Paper Contents
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of the global healthcare system and catalyzed an urgent search for novel antiviral therapies, leading to a renaissance in natural product research. This report provides an exhaustive analysis of the bioprospecting of Ayurvedic plants for antiviral activity, viewed through the lens of post-pandemic scientific advancements. Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine, possesses a sophisticated framework for understanding infectious diseases, conceptualized through terms like Jwara (fever), Agantuja (external causes), and Janapadodhwamsa (epidemics), with a therapeutic focus on bolstering host immunity (Vyadhi Kshamatva). Bioprospecting serves as the scientific bridge to translate this traditional wisdom into modern pharmacotherapeutics, a process now accelerated by high-throughput screening and in silico technologies. This report presents a detailed evidentiary review of four prominent Ayurvedic herbsTinospora cordifolia (Guduchi), Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha), Glycyrrhiza glabra (Yashtimadhu), and Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh)examining their phytochemical constituents, antiviral mechanisms, and the spectrum of evidence from computational models to clinical trials, particularly against SARS-CoV-2. A critical analysis of the translational challenges, including standardization, bioavailability, safety, and ethical considerations like biopiracy, is presented. The future trajectory of the field is projected to involve a deeper integration of biotechnology, including systems biology and metabolic engineering, to overcome these hurdles. The synthesis of this analysis suggests that a respectful and rigorous fusion of ancient Ayurvedic knowledge with modern scientific methodologies holds immense potential for developing the next generation of safe, effective, and sustainable antiviral agents.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 Dr. Amrit Jindal. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
