Recent advances on medicinal plants with antifungal activity

Abstract

Fungi are ubiquitous in the environment, and fungal infections have become more frequent. Medicinal plants are well-known natural sources for the treatment of various diseases since antiquity; in fact, despite emphasis being put in research of synthetic drugs, the body of literature identifying the antifungal potential of many traditional plants is growing mainly due to the fact that a lot of synthetic drugs are potentially toxic and are not free of side effects on the host. This chapter reviews the potential efficacy of natural products, either pure compounds, or plant extracts that provide unlimited opportunities to provide safe and efficient antifungal drugs.