Table 1.
Indian plants with antiviral properties.
| Common Name | Botanical and Family Name | Native | Parts Used | Traditional Uses | Antiviral Property |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquorice or Yashtimadu |
G. glabra (Fabaceae) |
Central and Southern Asia, Russia, Northern India (Sub-Himalayan and Punjab), Mediterranean, Afghanistan, and Iran | Roots | Extensively used in Indian traditional medicine systems like Ayurveda and Siddha for ulcer, aliment, purgative, demulcent, antitussive, and expectorant | SARS-related coronavirus, H5N1 influenza A virus, HCV, HIV-1. influenza A virus pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus and SARS- CoV-2 [53,55] |
| Neem |
A. indica (Meliaceae) |
India, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, and West Africa | Leaves, roots, twigs and seeds | Different parts of neem are used as an important ingredient in Ayurveda, Unani and Homeopathy medicine | Dengue virus and SARS-CoV-2 [80,81] |
| Green chireta | A. paniculata (Acanthaceae) | South India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, USA, Thailand, Jamaica, and West Indies | Leaves and roots | The plant has a pivotal role in Chinese and Indian (Siddha and Ayurveda) traditional system for different formulation against various diseases diabetes, sore throat, fever, cirrhosis, malaria, viral hepatitis, liver cancer, and upper respiratory infections | Chikungunya virus, Influenza A, Flaviviruses, HIV antigen-positive H9 cells, and SARS-CoV-2 [65,66] |
| Tulsi | O. Sanctum (Lamiaceae) | India, Iran, Italy, Egypt, the USA, and France | Whole plant seeds, leaves and roots | The plant has been well documented in Ayurveda, Siddha, and Greek medicinal system which is used for various treatment purposes such as fever, common cold, malaria fever, epilepsy, bronchitis, migraine, headache, convulsions, hepatic disease, stomach disorders, and heart diseases | H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 [59,60] |
| Turmeric | C. longa (Zingiberaceae) | India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, and Pakistan | Rhizomes | In Ayurveda, turmeric has a long history of use because of the presence of various beneficial properties used in the treatment of diabetic wounds, fungal infection, cough, rheumatism, hepatic and biliary disorder | Dengue virus, HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 [31,74] |
| Ashwagandha | W. somnifera (Solanaceae) | India, Sind, Baluchistan, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka | Roots | The plant is well formulated in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Tibetan Medicine system. Traditionally, W. somnifera has been used to treat tumor, stress, immunomodulatory, depression, inflammatory, adaptogenic, and nervous disorder. It is also used in patients with behavioural disturbances for mood stabilization | HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 [68,69,70,71] |
| Garlic | A. sativum (Alliaceae) | Central Asia, China, Mediterranean region, Mexico, Egypt and in Southern and Central Europe | Cloves, flowers and leaves | Garlic has been traditionally used as hypolipidemic, antihypertensive and anti-thrombotic agent in Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Islamic medicine | Influenza virus A and SARS-CoV-2 [63,64,82] |
| Guduchi | T. cordifolia (Menispermaceae) | Indian subcontinent and China | Roots, stem and leaves | The plant is a common shrub used as anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antiperiodic, anti-diabetic,, and anti-spasmodic properties in Ayurvedic medicine | HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 [62,83] |
| Drumstick | M. oleifera (Moringaceae) | Sub-Himalayan tracts of India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan | Roots, flowers, leaves and pod | The traditional use of plant includes antispasmodic, antiparalytic, antiviral, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiepileptic, stimulant and cardiac circulatory tonic | HSV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 [78,84] |