Journal of Natural Products and Traditional Medicine

Therapeutic Uses of Medicinal Plants and their Phytoactives for the Treatment for Vitiligo
Author(s): Ritu Singh, Dr. Rachana

Skin is the largest and diverse organ of human body. It is exposed to the external environment all the time and protects human body from adverse external factors. There are several skin disorders and diseases which are to be focused on by the scientists as they are directly affects their psychology by changing the physical appearances of an individual affecting their social acceptability. Vitiligo is a type of skin disorder that can affect the color of the skin in a patch. It is an autoimmune disease that result due to the malfunction of melanocytes within the skin and characterized by whitish or pale patches. There are various herbal medicine that can be utilize for the treatment of vitiligo. There are several herbs which are commonly used to treat vitiligo such as Angelica sinesis, Ginkgo biloba, Psoralea corylifolia L, and Amni visnaga. Some plant derived compounds such as capsaicin, and curcumin are also used for the treatment of vitligo since many years as they have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to cure skin diseases. By the use of these plants and their products, different skin diseases can be treated as they are natural, economic and proved to be safer than the artificial compounds. The present study describe various plants and their derivatives and their mechanism of action, which are used to treat vitiligo. This review analyzed the protective effects and utilization of herbal medicines against vitiligo.