Ammoidin (xanthotoxin) in the treatment of vitiligo

Eighteen patients with vitiligo were treated with two crystalline substances, xanthotoxin (Ammoidin) and imperatorin (Ammidin) from the plant Ammi majus. Four patients improved more than 50 per cent. One had complete cure, but depigmentation recurred after a few months. Six patients had moderate improvement (less than 50 per cent), three had slight repigmentation, and in five cases there was no improvement. These results are similar to those reported by other investigators.Pronounced local inflammatory reactions are to be expected after exposure to ultraviolet light in nearly all patients treated with xanthotoxin. In one case prolonged sensitivity to sunlight, manifest by vesiculating dermatitis, occurred.