Boswellia carterii birdwood topical microemulsion for the treatment of inflammatory dermatological conditions; a prospective study

Abstract

Several dermatological conditions, such as acne, eczema and urticaria, underlie inflammation among its pathogenesis. Boswellia carterii Bird. oleo-gum-resin has been extensively used in Ayurveda, Egyptian and Chinese traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory activity. The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic potential of a topical microemulsion of B. carterii oleo-gum-resin standardized bioactive fraction on patients with acne, eczema and urticaria. This prospective study included 47 patients; 34 males and 13 females; 8 of which were suffering from acne, 29 from eczema and 10 from urticaria, receiving a topical dose twice daily from the standardized bioactive fraction of B. carterii oleo-gum-resin in the form of topical microemulsion. The number of acne lesions was significantly decreased in all study groups from basal to week 2 and from week 2 to week 4 of the study. Patients' satisfaction was high in all the groups which further ascertained the improvement detected by the doctors' visual inspection. In conclusion, topical microemulsion of B. carterii oleo-gum-resin standardized bioactive fraction is effective in the treatment of patients with acne, eczema and urticaria.