The Role of Medicinal Plants in the Treatment of Coronavirus Infections

The study reviewed the role of medicinal plants in treating coronavirus infections, focusing on 73 plant species from 46 families with reported anti-coronavirus activity over a 27-year period. The Fabaceae family was the most prevalent, comprising 9.59% of the species. Many bioactive compounds were secondary metabolites, primarily isolated from leaves, and demonstrated activity against six coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. A common antiviral mechanism was the inhibition of 3-chymotrypsin-like protease, 3Clpro. The study highlighted the potential of plant-derived compounds as antiviral agents, suggesting future research should focus on isolating and characterizing these natural compounds due to the high mutation rates and resistance of viruses to synthetic drugs.