Emerging need to use phytopharmaceuticals in the treatment of HIV

Phytopharmaceuticals holds promise in the treatment of HIV because of its efficacy, lesser or no side effects coupled with no toxicity. Thus far, very few candidate species have been exploited for testing of anti-HIV activity. The plant kingdom being highly diverse holds many more biomolecules to be uncovered and explored for the treatment of HIV. For this, it becomes necessary to carry out extensive research and unearth new bioactive molecules. This review presents a comprehensive outlook into the presently available synthetic drugs and its vast side effects and hence, stresses on the importance of herbal therapy in the treatment regimen of HIV.