Design and development of Unani anti-inflammatory cream

Inflammation is the symptom of many diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Many side effects are associated with the Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) used as conventional treatment for these conditions. In Unani, there are large number of single and compound drugs for inflammatory conditions. One dosage form of Unani system of medicine is named as Zimad in which paste is formed by mixing powder in oil, water, herbal extract. Zimadat is prepared just before application and used in many disease conditions as resolving, styptic, astringent, and antiseptic. As the pre-application procedure is difficult and also complicated for patients, hence, the present study attempted to modify the form of Zimad into cream. Various batches of cream of Zimad Mohallil were prepared by using extracts of the formulation and by adding additives. Various physicochemical parameters of prepared cream were carried and compared with market cream. The optimized cream of Zimad Mohallil (F₄) was selected after preliminary tests and evaluated further. The optimized cream showed good results in physicochemical parameters equivalent to market sample. Zimad Mohallil was converted into convenient cream form by adding minimum additives and benefits could be achieved without any hassle and cumbersome work, which is encountered in crude or paste form. The optimized cream was equivalent to standard market cream.