The antiviral properties of bamboo, moringa, lime, and alligator pepper are promising.

Recent research has shown that extracts from plants including avocado, bamboo, Moringa oleifera, lime, lemon, and alligator pepper can “treat” viral illnesses like herpes simplex, dengue fever, hepatitis, polio, yellow fever, measles, chickenpox, and HIV type one (HIV-1).

Until recently, it has been demonstrated that several regional plants have antibacterial and antiviral effects. Even though there isn’t a known cure for viral infections, researchers have found that there are several natural treatments that have been shown to help relieve symptoms and avoid side effects.

The plants are Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf), Garcinia kola (bitter kola), Citrus medica (lemon), Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass), Moringa oleifera, Phyllanthus amarus, avocado (Persea Americana), and Gardonema mushroom. They also include Bambusa vulgaris (bamboo) and Aframomum melegueta (all).

Researchers have also found that extracts from “bitter melon” (Momordica charantia), “pawpaw” (Carica papaya), “guava” (Psidium guajava), and “asthma herb” (Euphorbia hirta) might be able to “cure” viral infections.

According to the most recent study, avocado (Persea Americana) fruit extract suppresses dengue virus multiplication by enhancing NF-B-dependent activation of antiviral interferon responses. This research was published in the journal Scientific Reports in January 2019.

Until recently, the dengue virus (DENV) infected millions of people each year all over the world. The risk of dying from dengue hemorrhagic shock syndrome is thought to be 50% when multiple serotypes of DENV are co-infected. For the time being, there are no approved treatments for DENV infection. Novel anti-DENV drugs are thus desperately needed for medical treatment.

However, researchers have shown that a naturally occurring substance called (2 R,4 R)-1,2,4-trihydroxyheptadec-16-yne (THHY), which is extracted from the avocado fruit, can effectively suppress the replication of all DENV serotypes (1-4) and inhibit DENV-2 replication in a concentration-dependent manner. We further demonstrate that the inhibitory effect of THHY on DENV replication is mediated through the NF-B-driven interferon antiviral response. We discovered that THHY therapy led to a higher survival rate among DENV-infected mice using an ICR suckling animal model. “Taken together, these results suggest that THHY could be used to stop DENV infection,” they said.

The avocado, or Persea Americana, is a member of the Lauraceae family and is a common plant in tropical and subtropical areas. The avocado’s fruit, stem, and leaves are frequently utilized in traditional medicine. The avocado fruit, in particular, is rich in nutrients including vitamin E, vitamin B, potassium, and monounsaturated fatty acids, which have been shown to have a variety of bioactive qualities like antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-atherosclerotic, hepatoprotective, and other actions. Monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids, carotenoids, and long-chain fatty alcohol derivatives are among the bioactive substances found in avocados.

Several compounds isolated from the unripe avocado fruit were subjected to drug screening in the current study, including oleic acid (OA), (2 R, 4 R)-1,2,4-trihydroxyheptadec-16-ene (THHE), (2 R, 4 R)-1,2,4-trihydroxyheptadec-16-yne (THHY), avocado A, avocado C, and avocadoin. It was discovered that “We identified the mechanism through which THHY prevents DENV infection by inducing NF-B-mediated antiviral IFN responses.” “Finally, using an ICR suckling mouse model infected with DENV, we looked at how well THHY might work as a food supplement to stop the deadly DENV virus from spreading,” they said.

Studies have also shown that avocado plant extracts can be used alone or with acyclovir to treat infections caused by the herpes simplex virus.

The journal Phytomedicine published the article “In vitro activity of extracts of Persea Americana leaves on acyclovir-resistant and phosphonoacetic-resistant Herpes simplex viruses.”

The acyclovir-resistant (ACGr4 and dlsp TK mutants) and PAA-resistant (PAAr5 mutant) herpes simplex viruses both showed a high inhibitory impact in response to the lyophilized aqueous crude extract (LACE) from leaves of Persea Americana species, according to the researchers. The soluble fraction was chromatographed on a reverse-phase column after LACE had been thoroughly washed with methanol, yielding 11 fractions that were identified using thin-layer chromatography. Analysis of the antiviral activity of the fractions revealed that the extract included chemicals that might prevent the replication of acyclovir-resistant HSV and extracellular viruses. From fractions 4 to 8, there was a concentration of the virucidal effect. Flavonoids like quercitrin and isoquercitrin dominate fractions 7 and 8, respectively. The main flavonoid in fraction 9, called afzelin, did not kill viruses but instead made them grow faster.

