Skin Phytotherapy and Pharmacological Aspects: a Brief Review

Abstract

Introduction: Phytotherapy is based on the use of medicinal plants and their plant derivatives for the treatment or symptomatic relief of numerous diseases, being a widely disseminated practice in the world. The skin, as the largest organ in the body, benefits from this therapeutic system in an important way. Thus, this review aimed to prospect the possible mechanisms of action of 12 medicinal plants that have cutaneous applications. Methods: The Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), National Library of Medicine (PUBMED) and Google Scholar/Google Scholar databases were used, where plants were searched by their scientific names (Aesculus hippocastanum; Aloe vera/Aloe vera barbadensis; Arnica montana; Libidibia férrea/Caesalpinia ferrea; Calendula officinalis; Cordia verbenacea/Cordia curassavica; Equinacea purpurea; Equisetum arvense; Lippia sidoides Cham./Lippia origanoides kunth; Malva sylvestris; Matricaria chamomilla L./Matricaria recutita L. e Stryphnodendron adstringens. Results: The mechanisms of action found establish a relationship with the presence of secondary metabolites, such as flavonoids; terpenes, tannins, saponins, coumarins, quinones, acids and phenolic compounds, glycosides, carotenoids, mucilages, polysaccharides, conferring anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antioxidant and healing properties. Conclusion: The popular use of medicinal plants is aligned with the literature mechanism of action. However, each plant has it own action pathway and active principles, requiring specific studies to understand their molecules and function in other to validate and produce new medicines.