@article{article_715598, title={Traditional medicinal plants used for the treatment of viral infections: A short review}, journal={Journal of Integrative and Anatolian Medicine}, volume={1}, pages={29–48}, year={2020}, url={https://izlik.org/JA66JG65KE}, author={Uzar, İsmail and Uzar, Fatıma}, keywords={viral infection,medicinal plants,traditional medicine,ethnopharmacology,ethnobotany}, abstract={Viruses are among the most infectious microorganisms and have been present alongside humans throughout history. Viruses infecting humans can be divided into DNA or RNA viruses. It is important to be familiar with the viral replication cycles and the infection mechanisms of each class of viruses şn order to produce efficient vaccines and develop effective treatment regimens, which will help mankind prevent or minimize pandemics such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Many antiviral drugs are used as broad spectrum to attack common factors of viral infections. However, absence of equal accessibility worldwide and cost of treatments and vaccines, together with the undesirable side effects of these drugs encourages us to venture into alternative treatment modalities. This short review will focus on plants used in traditional medical systems worldwide and their corresponding pharmacological trials, both in-vitro and in-vivo¬. Medicinal plants used for Herpesviridae and Hepatitis B virus was addressed when considering DNA viruses, while plants used to treat HIV, influenza, and the Coronaviridae family was discussed under the scope of RNA viruses. Our results indicate that many drugs were developed from natural sources and many plants are yet to be explored for their potential specific and broad-spectrum effects against common viral infections.}, number={2}