The high number of citations of the previous review on anti-HIV compounds from plants published in 1998 in Planta Medica indicates the importance of natural products research in the battle against HIV. Therefore, we have decided to write an update of our previous review paper, this time covering the time span 1998 - 2007. The following antiviral chemical classes are discussed in detail: alkaloids, carbohydrates, coumarins, flavonoids, lignans, phenolics, proteins, quinones/xanthones, tannins and terpenes. If available, chemical structures, antiviral activity and selectivity, mechanism of action, and structure-activity relationship are presented.