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Potential of Herbals As Antidandruff Agents

Potential of Herbals As Antidandruff Agents

Singla Chhavi et al. IRJP 2 (3) 2011 16-18

INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACY ISSN 2230 – 8407 Available online http://www.irjponline.com Review Article

POTENTIAL OF HERBALS AS ANTIDANDRUFF AGENTS Singla Chhavi*1, Drabu Sushma1, Ali Mohammad2 1Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Pharmacy, New Delhi, India 2Faculty of Pharmacy, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India

Article Received on: 21/01/2011 Revised on: 24/02/2011 Approved for publication: 12/03/2011

*Chhavi Singla, Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Pharmacy, New Delhi, India Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT The present article discuss about the clinical manifestation and mechanism of action of . The article also discusses in detail about various synthetic and herbal treatment methods available for dandruff. The status of dandruff being ampbiguous – a disease/disorder, and therefore relatively less medical intervention is sought after for the treatment of dandruff. KEYWORDS: Dandruff, Herbal treatments, Pityrosporum ovale, Scalp disease.

INTRODUCTION that may produce tryptophan metabolites Dandruff is a common scalp condition that occurs when which are active on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, thus dead skin is shed, producing irritating white flakes and producing inflammation4. The age of onset suggests that possibly an itchy scalp. Ordinarily, dandruff results from an androgenic influence may be responsible, when the excessive drying of skin and over- activity of the oil level of sebaceous activity is at its peak. Dandruff may glands, known as seborrhea. Although dandruff is improve in summer (as an ultraviolet ray from sunlight associated with the scalp, flakes may also appear on face, counteracts P. ovale) and may get worse in winter. nose and eyebrows, as well as on the skin behind the Dandruff has been shown to be the result of either: ears, in the internal ear, and skin of trunk, particularly in 1. Sebum or sebaceous secretions ( Pityrosporum causes creases. T-cell depression, that increases sebum levels and an Dandruff, which is visible desquamation of scalp is the activation of the alternative complement pathway12). mildest manifestation of seborrheic and 2. The metabolic by-products of skin micro-organisms caused by P. ovale combined with multiple host factors. (most specifically Malassezia yeasts) Dandruff is commonly aggravated by changes in 3. Individual susceptibility humidity, trauma (scratching), season and emotional Other contributing factors include fatigue, emotional stress. Clinically, the greyish white flakes of skin are stress, acne, hormonal imbalances, constant exposure to often very visible on the hair and shoulders. The other dry air, trauma (scratching), season, use of that commonly associated symptoms of dandruff are itching contain alcohol, and neurological conditions such as with scalp soreness. The severity of dandruff varies from stroke, head injuries and parkinson’s disease. Dandruff is mild dandruff to exfoliative erythroderma. The not, however the result of poor personal hygiene or use of dandruff includes conditions of a dirty comb. such as eczema, , candidiasis, contact Synthetic Treatments Available dermatitis, dermatomyositis, drug eruptions, drug- Current treatment options available for the management induced photosensitivity, impetigo, lichen simplex, of dandruff include therapeutic use of chronicus erythematosus, , a. (1-hydroxy-2-pyridinethiones and pemphigus, rosea, , xerotic eczema, their salts, in particular the zinc salt), and vitamin B and/or zinc deficiency.1 b. , Mechanism of Action c. Imidazole derivatives, Proinflammatory free fatty acids released by d. Glycolic acid, steroids, activity of Pityrosporum ovale i.e. lipase-mediated e. Sulphur, hydrolysis of sebum triglycerides leads to an excess of f. Sulphide, oleic acid that aggravates the scalp2,3 and causes dermal g. Tar derivatives inflammation and tissue damage. Another possibility is h. Piroctone olamine, IRJP 2 (3) Mar 2011 Page 16-18 Singla Chhavi et al. IRJP 2 (3) 2011 16-18 i. Undecylenic acid derivatives 4. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) Sometimes switching to a less- drying is all that Allantoin, the chemical present in this herb, has anti- is needed to stop dandruff. dandruff properties. For preparing shampoo add a couple Herbal Treaments Available of drops of comfrey tincture to herbal shampoo.8 Biotin, an important vitamin like nutrient that the body 5. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and sesame (Sesamum uses in many ways, is a major antidandruff compound. indicum). Naturopaths recommend getting 6mg/day for prevention Ginger and sesame is used for dandruff/seborrhea and treatment of both dandruff and related condition treatment in Egypt. For preparing the shampoo take one seborrhea5. to two tablespoons of ginger juice and mix it with three 1. Soybean (Glycine max) tablespoons of sesame oil and a half teaspoon of lemon 2. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) tea or essential juice. This mixture can be used three times a week to oils rub into the scalp. 9 3. Burdock (Arctium lappa) 6. Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 4. Celandine (Chelidonium majus) Dandruff can be controlled by keeping the oil production 5. Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) tea down. Glycyrrhizin present in Licorice can minimize the 6. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Sesame (Sesamum scalp's secretion of oils. Licorice also contains salicylic indicum) acid. 10,11 7. Licorice (Glycyrriza glabra) 7. Plantain (Plantago major, and various species) 8. Plantain (Plantago major) tea Like comfrey, plantain also contains allantoin. Boil 9. Teatree (Melaleuca, various species) plantain with water and use it as a hair rinse.5 10. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Sage (Salvia 8. Teatree (Melaleuca, various species) officinalis) Teatree oil, an antiseptic, contains substances known as 11. Vinegar and Apple cider terpenes that penetrate the top layers of the scalp and 12. Tea (Camellia sinensis) carry their disinfectant activities deeper than most 13. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) emollients.Teatree oil, or any ,can be 14. Calendula officinals poisonous internally as they are extremely concentrated.5 15. Juniper (Juniperus communis) 9. Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Sage (Salvia 1. Soybean (Glycine max) and other biotin containing officinalis) food materials Thyme is used as a powerful antiseptic. Many herbalists Almost all the plants contain biotin to some extent, recommend the old standard— one ounce each of dried Soybeans contain the most, followed by garlic, American sage and rosemary infused in two cups of water for 24 ginseng,oats, barley, Asian ginseng, avocado, cottonseed, hours and used daily as a hair rinse. Adding a few drops alfalfa, sesame, corn, fava beans and elderberry. The of tincture of each of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme amount of biotin required is 700mg/day.5 herbs gives a good commercial herbal shampoo.5 2. Burdock (Arctium lappa). 10. Vinegar and apple cider Burdock root oil massage into the scalp helps in These both are used as old folk remedies for dandruff. treatment of Seborrhea.6 Dried herb in vinegar can be used as hair rinse. Before 3. Celandine (Chelidonium majus) shampoo apply the directly to the scalp (warm one Celandine works not only for dandruff but also for dry or both). skin, hives, corns and warts. For preparing shampoo take 11. Tea (Camellia sinensis) one teaspoon of potassium chloride into six cups of water Tea contains astringent tannins together with and heat it to dissolve, then add four ounces of fresh phytochemicals like salicylic acid, sulphur and zinc celandine (or half cup of dried herb) to the , responsible for antidandruff activity. For preparing leave the solution for two hours, then boil slowly for 20 shampoo take tea leaves (or tea bags) and make an extra minutes. Filter the solution and reduce the solution to strong infusion for an easy, effective after shampoo two cups. Add eight ounces of glycerin and again reduce treatment for hair and scalp.11 the liquid to two cups. This solution can be used twice a 12. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) day as a hair rinse.7 Peppermint contains menthol, selenium and zinc, these are all proven antiflake ingredients available in commercial preparations.11

