The Use of Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Vitiligo: An Updated Review
The objective of the present review is to provide an
updated overview on the most frequently used medicinal plants in the treatment of vitiligo. A bibliographical search was carried out in scientific databases Pubmed, Scifinder, Scopus, Google
Scholar, and Medline up to October 2021 using the descriptors vitiligo, herbal, medicinal plants, and alternative therapies. In our search, the highest number of published studies comprise
plants commonly used in traditional herbal medicine, highlighting the usefulness of ethnopharmacology in the discovery of new therapeutic agents. The review outlines current understanding
and provides an insight into the role of psoralens and khellin (photosensitizing agents obtained from plants such as Cullen corylifolium or Ammi visnaga). The paper also
describes other traditional herbs such as Ginkgo biloba, Phlebodium aureum, Piper nigrum, Picrorhiza kurroa, and Baccharoides anthelmintica that can likewise act as potential
therapeutical agents. Based on our findings, photosensitizing agents in combination with phototherapy, the association of oral Phebodium aureum with phototherapies as well as oral
G. biloba in monotherapy showed greater scientific evidence as therapeutic options. The research results emphasize that further investigation in this area is merited. More long-term
follow up clinical trials and higher quality randomized trials are needed. [...] Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 S...
Source: Planta Medica - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Castillo, Encarna Gonz ález-Rosende, María Eugenia Mart ínez-Solís, Isabel Tags: Reviews Source Type: research