An Indian scientist claims to have identified two plants in the Nilgiri hills that may contain a cure for life-threatening diseases caused by Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV).

The finding assumes significance as drugs currently available to treat HSV infections are very few and not efficient.

P Vijayan and co-workers at the J S S College of Pharmacy in Ootacamund in Tamil Nadu report that extracts of Hypericum Mysorense and Hypericum Hookeranum suppressed HSV infection 100 per cent.

The scientists studied anti-viral activity of extracts of 18 plants against HSV-infected cells in test-tubes and found these two plants to be deadly against HSV at low concentrations.

These two plants are already used in the treatment for anxiety and inflammation by practitioners of traditional medicine, the report said.

Isolation of active constituents in these plants 'may provide useful lead to the development of new and effective drugs against HSV infection', they have reported in the Indian Journal of Medical Research.