## 4 Gaps and Future Directions
Like the anti-inflammatory properties, there is a need to confirm the anti-neurodegenerative potential of _Pulmonaria_ in the cell line and in in vivo experiments before clinical studies can be conducted. The traditional use of _Pulmonaria_ indicates the antibacterial potential of lungworts, but the antibacterial properties were only studied against one bacterial species, i.e., _Staphylococcus aureus_. Strong antibacterial properties were not observed in the study, but the anti-virulence effect of lungwort against _Staphylococcus aureus_ was observed in different assays and gene expression studies. Experiments can be designed to study the antibacterial potential of lungworts on an array of pathogenic bacterial species, along with anti-virulence. Further, the identification of the components of lungwort important for antibacterial effects would be helpful in using lungwort as an antibacterial for respiratory diseases. Additionally, nanoparticles synthesized from _Pulmonaria_ extracts are also proposed for antibacterial properties, as phytochemical-assisted synthetic nanoparticles may possess antibacterial applications [75; 76]. _P. officinalis_ extract has been used in several cosmetic products on the market. The properties important for cosmetics such as skin whitening and antioxidant effects have been studied in various experiments. Nevertheless, in vivo and safety experiments are required to establish a scientific basis for skin whitening usage in cosmetics before further clinical studies. The anticoagulant activity of lungworts (_P. officinalis_ and _P. mollis_) was explored in limited studies on one animal model. Further studies are recommended to study the anticoagulant effect on human plasma through comparison with known standard anticoagulants such as heparin, etc. The identification of components/phytochemicals from the extract important for anticoagulant activity may be crucial for further development. Safety studies would be required prior to clinical studies regarding the extract's anticoagulant activity. Similarly, the anticonvulsant activity of _P. obscura_ extract was only examined in a single study with one animal model. The brain activity of the model animals was studied using an electroencephalogram, which identified the anticonvulsant effect of the extract. Further studies are recommended to explore the anticonvulsant effect of the extract through other mouse models with induced seizures and methods such as onset time of myoclonic jerks and the duration of tonic-clonic seizures [77]. Mechanistic study would also be required to explore the anticonvulsant effect of the extract. The wound-healing activity of _Pulmonaria_ was studied for the preparation of hydrogel for wound dressings, which had effective absorbent properties as well as decreasing the level of collagen glycation. In this study, extracts from the two other plants (_Agropyron repens_ and _Equisetum aureus_) were also used; hence, the active component of the extract important for the activity is suggested to be studied. Other biological activities of _P. officinalis_ extract such as anticoagulant, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities make it an important candidate for wound healing. Thus, in further study, the wound-healing activity of _P. officinalis_ extract alone can be studied through in vitro scratch assay [78], which would confirm wound-healing potential of the extract before safety and clinical studies. Along with the studied medicinal properties of lungworts, other possible health benefits of _Pulmonaria_ (especially _P. officinalis_) have been discussed in the literature including use in digestive disorders such as diarrhea and indigestion, to reduce menstrual bleeding and menstrual irregularity, in the treatment of urinary tract infections, and against COVID-19. These other biological properties of _P. officinalis_ are not evident from scientific research. Hence, the experimental validation of these benefits is also recommended for future research studies.