Ethnomedical Value of Cryptogams in Present Covid-19 Pandemic Scenario

The coronavirus that led to the COVID-19 pandemic is similar to the pathogen SARS-CoV (viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin) that caused the epidemic condition for the entire world. Many cryptogames of our country support the pandemic condition. It is believed that the only sustainable way to survive in the current situation is to boost the immune system. Many foods and herbs have antiviral and immune-modulatory properties.
Pteridophytes includes ferns and fern allies which are basically lower vascular plants, also known as vascular cryptograms, who prefer shady, moist habitat with moderate temperature ,and mostly found in the rain forest, both tropical and temperate but also found occuring throughout a very diverse range of habitats from high altitude and latitude to arctic -alpine situations ,to the heart of tropical rain forests ,and from sub -desert scrub of continental interiors toconsist to rocks of the sea coast and mangrove swamps. Medicinal uses of pteridophytes belonging to thirty different families. The lycophyte Selaginella sp. was shown in earlier studies to have multiple pharmacological activity, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antidiabetic, antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-Alzheimer properties. Bryophytes are the second largest group of land plants after angiosperms. There is very less knowledge available about medicinal properties of these plants. Bryophytes are popular remedy among the tribal people of different parts of the world. Tribal people use these plants to cure various ailments in their daily lives. Bryophytes are used to cure hepatic disorders, skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases, used as antipyretic, antimicrobial, wound healing and many more other ailments by different tribal communities of Africa, America, Europe, Poland, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, China, Nepal and different parts of South, North and Eastern India. Apart from ethno-medicinal uses some bryophytes possesses antitumor activities against different cancer cell lines and this property of bryophytes needs to be more focused in the future. Compile information about medicinal properties and anticancer properties of bryophytes is lacking till date. In the present review, the authors tried to compile all the ethno-medicinal and other related information of bryophytes and fill the knowledge lacuna in this particular field.

Sub-theme:
1. Ethno-medicinal Value of Pteridophytes.

2. BRYOPHYTES: General Aspect and Their Ethno-medicinal Value.