DOI: 10.36347/sajp.2024.v13i06.006

Pages: 238-248

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria; fungus, influenza, and parasites. Illnesses have the ability to transmit between people through direct or indirect means. The world's second most common cause of death is infectious diseases. Roughly 25% of the medications humans require come from plants found in rainforests. Only a little amount of scientific research has been done on therapeutic plants. Due of bacteria's resistance to the antibiotics that are now in use, new antibacterial medicines have to be developed. In rural and underdeveloped parts of India, a variety of plants are commonly utilized as herbal medicines to cure infectious ailments. This chapter reviews the literature on the use of medicinal plants to treat illnesses like pneumonia and malaria. Traditional medicine is preferred primary health care system in many rural areas for variety of reasons, including its affordability and efficacy. The current study focused on existing medicinal plant literature, with ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology details being highlighted. All of examined plants showed potent action, supporting their conventional uses as well as their ability to cure common diseases. Curcuma longa L., Punica granatum L. and Justicia adhatoda L. were most widely used plant families for pneumonia therapy in research area (each with seven plants); of these, Curcumalonga L., Punica granatum L. and Justicia adhatoda L. had most inhibiting ability against Staphylococcusaureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Ascorbic acid, curcumin, vasicine, piperine, quercetin, myricetin and gallic acid have all been derived from these plants and are said to have antibacterial properties. Although Himalayan region has wide range of ethnomedicinal plants used to treat pneumonia, research on in-vivo activity, toxicology, and mechanism of action is minimal. As result, in order to produce novel antibacterial drugs from studied plant species, thorough study of these aspects