Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis caused during Shodhana (purificatory measures) of Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium Linn.) fruit

Abstract

Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium Linn.; Ancardiaceae) is mentioned under Upavisha group in Ayurvedic classics and it is described as a poisonous medicinal plant in Drugs and Cosmetics Act (India), 1940. Fruit of Bhallataka is used either as a single drug or as an ingredient in many compound formulations of Indian systems of medicine to cure many diseases. Tarry oil present in the pericarp of the fruit causes blisters on contact. The major constituent of the tarry oil is anacardic acid and bhilawanol, a mixture of 3-n-pentadec(en)yl catechols. Bhilawanol A and B are known as Urushiols, and also, anacardic acid is closely related to Urushiol. Urushiol-induced contact dermatitis is the medical name given to allergic rashes produced by the oil Urushiol. This paper deals with five case reports of contact dermatitis caused during different stages of Shodhana (purificatory measures) of Bhallataka fruit due to improper handling of the utensils and disposal of media used in Shodhana procedure and their Ayurvedic management. To combat these clinical conditions, the affected persons were advised external application with pounded Nimba (Azadirachta indica A. Juss.) leaves on the affected parts and internal administration of Sarivadyasava 30 ml thrice daily after food and Triphala Churna 5 g before food twice daily. Reduction of itching and burning sensation was observed after topical application.

Complementary and Alternative Medicines and Childhood Eczema

“…4Y7 Ayurveda is commonly practiced in India and includes herbal remedies that can cause diffuse dermatitis. 8,9 Naturopathic remedies have been shown to cause contact dermatitis, 10 and homeopathic remedies can cause blistering reactions 24 and localized and systemic contact dermatitis. 11Y15 On the other hand, previous studies found no associations between maternal use of folic acid and other B vitamin supplementation during pregnancy and subsequent risk of eczema and other allergic disease in the offspring.…”

Urushiol Induces Apoptosis via a p53-dependent Pathway in Human Gastric Cancer Cells

“… 1 – 5 The usefulness of urushiol as a potential therapeutic agent has been limited by its hypersensitive reaction. 6 Urushiol has been traditionally used as an oriental folk medicine in Korea for various diseases, such as swelling, inflammation, and tumor. The cytotoxic effects of urushiol compounds have been studied in 29 different kinds of human cancer cell lines, including prostate, ovary, brain, colon, kidney, lung and leukemia, and the value of 50% growth inhibition (GI 50 ) has been reported to be approximately 4.0 μ g/ml, showing cell line-specific cytotoxicity.…”

Semecarpus anacardiumLinn. leaf extract exhibits activities against breast cancer and prolongs the survival of tumor-bearing mice

“…The different extracts of Semecarpus anacardium nuts are well known for their toxicity in human and animals (Llanchezhian et al, 2012; Patwardhan et al, 1988; Sundaram et al, 2018). The purification processes are described in Ayurveda to reduce its toxicity of nuts before clinical use (Maurya et al, 2015).…”

“…The nut contains bhilawanols, cardol, anacardic acid, semecarpol and anacardol (Adhami et al, 2012; Nair et al, 2009). Its two contents, bhilawanol and anacardic acids are immunogenic and their exposure causes irritation, blisters, contact dermatitis and toxicity (Llanchezhian et al, 2012).…”