Bio-active metabolites from Chinese Medicinal Herbs for treatment of skin diseases

Skin diseases have become serious issues to human health and affect one-third of the world's population according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). These consist of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) factors referring to genetics, hormones, and the body's immune system, as well as environmental situations, UV radiation, or environmental pollution respectively. Generally, Western Medicines (WMs) are usually treated with topical creams or strong medications for skin diseases that help superficially, and often do not treat the root cause. The relief may be instant and strong, sometimes these medicines have adverse reactions that are too strong to be able and sustained over a long period, especially steroid drug type. Chinese Medicinal Herbs (CMHs) are natural resources and relatively mild in the treatment of both manifestation and the root cause of disease. Nowadays, CMHs are attractive to many scientists, especially in studying their formulations for the treatment of skin diseases.

The methodology of this review was searched in nine electronic databases including WanFang Data, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SciFinder, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), without regard to language constraints. All eligible studies are analysed and summarised.

Based on the literature findings, some extracts or active metabolites divided from CMHs, including Curcumin, Resveratrol, Liquorice, Dandelions, Cortex Moutan, and Calendula officinalis L., are effective for the treatment and prevention of skin diseases because of a wide range of pharmacological activities, e.g. anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-virus, and anti-inflammation to enhance the body's immune system. It is also responsible for skin whitening to prevent pigmentation and premature ageing through several mechanisms, such as regulation or inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B (IκB/NF-κB) signalling pathways.

This is possible to develop CMHs, such as Curcumin, Resveratrol, Liquorice, Dandelions, Cortex Moutan and Calendula officinalis L. The ratio of multiple CMH formulations and safety assessments on human skin diseases required studying to achieve better pharmacological activities. Nano formulations are the future investigation for CMHs to combat skin diseases.