Abstract
Many medicinal plants are commonly used to treat skin diseases such as eczema, psoriasis, vitiligo, cellulitis, herpes and cancer. Herbal medicine is as old as civilization. Application of traditional herbal medicine is widespread in different regions of the world. It is more common in villages and desert areas where medical services are less accessible. Herbal treatments are generally perceived as effective and have few side effects. Research on herbal drugs in terms of controlled clinical trials in humans is still limited. Herbal clinical research optimistically opens new therapeutic avenues. Eczema is considered as a group of medical conditions that cause the skin to become inflamed or irritated. The treatment of eczema is complicated. Moreover, screening is essential to reduce any potentially harmful side effects on human skin and health. This review summarizes the published literature on four common medicinal plants, namely, aloe (Aloe vera), oat (Avena sativa), turmeric (Curcuma longa) and chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) used for the treatment of eczema. The mechanism of action, therapeutic indications and side effects of these plants are described. Key words: Medicinal plants, treatment, skin diseases, eczema.
Highlights
Many medicinal plant species worldwide are used in traditional medicine for treating different diseases
Characteristic of atopic dermatitis, is linked to activity change of ∆6desaturase – an enzyme catalyzing transformation of the linolenic acid into the γ-linolenic one. Patients affected with this disease exhibit a low level of essential fatty acids (EFA) and disorder of lipid production in epidermis, which are of importance during formation and persistence of dermal changes
We summarize the scientific data published on four common medicinal plants, namely, Aloe vera, Avena sativa, Curcuma longa and Matricaria chamomilla used for the treatment of eczema
Summary
Many medicinal plant species worldwide are used in traditional medicine for treating different diseases. One of the inflammation-based diseases is atopic dermatitis (atopic eczema), which is a chronic disease affecting people genetically tended to overreact to external factors. An immunological mechanism which participates in the pathogenesis of the atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases of the inflammatory origin is linked to activation of T lymphocytes and it is a result of complicated interactions of different cells: keratinocytes, endothelium cells, eosinophils, Langerhans cells and T lymphocytes, and many cytokines and mediators. Characteristic of atopic dermatitis, is linked to activity change of ∆6desaturase – an enzyme catalyzing transformation of the linolenic acid into the γ-linolenic one Patients affected with this disease exhibit a low level of essential fatty acids (EFA) and disorder of lipid production in epidermis, which are of importance during formation and persistence of dermal changes. The results of different studies on each plant, possible mechanism of action, their chemical composition and toxicity data have been presented
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