The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Herbal treatments for acne vulgaris

    Faculty members from Hamdard University in New Delhi, India have published a review on Medscape of treatment options for acne, with emphasis on herbal treatment options.

    Here’s a summary of the herbal section.

    Sunder Vati

    • An ayurvedic formulation.
    • Effective and well tolerated to treat acne vulgaris when taken by mouth.

    Purin tablets and Clarina cream

    • The combination was effective for mild and moderate acne with papules and comedones and for severe acne with papules and pustules.
    • Well tolerated.
      • Clarina cream contains A. barbadensis, P. amydalus, A. sessilus, R. cordifolia, borax, and zinc oxide.
      • Purin tablets contain extracts of A. indica, T. cordifolia, E. ribe, C. longa, E. alba, C. fistula, A. paniculata and Triphla.

    Ocimum gratissimum

    • Used in many herbal formulations.
    • A topical preparation of 2% ocimum oil in cetomacrogol blend base was a more effective and well-tolerated treatment of acne vulgaris than benzoyl peroxide 10% lotion in one study.
    • 2% ocimum oil used with aloe vera gel have a synergistic effect against acne.

    The bottom line?
    The authors discuss other herbals, but these appear to be the best studied.

    For more information, read the article or find an Ayurvedic physician.

    4/18/08 21:36 JR

    Comments are closed.