Use of medicinal plants for COVID-19 prevention and respiratory symptom treatment during the pandemic in Cusco, Peru: A cross-sectional survey

Background: The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru has led to people
seeking alternative treatments as preventives and treatment options such
as medicinal plants. This study aimed to assess factors associated with
the use of medicinal plants as preventive or treatment of respiratory
symptom related to COVID-19 during the pandemic in Cusco, Peru. Method: A
web-based cross-sectional study was conducted on general public (20- to
70-year-old) from August 31 to September 20, 2020. Data were collected
using a structured questionnaire via Google Forms, it consisted of an
11-item questionnaire that was developed and validated by expert judgment
using Aiken's V (Aiken's V > 0.9). Both descriptive
statistics and bivariate followed by multivariable logistic regression
analyses were conducted to assess factors associated with the use of
medicinal plants for COVID-19 prevention and respiratory symptom treatment
during the pandemic. Prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% Confidence Interval
(CI), and a P-value of 0.05 was used to determine statistical
significance. Results: A total of 1,747 respondents participated in the
study, 80.2% reported that they used medicinal plants as preventives,
while 71% reported that they used them to treat respiratory symptoms. At
least, 24% of respondents used medicinal plants when presenting with two
or more respiratory symptoms, while at least 11% used plants for malaise.
For treatment or prevention, the multivariate analysis showed that most
respondents used eucalyptus (p ​​< 0.001 for both), ginger (p​​
< 0.022 for both), spiked pepper (p < 0.003 for both),
garlic (p = 0.023 for prevention), and chamomile (p = 0.011 for
treatment). The respondents with COVID-19 (p < 0.001), at older
ages (p = 0.046), and with a family member or friend who had COVID-19 (p
< 0.001) used more plants for prevention. However, the respondents
with technical or higher education used less plants for treatment (p
< 0.001). Conclusion: There was a significant use of medicinal
plants for both prevention and treatment, which was associated with
several population characteristics and whether respondents had COVID-19.