Turpentine Ointment in Bacterial Skin Infections: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pharmacology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Turpentine-containing substances show promise for bacterial skin infections.
• Reliable clinical data supporting their efficacy are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel ointment containing larch turpentine, eucalyptus oil, and turpentine oil.
• To assess treatment outcomes in outpatients with painful skin abscesses.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study involving 116 outpatients with skin abscesses.
• Treatment duration was 10 days, with verum or placebo applied.
• Outcome measures included patient discomfort, abscess size, therapeutic success rate, and complete healing.

Main Results:

• The verum group showed significantly better improvement in patient discomfort scores (p=0.024).
• Higher treatment success rates (70% vs. 48%, p=0.021) and complete healing (67% vs. 46%, p=0.037) were observed in the verum group.
• A positive trend towards reduced abscess size was noted in the verum group (p=0.07).

Conclusions:

• The studied ointment, containing larch turpentine, eucalyptus oil, and turpentine oil, is an effective treatment option.
• This turpentine-based formulation demonstrates a favorable safety profile for bacterial skin diseases.