fa Phytomedicine كاربردي Review/Systemtic review <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Objective:</b> Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a major global health challenge, contributing to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have markedly improved treatment outcomes, their high cost and potential adverse effects limit accessibility, particularly in low-resource settings. Consequently, there is increasing interest in exploring medicinal plants as alternative or complementary therapies for HCV management.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Methods:</b> This systematic review analyzed 12 peer-reviewed studies investigating the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants with anti-HCV activity. Extracted data included plant species, bioactive compounds, mechanisms of action, and hepatoprotective properties.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Results:</b> Several plants demonstrated notable antiviral and hepatoprotective effects, including <i>Citrus aurantium L., Cynara cardunculus L., Acacia nilotica, Marrubium peregrinum L., Camellia sinensis L., Olea europaea, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Maytenus ilicifolia, Lamium album L., Artemisia annua L., and Silybum marianum</i> L. These botanicals exert therapeutic effects through diverse mechanisms, including inhibition of viral entry, suppression of viral replication, modulation of immune responses, antioxidant activity, and hepatocyte protection.</span></span><br> <span style="font-size:9pt"><span minion="" pro="" style="font-family:"><b>Conclusion:</b> Medicinal plants exhibit promising anti-HCV and hepatoprotective activities, indicating their potential as affordable and well-tolerated therapeutic options. Nevertheless, further in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies are required to validate efficacy, establish standardized dosages, and assess long-term safety. Integration of phytotherapy with conventional antiviral regimens may enhance treatment outcomes and reduce the global healthcare burden associated with hepatitis C.</span></span><br> &nbsp;<img alt="" src="./files/site1/images/copuediting.png" style="width: 586px; height: 265px;" > Hepatitis C, Medicinal plants, Antiviral, Hepatoprotection, Phytotherapy 116 125 http://pbp.medilam.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-25-83&slc_lang=fa&sid=1 Irwin Alencar Menezes irwin.alencar@urca.br 10031947532846006279 10031947532846006279 No Post-Graduate Program in Chemical Biology, Regional University of Cariri—URCA, Crato 63105-000, Ceará, Brazil Fleming Martinez fmartinezr@unal.edu.co 10031947532846006280 10031947532846006280 No Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Colombia Mahmoud Bahmani 10031947532846006281 10031947532846006281 Yes Biotechnology and Medicinal Plants Research, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran