Historical texts as a potential resource for plant-based antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2: the example of the Receptarium of Burkhard III von Hallwyl from 16th-century Switzerland
Our study suggests that an ethnopharmacological approach based on historical records of plant use in combination with a rational selection and testing procedure allows to identify interesting candidates, even among medicinal plants no longer in use. The process of selecting plants from RBH also illustrates the challenges associated with the study of historical texts, particularly the interpretation of the medicinal uses and the assessment of the botanical identities of historical plant names.
Authors
- Evelyn Wolfram (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1888-708X)
- Yannick Geissmann
- Jonas Stehlin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6416-9438)
- Andreas Lardos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3552-654X)
- Yelena Ruedin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6852-6119)
- Nina Vahekeni
- Olivier Engler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8404-1496)
- Samuel Peter
- Corinna Urmann
Institutions
- ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences (CH)
- Spiez Laboratory (CH)
- Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences (DE)
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Frontiers in Pharmacology
- Published
- 2026-02-19
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2025.1731629
- Primary Topic
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften