An Update on Clinically Evaluated Medicinal Plants for Psoriasis Management

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Pharmacology
• Traditional Medicine

Background:

• Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting 0.5-5% of the global population.
• Current conventional and biological treatments for psoriasis face challenges regarding long-term safety, cost, and tolerability.
• Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers a potential avenue for future psoriasis management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and synthesize clinical evidence on herbal medications used for psoriasis, with a focus on traditional medicine origins.
• To summarize the proposed mechanisms of action and active compounds in herbal psoriasis treatments.
• To identify research gaps and future directions for evaluating herbal therapies for psoriasis.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across major scientific databases: Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science.
• Relevant studies published up to March 2023 focusing on clinically evaluated herbal medications for psoriasis were selected.
• Approximately 40 papers were included, with a majority being clinical trials on poly-herbal formulations from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Main Results:

• The majority of reviewed studies involved clinical trials of poly-herbal formulations derived from TCM.
• Efficacy results for these herbal formulations in treating psoriasis were often controversial, attributed to variations in study design.
• Information on the probable protective mechanisms and key herbal metabolites was summarized.

Conclusions:

• Herbal medications, particularly those from TCM, represent a promising area for psoriasis management.
• Inconsistent study designs limit definitive conclusions on the efficacy of current herbal psoriasis treatments.
• There is a critical need for standardized in-vitro and in-vivo research to rigorously assess the safety and effectiveness of both topical and systemic herbal preparations for psoriasis.