Descriptive bibliographic review of pharmaceutical forms developed based on plant extracts with antifungal action

Abstract

Introduction. Fungi have been causing various diseases in humans; these diseases have been treated with antifungal drugs that, while attacking the fungus, have also brought adverse effects such as health conditions and drug resistance development, among others. The development of phytopharmaceuticals has meant a natural option for treating these diseases, reducing the adverse effects. Objective. To identify the plants evaluated for treating fungal diseases and their efficacy. Methodology. The present research consists of a bibliographic review of several studies that use plants in different pharmaceutical forms to treat fungal diseases. The studies were extracted from the digital databases of Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, Taylor & Francis, Redalyc, and Ovid; considering investigations conducted from 2018 to date, their characteristics were tabulated for analysis. Results. It was possible to identify that the Candida fungus causes the most common affections, and Aloe Vera is the most effective plant; however, all the plants evaluated presented positive efficiency percentages in treating the different fungi. Conclusion. It is necessary to continue with the studies on different plants to take advantage of their antifungal potential and to have the possibility of treating naturally a vast number of health conditions caused by fungi, with less risk of side effects, of developing fungal resistance, and above all accessible to the population.