ANTIACNE ACTIVITY OF SOME INDIAN HERBAL DRUGS

Abstract

Acne is a common disorder of pilosebaceous follicle which mainly affects the teenagers up to 95% boys and 83% girls due to the hormonal changes. Modern acne therapy which includes comedolytic agents, antibiotics and various anti-inflammatory agents. has many side effects due to prolonged therapy. Excessive and prolonged use of antibiotics has lead to the development of resistance in acne causing bacteria, viz , Propionibacterium acne and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In the present study certain herbal drugs such as Camellia sinensis (Green tea) , Coscinium fenestratum (Wood turmeric) , and Quercus infectoria (Nut galls), were chosen based on their antibacterial activity against other Gram+ve and Gram-ve bacteria. Coscinium fenestratum was found to be effective against S.epidermidis. and Quercus infectoria showed good activity against P.acne. where as C.sinensis was found effective against S. epidermidis, but did not show any activity against P.acne. Further research are required to isolate and characterize the active principles present in these drugs.