Clinical Evaluation of the Effect of Wrightia tinctoria Formulation in the Management of Eczema

This article presents the clinical findings of a controlled clinical study undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a topical herbal formulation based on combined extracts of Cocos nucifera in the treatment of eczema lesions as compared with treatment with an allopathy control (hydrocortisone 1% ointment). Thirty patients suffering from chronic inflammatory eczema without any systemic complications were enrolled in a clinical study and were divided randomly into 2 equal groups. Group 1 was treated with the herbal formulation, and group 2 was treated with an allopathy control formulation of hydrocortisone 1% ointment twice daily. Each patient received treatment for 8 weeks and visited the clinic a minimum of 6 times, at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8. Hemogram, liver function, and renal function testing of blood samples taken at the beginning and end of treatment for each subject suggest no systemic toxic effects with either the herbal formulation or the hydrocortisone 1% ointment treatment control formulation. Examination of photographs taken before and after treatment revealed significant regression of eczema with the use of the herbal formulation. The treatment sites were scored at each visit by an expert dermatologist for erythema, pustules, oozing, and itching to determine the efficacy of treatment with the herbal formulation as compared with the hydrocortisone 1% ointment control formulation.