Abstract
Medicinal plants have been used for therapeutic and beauty applications in Sri Lanka with documented history of over 2,500 years. This inherited knowledge, which has been handed down from generation to generation, provides a largely unexplored source for the potential development of active ingredients for cosmetic formulations. Therefore, the present comprehensive survey was conducted to identify cosmetic potential medicinal plants species in Sri Lanka. Personal interviews were conducted via a semistructured questionnaire with randomly selected 30 traditional practitioners and 90 Ayurveda physicians in Sri Lanka. Data were collected on plants and specific plant parts used for the treatment of skin care, hair care, and oral care topically. The acquired data were verified using the Ayurveda authentic books and quantitatively analyzed using relative frequency of citation (RFC), use value (UV), relative importance (RI), and factor informant consensus (FIC). Results revealed about the usage of 133 different plant species belonging to 64 families in cosmetic treatments under the categories of skin care, hair care, and oral care. Majority of medicinal plants were used in skin care treatments (39%) followed by hair care (20%) and oral care (17%). Aloe vera (L.) Burm.f. reported the highest RFC value (0.83) and UV (3.66). The highest RI value was reported from Asparagus racemosus Willd. and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (1.67). The dominant plant family was reported as family Fabaceae. The most utilized plant part was stated as leaves (34%) followed by bark (14%). The survey further revealed about treatments for 17 skin-related, 9 hair-related, and 2 oral-related beauty issues. All RFC values were comparatively high for identified different beauty issues. Many herbal preparations were prepared using water as the medium whilst most common mode of application was reported as paste (37%). In conclusion, acquired information could ultimately be utilized for the development of the herbal cosmetic industry through the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from the documented plants while preserving the traditional knowledge.
Highlights
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island with an area of approximately 65,610 km2
Relative Importance (RI). ere were 12 medicinal plants which recorded the RI value greater than 1. e highest RI value was reported from Asparagus racemosus Willd. and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L
High Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC), Use Value (UV), and Factor Informant Consensus (FIC) values of medicinal plants from the current study indicate the better consensus among traditional practitioners and Ayurveda physicians about the usage of medicinal plants or plant materials for cosmetic treatments
Summary
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island with an area of approximately 65,610 km. As one of the most biologically diverse countries in Asia, Sri Lanka currently has 29.7% of forest cover [2] and 4,143 plant species distributed within 214 families. 1,025 plant species are endemic to the country [3]. Plants have been used for treating various illnesses over thousand years through four systems of traditional medicine in Sri Lanka called Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Deshiya Chikitsa [4]. Traditional systems of medicine play a pivotal role in lives of Sri Lankan rural population by fulfilling 60–70% of primary health care needs [5]. According to the Sugathadasa et al [6], 1,430 species representing 181 families and 838 genera are considered as medicinal plants. Out of the total number of medicinal plant species, 174 (12%) are endemic to the country. As described by Pushpakumara et al [1], 250 species of medicinal plants are commonly used in traditional medicine of which 50 species are heavily used
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