Middle Eastern Medicinal Plants for the Treatment of Skin Diseases – An Analysis of Ethnobotanical and Evidence-Based Literature

Abstract

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance: Skin diseases, including infectious and inflammatory diseases, represent a serious and worldwide public health issue. In the Middle East, local populations use traditional medicinal plants to treat or prevent these ailments. Objective: This review seeks to identify and document the various medicinal plants, practices, and preparations historically and currently used to treat skin infections and inflammatory skin diseases in the Middle East. In addition, the scientific evidence supporting the traditional use of these plants is described, with a focus on the plants most widely used to treat inflammatory and infectious skin diseases. Design: A literature review of ancient and modern texts and scientific and clinical studies was conducted. Data sources: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched to retrieve relevant articles. Historical and traditional medicine books, in Arabic or translated into English, were also referenced. Results and discussion: Over 200 plant species from 80 families were found to be used to treat at least one skin ailment in the Middle East, including inflammation, eczema, and wounds. Plants from the Lamiaceae family were used most frequently in dermatologically relevant traditional medicine, with Asteraceae and Fabaceae members also found to be highly represented. The Middle Eastern plant species most widely used as skin treatments in traditional medicine were N. sativa, Z. spina-christi, A. majus, A. cepa, F. carica, L. inermis, P. oleracea, C. procera, M. communis, and C. spinosa. These plants were used either alone or in combination with other plants. Medicinal plants for skin diseases were primarily prepared as pastes, baths, or decoctions, most commonly from leaves as well as roots, fruits, and latex. Some Middle Eastern traditional plants have been evaluated in clinical trials and displayed dermatologically relevant bioactivities, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound- healing. Conclusion: This review identified Middle Eastern medicinal plants with documented dermatological relevance. These plants have been described in historical and traditional medicine texts, as well as in ethnobotanical surveys conducted in the region. Some of these plants display therapeutic activities for the treatment of dermatological conditions, however, further laboratory and clinical research are needed to confirm their pharmaceutical potential. Moreover, many of the plants used in traditional medicine have yet to be investigated and could prove to be an untapped source of viable drug leads.