Effect of a Polyherbal Unani formulation in acne vulgaris: A preliminary study

Abstract

Acne vulgaris is the most common disorder treated by dermatologists. Acne is a disease of pilosebaceous units characterized by the formation of the open and closed comedones, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. A preliminary trial was conducted in the department of Medicine, National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore, India, to assess the safety and efficacy of a Polyherbal Unani Formulation (PHUF) in the management of Acne Vulgaris on scientific parameters. Twenty five patients, diagnosed with acne, were included in the study after obtaining their informed consents. All the patients were clinically assessed and diagnosed on the basis of thorough history and dermatological examination. Then, PHUF was administered locally once at night for a period of 45 days. The severity of acne and efficacy of treatment was assessed by Cook′s acne grading scale. The results showed significant reduction in the Cook′s acne grading scores of post-treatment group (P<0.01) as compared to pre-treatment scores. Further, PHUF was found safe and fairly well accepted by the patients. It was therefore, concluded that PHUF can be used safely and effectively for the treatment of acne vulgaris.

Efficacy of local application of an Unani formulation in acne vulgaris

“…This study is in accordance with the study of Lone et al, they used a Polyherbal Unani formulation and reported improvement at P < 0.001. [ 16 ] The present study is also in accordance with study by Parveen et al, they also found role of Unani herbomineral cream significant in reducing Acne vulgaris. [ 29 ]…”

“…Acne vulgaris is characterized by the formation of open and closed comedones, papules, pustules, nodules and cysts. [ 1 4 14 15 16 17 ]…”

“…[ 26 ] Although it is a condition of adolescents, acne affects 8% of 25-34 year and 3% of 30-44 year age group. [ 16 ] There are some evidences which suggest that reduced academic performance and employment opportunities are associated with acne, as well as general social difficulties. [ 14 ] Between 30-50% of adolescents experience psychological difficulties along with pimples including body image concerns, social embarrassment, social impairment, apprehension, dissatisfaction, anger, depression and poor self confidence because of acne.…”

Botanical and Phytochemical Therapy of Acne: A Systematic Review

“…H. incidus is known to scavenge free radicals produced by P. acnes (Jain and Basal, ), and C. longa has antimicrobial activities (Ammon and Wahl, ). A polyherbal Unani formulation also demonstrated promising therapeutic effects (Lone et al ., ). This consisted of Iris florentina , A. indica leaves, Acacia speciosa bark, and Abrus precatorius ; the authors state that this combination has antiinflammatory and antimicrobial properties.…”

“…Six studies were reviewed, which evaluated topical or herbal preparations from Ayurveda (Paranjpe and Kulkarni, ; Lalla et al ., ), Unani (Lone et al ., ), Kampo (Kim and Kim, ), and traditional Chinese medicine (Pan, ; Liu et al ., ). These formulations are composed of multiple herbs with complementary therapeutic mechanisms of action.…”