Ancient treatment for lice: a source of suggestions for carriers of other infectious diseases?

Louse infestation is one of the oldest contagious pestilential diseases of humankind, which has recently re-emerged in several developing countries as well as in homeless individuals and migrants. The present work provides the first phase of an historical excursus of louse remedies based on the classics of pharmaceutical literature, codes, pharmacopoeia and treatises. The second phase involves a literature search, based on the principal medical databases (SciFinder, Pubmed, Google Scholar, ISI-Web of Science and Scopus), to match ancient raw materials and active principles for the treatment of pediculosis and their possible applications, with other current infectious pathologies transmitted by different carriers. In this regard, Rhododendron tomentosum has revealed repellent insect activity, particularly against Aedes aegypti, responsible for Dengue fever, Chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro, yellow fever and other infectious diseases. Petroselinum crispum is an insecticide employed for resistant strains of A. aegypti. In the case of Delphinium staphisagria, the phytochemical profile was further investigated with the identification of further molecules in addition to delphinine. The latter shows interesting activities against Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania. Anthemis pyrethrum, now renamed as Anacyclus pyrethrum, although not containing pyrethrins present in several plants of the genus Chrysanthemum, revealed pediculicidal activity but did not produce satisfactory results in antiprotozoal activity.