A Review: Herbal Drugs Used in Skin Disorder

Herbal cosmetics are also called natural cosmetics. Herbal skin care products are the safest   Protects the skin from the external environment. The word cosmetics is of Greek origin. "Kosmticos" means the ability to decorate   with   force. In ancient times, it was used as a decorative, killing color.  Animals and enemies   are   painted   on   the body to provoke fear of enemies. Cosmetics are used for hunting, religion. Decorative   products and health products.  cosmetics    are designed to fight various types of diseases.  Skin treatment for wrinkles, acne, aging, beauty, etc. Take   care   of   your oily skin.  Skin   care   varies   depending   on   habits. 

Basic skin care   requirements:  

Cleanser:   Removes dirt that clogs   pores on the skin and dead cells. Examples of cleaning   agents   include: Vegetable oils such   as sesame and palm oil. 

Toner:   Helps tighten skin and prevent breakouts in your   body. We   are exposed to many toxins present in the atmosphere. Examples of toners include hazel, geranium, Sage, lemon, ivy agrimony and essential oils.

Moisturizing:  Helps   keep the skin soft and elastic. It  gives   off  a healthy glow and  reduces   the   appearance   of  aging. Examples of herbal moisturizers include plants, Glycerin, sorbitol, rose water, jojoba oil, aloe vera. Herbal therapy for skin disorders has been used for thousands of years. Even our biologically close relatives, the great apes, use herbal self-medication. Specific herbs and their uses developed regionally, based on locally available plants and through trade in ethnobotanical remedies. Systems of herbal use developed regionally in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, China, Japan, Australia, and the Americas. Two well-known systems still in use are the Ayurvedic herbs in India and herb combinations developed as part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China. In Europe and the United States, use of herbs declined as purified extracts and synthetic chemical drugs became available. In recent years, there has been a resurgence of the use of herbs due to the following reasons: the side effects of chemical drugs became apparent, there was a call to return to nature, natural remedies became a part of the green revolution, and there was a return to organic produce. Herbal remedies, including those for skin disorders, are currently gaining popularity among patients and to a lesser degree among physicians. In Asia, especially in China and India, herbal treatments that have been used for centuries are now being studied scientifically. Herbal remedies, including those for skin disorders, are currently gaining popularity among patients and to a lesser degree among physicians. In Asia, especially in China and India, herbal treatments that have been used for centuries are now being studied scientifically. In Germany, the regulatory authority Commission E oversees herbal preparations and their recommended uses Currently, the United States does not regulate herbal products except as dietary supplements. There is no standardization of active ingredients, purity, or concentration. There are also no regulations governing which herbs can be marketed for specific indications.

Anatomy of skin:

The skin is the largest organ of the body, with a total area of about 20 square feet. The skin protects us from microbes and the elements, helps regulate body temperature, and permits the sensations of touch, heat, and cold.

Skin has three layers:

• The epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, provides a waterproof barrier and creates our skin tone. 
• The dermis, beneath the epidermis, contains tough connective tissue, hair follicles, and sweat glands. 
• The deeper subcutaneous tissue (hypodermis) is made of fat and connective tissue. 

Fig.1: Anatomy of Skin

Functions of the skin:

The main functions of the skin include:

1. Protection of the human body 
2. Sensation i.e. transmitting to the brain information about the surroundings 
3. Temperature regulation 
4. Immunity i.e. the role of the skin for the immune system. 
5. Enables movement and growth without injury
6. Excretion from the body of the certain types of waste material. 
7. Endocrine function e.g. re. Vitamin D Skin types:

While all human skin has basically the same structure, slight biological differences can make the big deal to the proper care and keeping of your skin. People can have more or less active sebaceous glands, more or less active sweat glands, and may store more or less water in their skin. 

Here are summaries of some common human skin types, and how to best care for them 

1. 1.  Oily skin:

People with oily skin may have large pores, a shiny complexion, blackheads or pimples. This is because of the sebaceous glands in their dermis make a lot of oil, which can build up in pores, widening them and causing irritation. 

The oiliness of skin can be increased by the factors including-

• • Stress
  • Hormones 
  • Heat and humidity 

Paradoxically, washing often is not good for the oily skin. Many people are tempted and they try to wash the oil off – but this can result in the skin feeling dry, which will actually stimulate it to produce more oil. It’s recommended that the people with oily skin wash it no more than twice a day and avoid scrubbing when they wash. This will leave the skin’s natural oil intact so that there is less new oil that will be produced. 

