A folk remedy (Phytotherapy) may be an effective treatment for several diseases. The use of botanical remedies for the treatment of various ailments is very popular in Curaçao. The medicinal power of plants should not be trivialized. During the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak in Curaçao, local plants were used by several patients to alleviate symptoms. There is circumstantial evidence that two plants had a positive effect on symptoms of patients. The department of virology works closely together with national and international collaborators to generate drug candidates for viruses for which there is either no drug available or an existing drug has unacceptable side effects. This will be accomplished by analyzing medicinal plants from Curaçao and together with collaborating partners develop better extracting solutions.