Date of Release: 2012

Effect of Anti-Itching and Healing Ointments Containing the Herbal Essential Oils of Menthapiperita, Eucalyptus Globus, Caryophyllusaromaticus, Cinnamomumceylanicom in A Variety of Skin Eczema

 Background: Eczema is one of the most common dermatologic disorders with specific clinical characteristics, unknown etiology and not yet known curative treatment. Introducing any kind of treatment to relieve inching and inflammation will be considered as therapeutic success. The use of herbal essential oils has attracted widespread attention as a new natural treatment of dermatologic disease a step for revival of traditional medicine. Essential oils of peppermint Mentha piperit)), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globules), clove (Eugenia caryophilatha) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum ceylanicom) were selected as potential eczema therapeutic candidates and different concentrations of menthol and camphor were added to increase skin penetration and anti-itching effect of the ointment. Hydrocarbons were used as ointment base due to high solubility, stability and good covering property of essential oils in this base. Combined 27% liquid paraffin and 35% paraffin wax was used as the best base of the ointments. Methods: Clinical evaluation was performed on 110 patients, of whom 50 patients received herbal ointment. Findings: There was 66% complete cue in herbal group compared to 43.3% in standard care and 13% in placebo group. Conclusion: Long fast relieve of itching and short treatment period were some advantages of herbal ointment. Patients used this ointment for one or 2 weeks. Different concentrations of the active ingredients were prepared and some modifications were made to increase penetration, faster relief of itching and decreasing skin irritation induced by essential oils. This herbal ointment was most effective in chronic eczema and its efficacy on exogenous eczema was less than endogenous. Mild and transient side effects such as itching and irritation were observed in 20% of the patients receiving herbal ointment (English). Copyright of Journal of Isfahan Medical School is the property of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder’s express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract For access to this entire article and additional high quality information, please check with your college/university library, local public library, or affiliated institution
Effect of Anti-Itching and Healing Ointments Containing the Herbal Essential Oils of Menthapiperita, Eucalyptus Globus, Caryophyllusaromaticus, Cinnamomumceylanicom in A Variety of Skin Eczema