The Potential Use of “Magnoliae flos” Against COVID-۱۹

“Magnoliae flos” is the dried flower bud from Magnolia denudata Desr. It is primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Anhui, Henan, Hubei and belongs to the “Magnoliaceae”. This is a mild and slightly hot taste. According to the traditional Chinese theory, its functions are to promote qi circulation for alleviating middle energizers, mental depression, and resolve dampness. It is used to manage rhinitis, sinusitis, and headache in clinical studies which possessed (i) anti-allergy, (ii) anti-inflammation, and (iii) anti-microbial activities as follows:  (i) Hong PTL et al. reported the Magnoliae flos on store-operated calcium entry through a plasma membrane protein, which regulates the intracellular calcium signaling cascade generation for T cell activation and mast cell degranulation. It inhibited the human primary CD۴+ T lymphocyte proliferation, as well as allergen-induced histamine release in mast cells (۱)  (ii) Ham JR et al. identified the ethanol extract of Magnoliae flos with anti-inflammation properties which inhibited LSP-induced nitric oxide production, which is mediated by down-regulating gene and protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-۲. It was also down-regulated the protein expression of nuclear factor-kappa B and inflammatory factors such as interleukin-۶ (IL-۶) (۲)  (iii) Chan LW et al. indicated the Magnoliae flos with high antimicrobial activities against M. smegmatis which was an acid-fast bacterial species in the phylum actinomycetota and the genus Mycobacterium than streptomycin. It was a potential agent to treat infections caused by M. smegmatis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (۳) Up to the present, the infection of COVID-۱۹ was based on the virus particles that spread through the respiratory tract and infect the surrounding uninfected cells, initiating a cytokine storm and consequently triggering a series of severe immune responses. This process leads to immune system dysfunction particularly changes in immune cells and lymphocytes, as a result, edema in the lung.