Abstract:

Nanotechnology has emerged as a transformative interdisciplinary field with extensive applications in medicine, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology. In recent years, medicinal plant-based nanotechnology has gained considerable scientific attention owing to its eco-friendly, cost-effective, and biologically active nature. Green synthesis of nanoparticles using medicinal plant extracts offers a sustainable alternative to conventional physical and chemical synthesis approaches, which are often associated with toxic reagents, high energy consumption, and environmental hazards. Medicinal plants contain diverse phytochemicals such as flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, terpenoids, tannins, and proteins that act as natural reducing, stabilizing, and capping agents during nanoparticle synthesis. Plant-mediated nanoparticles, particularly silver, gold, zinc oxide, copper oxide, and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, have demonstrated significant antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties. The present review critically examines recent progress in medicinal plant-based nanoparticle synthesis and their applications in antimicrobial, antifungal, and biomedical fields. The article further discusses the mechanisms underlying nanoparticle-mediated microbial inhibition, biomedical therapeutic potential, toxicity concerns, and future research perspectives. The review highlights that medicinal plant-based nanotechnology represents a promising and sustainable platform for developing advanced therapeutic and biomedical systems with enhanced efficacy and reduced environmental impact.