Natural products have been considered a potential resource for the development of novel
therapeutic agents, since time immemorial. It is an opportunity to discover cost-effective and
safe drugs at the earliest, with the goal to hit specific targets in the HIV life cycle. Natural products
with inhibitory activity against human immunodeficiency virus are terpenes, coumarins,
flavonoids, curcumin, proteins, such as lectins, laccases, bromotyrosines, and ribosome-inactivating
proteins. Terpenes inhibit virus fusion, lectins and flavonoids have an inhibitory impact on viral
binding, curcumin and flavonoids inhibit viral DNA integration. The most important medicinal
plants which have been used in traditional Chinese medicinal sciences with anti-HIV properties
are Convallaria majalis, Digitalis lanata, Cassia fistula, Croton macrostachyus, Dodonaea angustifolia,
Ganoderma lucidum, Trametes versicolor, Coriolus versicolor, Cordyceps sinensis, Gardenia
jasminoides, Morus alba, Scutellaria baicalensis, Ophiopogon japonicus, Platycodon grandiflorus,
Fritillaria thunbergii, Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Trichosanthes kirilowii, Citrus reticulata,
Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Rheum officinale, Poria cocos, Rheum palmatum, Astragalus membranaceus,
Morinda citrifolia, Potentilla kleiniana, Artemisia capillaris, Sargassum fusiforme,
Piperis longi fructus, Stellera chamaejasme, Curcumae rhizoma, Dalbergia odorifera lignum,
Arisaematis Rhizoma preparatum, and Phellodendron amurense. The information provided is
gathered from randomized control experiments, review articles, and analytical studies and observations,
which are obtained from different literature sources, such as Scopus, Google Scholar,
PubMed, and Science Direct from July 2000 to August 2023. The aim of this review article is to
survey and introduce important medicinal plants and herbs that have been used for the treatment
of HIV, especially the medicinal plants that are common in traditional Chinese medicine, as research
to date is limited, and more evidence is required to confirm TCM,s efficacy.
