Inhibitory effects of Indonesian medicinal plants on the infection of herpes simplex virus type 1

Water and methanol extracts of 30 traditional medicinal plants, collected i n Indonesia, were tested for their anti HSV-1 activity. The extracts of eig ht plant species showed potent activity on the plaque assay at a concentrat ion of 100 mu g/mL, The therapeutic efficacy of seven selected plants was d emonstrated by using a mouse HSV-1 infection assay, both the methanol extra cts of the fruit of Melaleuca leucadendron (Myrtaceae) and the pericarp of Nephelium lappaceum (Sapindaceae) significantly prolonged the development o f skin lesions and reduced the mortality. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.