Medicinal Plants in the Asia Pacific for Zoonotic Pandemics, Volume 3

We live in a time where the prevalence of zoonotic pandemics has a significant impact on various aspects of our livelihoods. Zoonoses in this sense are diseases transmissible between animals and humans, where the prominent risk factors include animal slaughter, handling and preparing food of animal origin, and particularly the consumption of such food when raw or undercooked. Not just in terms of health and well-being, the "side effects" of these detrimental periods zoonotic pandemics have a bearing on socioeconomic aspects too. For instance, as a result of the current COVID-19 outbreak, schools and other academic institutes have resorted to online teaching and learning; e-commerce has reigned supreme during periods of lockdown. According to the joint statement by ILO, FAO, IFAD, and WHO, the pandemic has been affecting the entire food system and has laid bare its fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have been preventing farmers from accessing markets, including for buying inputs and selling their produce, and agricultural workers from harvesting crops, thus disrupting domestic and international food supply chains and reducing access to healthy, safe and diverse diets. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall ill and die, the food security and nutrition of millions of women and men are under threat, with those in low-income countries, particularly the most marginalized populations, which include small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, being hardest hit. Given these dire straits, there is a whiff of haste and acceleration in the air to find a cure and go back to how things were before the pandemic, rather than settling down under what is referred to as "new normal". The question always plays at the back of any mind investigating the "new normal" whether the periods where there were no pandemics were minor phases of abnormalities. For instance, a worldwide analysis of pathogenic diseases done from 1940 to 2004 shows that 60.3% of diseases were zoonotic and have spread vigorously. How we have dealt with the recent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases of viral origin [i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), yellow fever, West Nile, dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and Ebola)] demonstrates a tell-tale sign of human interaction (or rather, destruction) with wildlife and natural habitats, preserving terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, and overhauling food production. It would only seem logical to seek a remedy for zoonotic pandemics from nature itself – to be specific, from medicinal plants. Ethnopharmacological evidence suggests that human beings have dealt with zoonotic diseases by relying on herbs and their potency to combat viral and bacterial infections in particular, of animal origin. Over the past decade or so nevertheless, the health of humans and animals has been threatened by increasing resistance to antibiotics, environmental pollution, and a higher likelihood of developing chronic diseases. Together with this trend, the interest in phytotherapy has increased because of the observed decline in the field of antibiotic research and increased concerns about the spread of antibiotic resistance. It is without a doubt that plants are rich in bioactive substances that have displayed and proven protective effects against harmful microorganisms. This is the very reason as to why they are being extensively researched as promising materials that can be used in the development of antibiotics and alternative medicines for zoonotic diseases. On the other hand, almost all of the traditional medicinal systems are based on holistic principles, which treat the human body as a whole rather than in fragmented mechanisms. Therefore, traditional herbal treatments target toward boosting immunity rather than extermination of zoonotic pathogens. The ancient traditional herbal system of medicines is maintained in many countries due to the easy availability of medicinal plants. The use of traditional medicinal plants is widely spread in China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and this is very much the case when it comes to zoonotic diseases. China alone accounts for approximately 40% of total herbal medicinal consumption for zoonotic diseases. Treatment with herbal drugs is easily available and cost-effective for many developing countries. It is worthwhile to mention that xiv Foreword herbal drugs are the best and most affordable way to overcome infectious diseases for these countries. From the perspective of side effects associated with synthetic drugs, herbal drugs represent a better placement of human diseases. It is heartening to usher in this four-part volume by Prof. Christophe Wiart, introducing indepth content on zoonotic diseases and the herbal remedies on offer from the Asia Pacific region. It is a timely initiative and it is without a doubt that volume 3 would garner a readership of not just scientists, researchers, and academics but also a lay audience who would be curious as a whole about alternative remedies for zoonotic diseases. It is hoped that the book would not just serve as an introduction to the plethora of medicinal plants of the Asia Pacific region, their specific mechanisms of action, bioactive compounds but also an update to any existing knowledge on the herbs covered in this volume. There is a place and time for everything, and there would be no objections in considering the current times as most suitable of all to launch an almanac containing valuable information, which would be of value to combat the health issues and challenges of modern times.