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13. Calendula officinals 2. DeAngelis YM , Saunders CW, Johnstone KR, Reeeder Salicylic acid present in C. officinalis is responsible for NL, Coleman CG, Kaczvinsky JR et al. Isolation and expression 11 of a Malassezia globosa Lipase Gene, LIP1. J Invest Dermatol its antidandruff activity. 2007; 127: 2138–2146. 14. Juniper (Juniperus communis) 3. Troller JA. Model system for the investigation of dandruff, J Soc Menthol, selenium and zinc along with other Cosmet Chem 1971; 22: 187–198. agents are present in juniper. These are the ingredients 4. Gaitanis G, Magiatis P , Stathopoulou K, Bassukas ID, also present in commercially available .11 Alexopoulos EC , Velegraki A et al. AhR ligands, malassezin, and indolo[3,2-b]carbazole are selectively produced by DISCUSSION strains isolated from seborrheic dermatitis. J The synthetic treatment options available have certain Invest Dermatol 2008;128: 1620–1625. limitations, which may be either due to poor efficacies or 5. Duke JA. The Green Pharmacy. Sylan Press; 1996. due to compliance issues. Furthermore, these synthetic 6. Weiss RF. Weiss's . Classic edition. drugs are unable to prevent recurrence, the common Beaconsfield(UK): Sweden & Beaconsfield publishers; 2001. 7. Shook's EE. Advanced Treatise on Herbology;1998. problem associated with them. 8. Huntings Anthony LL. Huntings Encyclopedia of Shampoo The best approach to treat dandruff is to use herbal Ingredients. Micelle press; 1983. antidandruff shampoo and go for a balanced diet. A 9. Heinerman J. Heinermans Encyclopedia of Fruits,Vegetables combination of nutritional and herbal treatment should and Herbs. Parker Pub; 1998. bring improvements in 6-8 weeks. 10. Lawrence. Lawrence Review of Natural Products. Facts and Comparisons: St. Louis (MO); 1994. CONCLUSION 11. Connors MS, Altshuler L. The Everything Guide to Herbal The herbal drugs prove to be an alternative for synthetic Remedies: An Easy-to-Use Reference for natural health care, drugs having the shortcomings of poor efficacy, 2009; pg 197-198. recurrence etc. The active constituents responsible for 12. Ravichandran G, Bharadwaj VS, Kolhapure SA. Evaluation of the antidandruff activity can be explored and further the clinical efficacy and safety of “Anti-Dandruff Shampoo” in the treatment of dandruff. The Antiseptic 2004; 201(1): 5-8. research may be done on these lead molecules for this 13. Boekhout T et al. Malassezia and the Skin. Miami Valley activity. Innovation Center, The Procter & Gamble Co, Cincinnati REFERENCES Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 DOI: 10.1007/978-3- 1. Vyjayanthi G, Kulkarni C, Abraham A, Kolhapure SA. 642-03616-3_9. Evaluation of anti-dandruff activity and safety of polyherbal hair oil : An open pilot clinical trial. The Antiseptic 2004; 101(9): 368-372.

Fig 1: Scalp flaking known as dandruff. Note excessive flaking without overt irritation.13

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