanding the relationship between the effectiveness of individualized herbal medicine treatment and diagnostic as well as therapeutic principles, especially regarding newly emerging diseases or infectious diseases with ambiguous mechanisms. We require a unifying and standard-setting herbal medicine theory to comprehend the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and progression of infectious diseases thoroughly. Only then can we further enhance the effectiveness of herbal medicine in individualized treatment and make notable strides in understanding its mechanism of action.

We welcome original research, reviews, case reports, and general commentary that cover, but are not limited to, the following areas:

• The theoretical understanding of employing herbal medicine in the treatment of infectious diseases.
• Mechanistic studies investigating the application of individualized herbal medicine or natural compounds treatments in infectious diseases.
• Research exploring the mechanism of herbal medicine or natural compounds in the treatment of infectious diseases.
• Treatment strategies of the combination with anti-infective drugs and herb medicine in managing infectious diseases.
• Investigation into how herbal medicine can complement conventional antibiotics while combating antimicrobial resistance.
• The contribution of herbal medicine to One Health.

Please note the following:

1) Clinical trial articles will be accepted for review only if they are randomized, double-blinded, and placebo controlled. Statistical power analysis or a justification of the sample size is mandatory as is a detailed chemical characterization of the study medication (see the ConPhyMP statement).

2) In silico studies like network analyses or docking studies are generally not accepted unless they are followed by an in vitro or in vivo analysis of the material under investigation.

3) All studies must use a therapeutically realistic dose level and the data must be reported on the basis of the amount of extract administered. Single-dose studies are not accepted unless they focus on a species/compound not yet studied in detail, and can be justified on specific ethical grounds (e.g. the 4R rule - Reduce, refine, replace – responsibility, see the Four Pillars).

4) A detailed chemical profile of the extract and pharmacognostic definition of the botanical drugs used is essential as defined in the ConPhyMP statement 2022 (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205.)

5) This journal only covers ‘medication therapies’ with as defined above. Physical and other interventions are not considered.

6) All the manuscripts submitted to this project will be peer-reviewed and need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described (pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail (pillars 2 a and b).

Keywords: Herbal medicine, infectious diseases, natural compounds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.