Lawsonia inermis Extract

Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a rare inherited genetic skin disorder with severe skin itching and recurrent blisters and erosion. There is no effective and specific therapy for all types of EB.

The aim of this study was to evaluate a topical formulation of henna (Lawsonia inermis Linnaeus) in the management of wounds and the itching sensation in patients with EB.

This is a pilot single-arm clinical trial. Nine patients with recessive dystrophic EB, with the age range of 5 to 32 years were enrolled in the study. The patients were instructed to apply the topical 1% henna ointment once daily on two erosions and on also two sites with moderate to a severe itching sensation. The total duration of the intervention was 4 weeks with weekly follow-up visits. Patient global impression of improvement, visual analog scale, and clinical global impression of improvement were used for assessing the wound healing process and itching discomfort.

There was a significant improvement in the skin symptoms of epidermolysis bullosa including skin redness, itching, burning, and local warmness (P < 0.05). Local pain decreased during the study period, but this was not statistically significant (P < 0.19). One patient reported moderate xerosis of skin after continuous usage.

It seems that the topical formulation of henna may be effective in the management of itching, burning, stringing, and cutaneous warmness sensation in patients with EB. Further controlled studies with larger sample sizes are recommended to better evaluate this formulation.

In this clinical trial, we evaluated Alpha® ointment efficacy in prevention of capecitabine induced hand-foot syndrome (HFS) in patients with gastrointestinal or breast cancers, for the first time.

During this pilot, randomized, triple-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the effect of Alpha® ointment (Lawsonia inermis 3 g and Curcuma longa 0.15 g/ 30 g) was assessed. It was applied on the palms and the soles, two times daily starting at the first day of chemotherapy for 4 consecutive courses. The severity of HFS was assessed at the end of the chemotherapy courses based on World Health Organization (WHO) scale and scored between 0-4.

Ninety eligible patients were included randomly in the treatment or placebo group. Median WHO HFS grade was not significantly different between the two groups, during the follow-up period (P > 0.05). In the weekly assessment, the scores increased meaningfully in both the placebo and treatment groups, but there was a delay in HFS occurrence and deterioration in Alpha ointment group based on post hoc analysis.

Administration of Alpha® ointment containing henna and curcumin could not significantly prevent capecitabine induced HFS during 4 courses of treatment, but can somewhat delay its occurrence in patients with gastrointestinal or breast cancer.