Dr. Viduranga Y. Waisundara

We live in a time where the prevalence of zoonotic pandemics has a significant impact on various aspects of our livelihoods. Zoonoses in this sense are diseases transmissible between animals and humans, where the prominent risk factors include animal slaughter, handling and preparing food of animal origin, and particularly the consumption of such food when raw or undercooked. Not just in terms of health and well-being, the "side effects" of these detrimental periods zoonotic pandemics have a bearing on socioeconomic aspects too. For instance, as a result of the current COVID-19 outbreak, schools and other academic institutes have resorted to online teaching and learning; e-commerce has reigned supreme during periods of lockdown. According to the joint statement by ILO, FAO, IFAD, and WHO, the pandemic has been affecting the entire food system and has laid bare its fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have been preventing farmers from accessing markets, including for buying inputs and selling their produce, and agricultural workers from harvesting crops, thus disrupting domestic and international food supply chains and reducing access to healthy, safe and diverse diets. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall ill and die, the food security and nutrition of millions of women and men are under threat, with those in low-income countries, particularly the most marginalized populations, which include small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, being hardest hit. Given these dire straits, there is a whiff of haste and acceleration in the air to find a cure and go back to how things were before the pandemic, rather than settling down under what is referred to as "new normal". The question always plays at the back of any mind investigating the "new normal" whether the periods where there were no pandemics were minor phases of abnormalities. For instance, a worldwide analysis of pathogenic diseases done from 1940 to 2004 shows that 60.3% of diseases were zoonotic and have spread vigorously. How we have dealt with the recent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases of viral origin [i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), yellow fever, West Nile, dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and Ebola)] demonstrates a tell-tale sign of human interaction (or rather, destruction) with wildlife and natural habitats, preserving terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, and overhauling food production. It would only seem logical to seek a remedy for zoonotic pandemics from nature itself – to be specific, from medicinal plants. Ethnopharmacological evidence suggests that human beings have dealt with zoonotic diseases by relying on herbs and their potency to combat viral and bacterial infections in particular, of animal origin. Over the past decade or so nevertheless, the health of humans and animals has been threatened by increasing resistance to antibiotics, environmental pollution, and a higher likelihood of developing chronic diseases. Together with this trend, the interest in phytotherapy has increased because of the observed decline in the field of antibiotic research and increased concerns about the spread of antibiotic resistance. It is without a doubt that plants are rich in bioactive substances that have displayed and proven protective effects against harmful microorganisms. This is the very reason as to why they are being extensively researched as promising materials that can be used in the development of antibiotics and alternative medicines for zoonotic diseases. On the other hand, almost all of the traditional medicinal systems are based on holistic principles, which treat the human body as a whole rather than in fragmented mechanisms. Therefore, traditional herbal treatments target toward boosting immunity rather than extermination of zoonotic pathogens. The ancient traditional herbal system of medicines is maintained in many countries due to the easy availability of medicinal plants. The use of traditional medicinal plants is widely spread in China, India, Japan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and this is very much the case when it comes to zoonotic diseases. China alone accounts for approximately 40% of total herbal medicinal consumption for zoonotic diseases. Treatment with herbal drugs is easily available and cost-effective for many developing countries. It is worthwhile to mention that xiv Foreword herbal drugs are the best and most affordable way to overcome infectious diseases for these countries. From the perspective of side effects associated with synthetic drugs, herbal drugs represent a better placement of human diseases. It is heartening to usher in this four-part volume by Prof. Christophe Wiart, introducing indepth content on zoonotic diseases and the herbal remedies on offer from the Asia Pacific region. It is a timely initiative and it is without a doubt that volume 3 would garner a readership of not just scientists, researchers, and academics but also a lay audience who would be curious as a whole about alternative remedies for zoonotic diseases. It is hoped that the book would not just serve as an introduction to the plethora of medicinal plants of the Asia Pacific region, their specific mechanisms of action, bioactive compounds but also an update to any existing knowledge on the herbs covered in this volume. There is a place and time for everything, and there would be no objections in considering the current times as most suitable of all to launch an almanac containing valuable information, which would be of value to combat the health issues and challenges of modern times.

Dr. Viduranga Y. Waisundara