Popping or picking at pimples and blackheads is also bad idea. This can cause injury to the skin, which can increase the inflammation of the blemish and cause it to take longer to heal! When picking out the cosmetic products, look for those with a label that says ”noncomedogenic”. That means it won’t clog pores.

1. 2. Combination skin:

Combination skin is the skin that is oily in some areas, but may be dry in others. In people with combination skin, chin, nose, and forehead are the most commonly oily areas. Other areas such as the cheeks may be dry. 

People with combination skin may have large pores, blackheads, and shiny skin due to the production of a lot of oil by the glands in your dermis. This oil accumulates in pores and cause blackheads and blemishes. 

The same tips for caring for oily skin can be used on the oily areas of combination skin. 

1. 3. Normal Skin:

Normal skin is skin that has a medium level of oil and water, leaving it protected from the elements, but not shiny or oily. This skin type usually has small pores and few blemishes, since the glands which produce oils are not highly active. 

1. 4. Dry skin:

People with dry skin may have a dull, rough complexion and may also show more wrinkles and lines than other skin types. Irritated red patches may appear, and pores may be completely invisible. 

This is because the dry skin has less active oil glands, leaving the skin without the sheen of protection from the environment. As a result the skin looses moisture quickly and become red, irritated, or flaky. 

People who live in dry areas such as the deserts are more likely to show signs of dry skin, because their skin loses more moisture than those who live in humid areas. 

Dry skin may be caused or may be made worse by:

• • Indoor heating 
  • Certain medications 
  • Hot baths and showers 
  • Over washing, or washing with harsh soaps and cleansers 
  • Exposure to weather such as sun, wind, cold, and dry heat.

The following measures can help us:

• Use a humidifier to counter the effects of the indoor heating 
• Talk to your doctor if the dry skin began after you started a new medications
• Take fewer, shorter baths and shower not more than once a day 
• Avoid excessive scrubbing, and use gentle soaps and cleansers 
• Lessen exposure to harsh weather using clothing, sunscreen, or other measures 
• Use moisturizer immediately after bathing to augment your skin’s natural protection. 
  5. Sensitive Skin:

Sensitive skin may have show redness, itching, burning, and dryness. Sensitive skin may become irritated in response to certain skin care products. If you suspect you may have sensitive skin, it’s helpful to keep track of what products you have used recently. Discontinue use of any new products you have started using before irritation occurred, and try to determine if you can identify an ingredient in the new product that might have caused the irritation. With luck, you can avoid other products that use that ingredient.

Herbal drugs 

What are herbal drugs? 

Herbal drugs are made up of the roots, stems, leaves, bark, fruit, seeds, or flowers of various plants known or believed to have medicinal properties. Many conventional drugs have also been derived from plants. In fact, the word "drug" comes from French word drogue, meaning "dried herb." Herbal and conventional drugs differ significantly, however. 

When a conventional drug is derived from a plant, this drug is a purified form of the specific substance in the plant that is proven to have a beneficial medical effect. This substance which is called the active ingredient, is delivered to the patient in a precise amount, or dose. Herbal drugs, in contrast, are made up of all other substances and chemicals in the plant, in addition to any active ingredient they might contain. 

Sometimes, manufacturers of herbal drug aren't sure which substance in the plant is the active ingredient, or how much active ingredient their herbal product delivers. Even when the active ingredient is known, the amount of it can vary widely as much as 10,000-fold between products made by different manufacturers. Because herbal drugs are not been regulated as drugs by the FDA, they don't have to undergo the rigorous testing that conventional drugs must undergo before they are marketed. The manufacturers of these conventional drugs must prove the safety and efficacy of their products to the FDA before the FDA approves their use. This proof comes in the form of an extensive scientific studies of the drug in animals and in people. 

A brief history of herbal medicines:

People have long recognized the healing properties of many certain plants. Herbal drugs have likely been around as long as humans have. Medicinal herbs were found on body of an "ice man" frozen in the Swiss Alps for more than 5,000 years. Scientists think that the man used these herbs to treat an intestinal disorder. Many of the herbal medicines have an ancient history. The ginkgo tree has been long cultivated for medical use in China and Japan, where some of these hardy trees are over 1,000 years old. Chinese herbalists made tea from ginkgo seeds and prescribed the drink for many problems, including memory loss and asthma. In 1700s, the tree was brought to Europe from China. In the 1950s, the Dr. Willmar Schwabe Company of Germany investigated the properties of the ginkgo leaf for possible medical use, and by 1970, ginkgo became one of the most widely prescribed herbals for dementia and for the type of weakness and pain in the limbs called intermittent claudication. In 1997, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study indicating ginkgo might be useful in treating Alzheimer's disease, sparking interest in the United States. Before Europeans who arrived in America, echinacea was a popular herbal drug among Native Americans, who used it to treat respiratory infections, inflammation of the eyes, toothache, and snakebite. European colonists quickly adopted the herb. In the nineteenth century, European Americans used echinacea as a "blood purifier," believing that it cleared the blood of disease-causing toxins. Before the advent of the modern and synthetic drugs in the nineteenth century, the United States had its own folk medicine tradition. In the colonial times, people often relied on homemade botanical remedies based on the folk traditions of their original countries. People who also learned about the healing properties of local plants from Native Americans. As more of the Europeans came to the Americas and settlements grew into cities, some herbal remedies transformed into "patent medicines," which people could buy at the local store or from traveling salesmen. Packaged in the fancy bottles and laced with generous amounts of alcohol, these medicines were of the doubtful value, although their labels claimed they could cure everything from the common cold to cancer.