Another study showed the in-vitro virucidal and virustatic anti-HIV-1 properties of extracts from avocado leaves in the journal Antiviral Chemistry & Chemotherapy.

The researchers are from the Department of Virology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as well as Academic Virology and Retroscreen Limited at the University of London’s London Hospital Medical College in the UK.

Cellular toxicity and anti-HIV-1 activity were examined for aqueous (PA1) and methanolic extracts (PA2a-d; PA3) from the tropical tree Persea Americana, both in virustatic and virucidal assays. Except for PA3 and PA2d, all of the extracts showed anti-HIV-1 activity at doses that did not harm the H9 indicator cells.

“Using reverse-phase column chromatography, we were able to separate the methanol-insoluble extract (PA2) into four different parts (PA2a–d), and two of those parts (b and c) had a clear antiviral effect.”At concentrations that didn’t hurt the indicator cells, one part (PA2a) acted like a virus and stopped the HIV syncytium and viral p24 antigen from growing.

The results show for the first time that leaf extracts from P. Americana have some mild anti-HIV-1 activity in a lab dish.

Patients with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) have access to several antiviral drugs with virus-like activity. But as drug-resistant viruses have become more common, they have become less useful. This has renewed interest in drugs that kill viruses.

Drugs that are virucidal interact with viruses directly and destroy virion. Virustatic medications, in contrast, typically operate intracellularly and block a crucial virus-enzyme or virus-coded function. HIV chemicals that kill the virus before it can attach to weak cells are the subject of a lot of research. These chemicals could be used as virus-killing creams in the vaginal and rectal areas to stop the virus from spreading.

The plant kingdom is a significant source of chemicals that can stop a variety of viruses from replicating. An extract taken from P. Americana leaves was investigated as part of a project looking for new viral inhibitors, in particular those having virucidal activity that can be separated. Traditional medicine has employed Persea Americana leaves as a diuretic and kidney stone remover. This is the first time that the anti-HIV-1 activity of this plant’s leaf extract in a lab setting is described.

Another study discovered that bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris), moringa oleifera, and lime seed (Citrus paridisi) could effectively combat the measles and herpes simplex viruses. The outcomes demonstrated that B. Vulgaris and M. oleifera n-hexane extracts suppressed the measles virus at doses of 0.125 and 0.016 g L-1, respectively. Similar to how M. oleifera’s aqueous extract inhibited measles at 0.125 and 0.063 g L-1, C. paridisi’s aqueous extract inhibited the virus at 0.031 g L-1. The n-hexane extract of B. Vulgaris was able to inhibit the virus at 0.125 g L-1, but none of the extracts of M. oleifera or C. paradise had an inhibitory effect against HSV-1.

Inhibitors of both adsorption/entry and post-infection inhibitors of the viruses were found in the results of the mechanism of action of the extracts on the replication cycle of the viruses. Terpenes, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, mixed and free anthraquinones, cardiac glycosides, and saponins were all found in the extracts after a phytochemical examination.

The measles virus, which is an enveloped RNA virus, as well as HSV-1, which is likewise enclosed but belongs to the DNA class of viruses, were both significantly inhibited by the extracts of the three plants: Bambusa vulgaris, Citrus paridisi, and Moringa oleifera, employed in this study. This shows that the extracts could potentially operate as anti-measles virus and anti-HSV-1 medicines due to their broad spectrum of activity against specific RNA and DNA viruses. Therefore, additional research aimed at identifying and isolating the active antiviral components of these three plants is advised. It is a good idea to suggest that these whole plants or their active parts be turned into medicines that could work as antiviral agents. This would make them cheaper for people in developing countries.

Also, scientists from Kings University in Osun State and Ekiti State University in Ado Ekiti have confirmed that two Nigerian plants, alligator pepper (also called “grains of paradise”) and bamboo, can fight viruses.

The work was published in the African Journal of Plant Science. The researchers claim that ethanolic extracts of Bambusa vulgaris and Aframomum melegueta were created. Using standard laboratory methods, they were tested to see if they could stop the spread of three human viruses: measles, yellow fever, and polio.

