Search for antiviral activity in higher plant extracts

In the course of our search for plant natural products as antiviral agents, extracts of ten plants from the Iberian Peninsula were tested for antivira l activity against herpes simplex type I(HSV-1), vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and poliovirus type 1, Aqueous extracts of five of these medicinal p lants, namely Nepeta nepetella (150-500 mug/mL), Nepeta coerulea (150-500 m ug/mL), Nepeta tuberosa (150-500 mug/mL), Dittrichia viscosa (50-125 mug/mL ) and Sanguisorba minor magnolii (50-125 mug/mL), showed a clear antiviral activity against two different DNA and RNA viruses, i.e. HSV-1 and VSV, Onl y the medicinal plant Dittrichia viscosa was active against an additional v irus, poliovirus type 1. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.