medicinal plants effective against toxoplasma gondii, a major cause of miscarriage: a review

Objective: toxoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by the protozoan parasite toxoplasma gondii, which poses a serious threat during pregnancy. maternal infection can lead to transplacental transmission, resulting in grave complications such as congenital abnormalities, premature birth, and miscarriage. timely prevention and treatment are crucial for safeguarding the health of both mother and foetus. this review aims to identify and report medicinal plants with potential efficacy against toxoplasmosis. methodology: a comprehensive review was conducted using keywords such as “toxoplasmosis,” “parasitic infection,” “traditional medicine,” “medicinal plants,” and “treatment.” relevant literature was retrieved from databases including google scholar, sid, magiran, and scopus, as well as classical iranian traditional medicine sources. irrelevant studies were excluded, and the selected literature was analysed to extract pertinent findings. results: the review identified a number of medicinal plants traditionally recognised for their antiparasitic properties and their role in enhancing the immune system. notable among these are heracleum persicum (persian hogweed), foeniculum vulgare (fennel), lawsonia inermis (henna), trachyspermum ammi (ajwain), allium sativum (garlic), juglans regia (walnut), zingiber officinale (ginger), carum carvi (black cumin), eucalyptus spp., ferula gummosa, artemisia spp., marrubium vulgare, salvia officinalis (sage), lippia citriodora (lemon verbena), myrtus communis, curcuma longa (turmeric), syzygium aromaticum (clove), mentha spp. (mint), sideritis spp. (ironwort), scrophularia striata, allium cepa (onion), alyssum spp., lepidium sativum, raphanus sativus (radish), tagetes spp., taraxacum officinale (dandelion), balsamodendron spp., saffron-coloured turmeric, ginkgo biloba, olea europaea (olive), sophora flavescens, melia azedarach, zataria multiflora, dracocephalum spp., and stachys lavandulifolia. these plants have been documented as potentially effective agents in controlling t. gondii infections linked to miscarriage. conclusion: the findings of this review suggest that numerous medicinal plants within the corpus of iranian traditional medicine exhibit promising antiparasitic and immunomodulatory properties against toxoplasma gondii. these botanicals may serve as adjunctive therapies in the management of toxoplasmosis, particularly in pregnant women. however, their use should be approached with caution and administered under professional medical supervision alongside conventional treatments to mitigate potential side effects and ensure safety.