Twenty-eight extracts prepared from plants used in African traditional medicine and from Rhamnus glandulosa Ait. of the Portuguese flora, were screened in order to assay their antiviral activity against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and African swine fever virus (ASFV). Twelve of these extracts revealed virucidal activity against HSV-1 whereas only six have the same activity against ASFV. Further studies showed that thirteen of the tested extracts inhibited HSV-1 infection, some of which had a significant activity against this virus such as Senna podocarpa (Guill. & Perr.) Lock, Cassia sieberiana DC., Guiera senegalensis J.F. Gmel., Piliostigma thonningii (Schum.) Milne-Redhead, Rhamnus glandulosa Ait. and Uvaria chamae P. Beauv. Four of the twenty-one tested extracts inhibited ASFV infection.

Plant-based systems continue to play an essential role in healthcare, and their use by different cultures has been extensively documented. Asphodelus L. (Asphodelaceae) is a genus of 18 species and of a total of 27 species, sub-species and varieties, distributed along the Mediterranean basin, and has been traditionally used for treating several diseases particularly associated with inflammatory and infectious skin disorders. The present study aimed to provide a general review of the available literature on ethnomedical, phytochemical, and biological data related to the genus Asphodelus as a potential source of new compounds with biological activity. Considering phytochemical studies, 1,8-dihydroxyanthracene derivatives, flavonoids, phenolic acids and triterpenoids were the main classes of compounds identified in roots, leaf and seeds which were correlated with their biological activities as anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agents.