Furthermore, during the pandemic period, an increase in self-medication with drugs to treat symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 was observed in Brazil.
In this regard, we could observe that five of the 10 most commonly used medicinal plants had COVID-19-like symptoms, including indications for headaches, body pain, cough, and unspecified flu-like symptoms. Furthermore, during the pandemic period, an increase in self-medication with drugs to treat symptoms similar to those of COVID-19 was observed in Brazil. The most self-administered drugs included analgesics, antipyretics, muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatories, and anti-flu drugs13.