Iranian Medicinal Plants with Antimicrobial Properties: A Narrative Review

Medicinal plants have played a significant role in traditional Iranian medicine due to their antimicrobial properties, making them valuable resources for the development of alternative therapies. With the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and limitations in new antibiotic development, interest has intensified in traditional medicine and natural products as sources of antimicrobial agents. Given this context, Iran's climatic and geographical diversity has fostered a rich flora containing numerous plants with potent antimicrobial activity against a wide range of pathogens. This review aims to consolidate and critically discuss the literature on PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Civilica databases using relevant keywords to identify studies on the antimicrobial properties of Iranian medicinal plants. The findings are organized into sections addressing antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiparasitic properties. The role of biotechnology in advancing medicinal plant research is also discussed. This review highlights that numerous Iranian medicinal plants, including Zataria multiflora, Thymus daenensis Celak., Myrtus communis, and Nigella sativa, exhibit potent, broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic pathogens. Furthermore, biotechnological applications, such as green-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) derived from plant extracts, have been shown to enhance antimicrobial efficacy and formulation stability. In conclusion, Iranian medicinal plants constitute a rich repository of antimicrobial agents with significant potential for combating bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. However, realizing their therapeutic potential requires rigorous scientific validation, including the standardization of extraction methods, comprehensive chemical characterization, and in-depth investigations into their mechanisms of action and clinical efficacy.

کلیدواژه ها:

Medicinal plants ، Antibacterial ، Antifungal ، Antiviral ، Antiparasitic ، Nanotechnology ، Iran