Menispermaceae family of plants and its action against infectious diseases: A review

India is a country where traditional medicines play a huge role in primary health care. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani are some of the well-known traditional practices used for centuries and these traditional systems are highly dependent on medicinal plants. India is a rich source of these medicinal plants. The Western Ghats is known for its rich diversity, richness, and presence of endemic species. Menispermaceae family consists of more than 400 species; all are reported to have high medicinal values. Different classes of alkaloids present may be the major reason for these biological potentials, which are of great interest for various research groups. Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids, protoberberine alkaloids, aporphine alkaloids, etc are some examples for the alkaloids present in the Menispermaceae family. This review deals with the phytochemistry and pharmacological study of the Menispermaceae family and the action of these plants against various infectious diseases, described in Ayurveda.