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For thousands of years the practice of traditional medicine has been effective in the treatment of various infections using the plants and herbs that have been found and used locally with little or no adverse effects reported . One such documented system is that of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) which is underlain by an artistic philosophy and supported by a wealth of anecdotal evidence of curative effect on human ailments. Many traditional medicinal plants have now been subjected to scientific based antiviral studies with their antiviral action being evaluated against both human and animal viruses as a novel approach to control infections. The emergence of new virus strains be that novel isolated viruses or mutations of identified viruses, has increased the need to discover and develop new, more potent antiviral and antimicrobial compounds. A source for many new compounds could be plants. The aim of this study was to isolate a novel antiviral compounds from TCM plants and identify their antiviral activity. In this study TCM plant specimens were collected based on their traditional uses in the treatment of infections. The plants extracts were tested against a range of genetically and structurally diverse viruses in order to determine if the activity was against more than one target. The three viruses used were field isolates of Bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV-l), Bovine enterovirus (BEV) and Porcine respiratory and reproductive virus (PRRSV). Testing identified two broad spectrum extracts which were then submitted for fractionation using Semi-Prep HPLC, which resulted in two antiviral compounds (China -l and Cuneata-l) being isolated. Subsequent NMR analysis suggested that both compounds were similar in structure but also identified a secondary compound within Cuneata-l, the presence of which could suggest an explanation the difference in antiviral activities between China -l and Cuneata-l. This thesis resulted in two structurally similar compounds being isolated from Smilax china and Sargentodoxa cuneata with potential as broad spectrum antiviral compounds. This therapeutic potential will be further developed for potential treatment applications.

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