Medicinal Plants and their Constituents in the Treatment of Acne vulgaris

Abstract

Acne is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that involves the pilosebaceous unit. It is a common universal disease affecting about 85% of teenagers. The disfiguring dermatosis of acne can destroy self-confidence, causing significant emotional distress. Topical and systemic therapies are available as a conventional acne treatment, including comedolytic agents, antibiotics, and various anti-inflammatory drugs. Interest in medicinal herbs has been progressively increasing due to antibiotic resistance in acne-causing bacteria, side effects, and sometimes high cost of conventional treatment. This review provides up-to-date evidence on medicinal plants and the phytoconstituents used in acne treatment. The data presented in this review were gathered from several databases, including Pubmed, Wiley Online Library, Elsevier, and Web of Science, using keywords such as; Acne vulgaris, Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes), skin diseases, medicinal plants, active constituents, complementary and alternative medicines. The present manuscript provides an updated review of the most reported active constituents with anti-acne properties. Among these classes were the phenolic compounds, exemplified by anthraquinones, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids, certain terpenes and oxygenated terpenes present in the essential oils of many medicinal plants.