This research explores how chemicals produced by fungi could be used to develop new antiviral medications. Fungi represent a largely untapped source of potential medicines, with only a small fraction of fungal species having been studied so far. The review found many promising fungal compounds that could fight viruses like HIV, influenza, and herpes in new ways that current drugs don’t. Impacts on everyday life: – Could lead to new treatments for common viral infections like flu and herpes – May help address growing problem of viruses becoming resistant to existing drugs – Provides more natural alternatives to synthetic antiviral medications – Could reduce side effects compared to current antiviral drugs – May result in more affordable antiviral treatments as fungi can be easily cultivated