Scope of herbal medicine:

5. Herbal drugs used in India:

• More than 70% of INDIA’S 1.1 billion population is still using non-allopathic. 
• In India, nearly about 9,500 registered herbal industries and a multitude of unregistered cottage level herbal units depend upon the continuous supply of medicinal plants for manufacture of herbal medical formulations based on Indian Systems of Medicine. 
• It is estimated that more than 6,000 plant species forming about 40% of the plant diversity of the country are used in its codified and folk healthcare traditions.

Herbal drugs for skin disorders:

1. Aloe Vera: 

Synonym: Barbados aloe

Family: Xanthorrhoeaceae

• Aloe vera has shown very much good results in skin diseases and it is often taken as a health drink.
• It is also found very effective in treating wrinkles, stretch marks and pigmentations. 
• It also seems to be able to speed wound healing by improving the blood circulation through the area and preventing the cell death around a wound. 
• The gel also has properties that are harmful to certain types of bacteria and fungi. 
• A cream containing 0.5% aloe for 4 weeks reduced the skin plaques associated with psoriasis.
• Application of the gel helped in the improvement of the partial thickness burns. 
• When applied to the skin, the gel seems to help the skin survive frostbite injury.

Fig.2: Aloe Vera

2. Beetroot

Synonym: Beta Vulgaris

Family: Brassicaceae 

• The in-vitro inhibitory effect of beet root extract on EBV-EA induction using Raji cells revealed a high order of the activity compared to capsanthin, cranberry, red onion skin and short and long red bell peppers. 
• An in-vivo anti-tumor promoting activity evaluation against the mice skin and lung bioassays also revealed the significant tumor inhibitory effect. 
• The combined findings suggest that the beet-root ingestion can also be one of the useful means to prevent cancer.

Fig.3: Beetroot

3. Saffron

Synonym: Crocus Sativus

Family: Iridaceae

• Saffron is a naturally derived plant product that acts as a antispasmodic, diaphoretic, carminative, emmenagogic and sedative. 
• The chemo preventive effect of an aqueous saffron on chemically induced skin carcinogenesis using a histopathological approach was studied. 
• Its ingestion inhibited the formation of the skin papillomas in animals and simultaneously reduced their size. Saffron inhibited DMBAinduced skin carcinoma in mice when the are treated early. 
• This may be due to at least in part, to the induction of cellular defense systems. 
• It has also been found useful in treatment of psoriasis.

Fig.4: Saffron

4. Turmeric:

Synonym: Curcuma longa

Family: Zingiberaceae 

• Pain resulting from inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis. 
• Curcumin has also been shown the potential to protect animals from diabetic vascular disease and, as a result, to speed wound healing. 
• When a person with diabetes has a wound, it can take a long time to heal, and the person will have a higher risk of infection than someone without diabetes. 

Fig.5: Turmeric

5. Henna 

Synonym: Lawsonia Inermis

Family: Lythraceae

• Henna is a traditionally used plant of Middle-East that is applied on the hands and feet. 
• In the traditional system of medicine, the leaf paste is applied twice a day, on the affected parts to cure impetigo. 
• In a study, clinical improvement in the patients who were suffering from hand and foot disease due to use of capecitabine, an anti-cancer drug, with use of henna revealed anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effects of henna.

Fig.6: Heena

6. Mango:

Synonym: Mangifera Indica

Family: Anacardiaceae

• The gum is used in the dressings for cracked feet and for scabies. 
• Latex is applied to cure ulcers. 
• Aqueous extract of the stem-bark (MIE, 50-800 mg/kg i.p.) produced a dose- dependent and a significant (P < 0.05-0.001) anti-inflammatory effect against fresh egg albumin-induced paw edema in rats.

Fig.7: Mango