Both extracts demonstrated antiviral activity against one or more viruses, according to the researchers. A. melegueta inhibited measles and yellow fever viruses at MICs of 125 and 250 g/ml, respectively, while B. vulgaris only inhibited the measles virus at a concentration of 62.5 g/ml. None of these extracts was effective against the poliovirus type 1 strain.

Also at the top of the list of herbal treatments for chicken pox and other skin conditions is a decoction made from neem leaves. The Meliaceae family includes neem, which is also known as dogonyaro in Nigeria and is botanically known as Azadirachta indica. The typical tree is the most well-known plant that has been shown to help treat chicken pox.

Neem extracts have been demonstrated to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, strong antiviral, and anti-cancerous effects up to this point. It has been discovered that neem works well as an antiseptic to treat viral infections, such as smallpox. Neem extracts have been demonstrated to have strong antiviral capabilities against various viruses, including herpes simplex virus type-1 infection and chicken pox, according to Indian researchers in a study published in the Journal of Biological Sciences. A recent study published in the International Journal of Clinical Nutrition (IJCN) found that Neem has chemicals that can wrap around viruses and stop them from spreading disease.

Additionally, researchers have shown that using natural therapies can prevent and treat hepatitis B and C as well as liver damage in the nation’s population more affordably. Bitter leaf, Phyllanthus amarus, avocado, turmeric, garlic, and bitter kola is at the top of the list. The plant Phyllanthus amarus is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family. The Efik refer to it as oyomokeso amanke edem, while the Hausa refer to it as geeron-tsuntsaayee (birds millet), the Ibo (Asaba) name it buchi oro, the Ibo (Umuahia) call it ngwu, the Urhobo call it iyeke, and the Yoruba call it edem.

Curcuma longa, a plant that belongs to the ginger family (Zingiberaceae), produces turmeric as a spice. Atale pupa is the Yoruba name; gangamau is the Hausa name; nwandumo is the Ebonyi name; ohu boboch is the Tiv name; magina is the Kaduna name; Turi is the Niger State name, and onjonigho is the Cross River name (Meo tribe).

Additionally, Vernonia amygdalina water-based extract, which was discovered by Nigerian researchers, may be employed as an adjuvant in the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients. A recent study on the immunological effects of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract and immune (nutritional supplement) on HIV-infected patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) discovered that it could be used as a nutritional supplement in people with HIV or immunocompromised conditions such as cancer or diabetes.

The study’s conclusion in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine read, “The aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina (bitter leaf) and immunace, or both, have an immunological effect on HIV-infected individuals.” So, we think that either the V. amygdalina extract or immunace, or even both, could be used as an adjuvant in the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) have also backed several herbs and spices that have shown promise in treating opportunistic infections caused by viral infections without side effects.

They have established the effectiveness of opportunistic diseases linked to HIV/AIDS in the treatment with the use of garlic, ginger, cloves, thyme, cayenne, basil, aloe vera, neem, lemon, and lemongrass. In a U.S. patent called “US 20070275085 A1,” a product made from neem is described as formulations and methods for treating HIV/AIDS.

Also, studies done in Nigeria under the direction of Prof. Maurice Iwu, a professor of pharmacognosy at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Chief Executive Officer of the Bioresources Development Group (BDG), and former chairman of the Independent Election Commission (INEC), have supported the use of local foods like bitter kola, coconut oil, bitter leaf, Moringa oleifera, Sour sop, the mushroom Ganoderma lucidum, and

Additionally, another team of researchers has shown through clinical studies how polyherbal formulations comprised primarily of the bitter leaf can treat HIV, cancer, type 2 diabetes, tuberculosis, and the chronic form of hepatitis B and C co-infection. The Department of Histopathology and Cytology at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) in Jos and the Halamin Herbal Centre in Abuja found that polyherbal preparations with bitter leaf as the active ingredient strengthen the immune system by controlling many cytokines and chemokines.

Sesame (Sesamum indicatum), bitter leaf, Aloe barbadensis (also called aloe vera), Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane), garlic, and Amaranthus caudatus (green amaranth, inine in Ibo, and tete abalaye in Yoruba) are also used in polyherbal formulations.