Phytobioactive compounds are plant secondary metabolites and bioactive compounds abundantly present in medicinal plants and have remarkable therapeutic potential. Oxidative stress and antibiotic resistance are major causes of present‐day ailments such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, and inflammation. The data for this review were collected from Google Scholar, PubMed, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Science Direct by using keywords: “Medicinal plants, Phytobioactive compounds, Polyphenols, Alkaloids, Carotenoids etc.” Several studies have reported the pharmacological and therapeutic potential of the phytobioactives. Polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, and polysaccharides isolated from medicinal plants showed remarkable antioxidant, anticancer, cytotoxic, anti‐inflammatory, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, and antidiabetic activities. This literature review was planned to provide comprehensive insight into the biopharmacological and therapeutic potential of phytobioactive compounds. The techniques used for the extraction and isolation of phytobioactive compounds, and bioassays required for their biological activities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, and cytotoxic activities, have been discussed. Characterization techniques for the structural elucidation of phytobioactive compounds such as HPLC, TLC, FTIR, GC–MS/MS, and NMR have also been discussed. This review concludes that phytobioactive compounds may be used as potential alternative to synthetic compounds as therapeutic agents for the treatment of various diseases.

Background: Viruses cause various human diseases, some of which become pandemic outbreaks. This study synthesized evidence on antiviral medicinal plants in Africa which could potentially be further studied for viral infections including Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment.Methods: PUBMED, CINAHIL, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Google databases were searched through keywords; antiviral, plant, herb, and Africa were combined using “AND” and “OR”. In-vitro studies, in-vivo studies, or clinical trials on botanical medicine used for the treatment of viruses in Africa were included.Results: Thirty-six studies were included in the evidence synthesis. Three hundred and twenty-eight plants were screened for antiviral activities of which 127 showed noteworthy activities against 25 viral species. These, were Poliovirus (42 plants), HSV (34 plants), Coxsackievirus (16 plants), Rhinovirus (14plants), Influenza (12 plants), Astrovirus (11 plants), SARS-CoV-2 (10 plants), HIV (10 plants), Echovirus (8 plants), Parvovirus (6 plants), Semiliki forest virus (5 plants), Measles virus (5 plants), Hepatitis virus (3 plants), Canine distemper virus (3 plants), Zika virus (2 plants), Vesicular stomatitis virus T2 (2 plants). Feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), Enterovirus, Dengue virus, Ebola virus, Chikungunya virus, Yellow fever virus, Respiratory syncytial virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Human cytomegalovirus each showed sensitivities to one plant.Conclusion: The current study provided a list of African medicinal plants which demonstrated antiviral activities and could potentially be candidates for COVID-19 treatment. However, all studies were preliminary and in vitro screening. Further in vivo studies are required for plant-based management of viral diseases.

The current study aimed to explore the anti‐diabetic effect of aqueous extracts of Gymnema sylvestre, Trigonella foenum‐graecum and mixture of both the plants in alloxan‐induced diabetic rabbits. A total of 30 rabbits were grouped into six equal groups as: normal control, diabetic control, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg body weight (bw) G. sylvestre, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw T. foenum‐graecum, diabetic treated with 300 mg/kg bw mixture of both the plants and diabetic treated with 500 mg/kg bw metformin for 4 weeks. Diabetes was induced to all the study group animals except normal control by intravenous administration of alloxan monohydrate (80 mg/kg bw). Blood glucose was measured by glucometer and other biochemical parameters were determined through various kit methods. Serum insulin was measured through ELISA kit method. Results showed that both the plants and metformin significantly (p < .05) decreased the fasting blood glucose. Hypoglycemic activity of aqueous extract of G. sylvestre and metformin was found slightly higher than aqueous extract of T. foenum‐graecum and the mixture of both the plants. However, a significant (p < .05) rise in insulin secretion was observed in studied plants extract treated rabbits. Serum urea, creatinine, and liver enzymes were found reduced significantly (p < .05) in treated rabbits whereas packed cell volume was also returned to normal in treated animals as compared to control group. The study concluded that G. sylvestre and T. foenum‐graecum extracts have comparable effects with metformin in normalizing the blood glucose level and have more pronounced effect than metformin in restoring the serum biochemical parameters to normal levels. Hence, these plants may be the good alternative medicine in managing the diabetes mellitus.