healing effect of garlic extract on warts and corns
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Healing effect of garlic extract on warts and corns. International Journal of Dermatology. Farzaneh Dehghani , PhD Ahmad Merat , PhD Mohammad Reza Panjehshahin , PhD Farhad Handjani ,MD. Departments of Anatomy Biochemistry Pharmacology Dermatology - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Farzaneh Dehghani Farzaneh Dehghani , PhD, PhD Ahmad Merat, Ahmad Merat, PhDPhD Mohammad Reza Mohammad Reza
Panjehshahin ,Panjehshahin ,PhDPhD Farhad Handjani Farhad Handjani ,MD,MD
Departments of AnatomyDepartments of Anatomy Biochemistry Biochemistry PharmacologyPharmacology DermatologyDermatology Shiraz University of Medical Shiraz University of Medical
Sciences,Sciences,
Warts and corns are Warts and corns are among the commonest among the commonest conditions found in conditions found in dermatologic clinics and dermatologic clinics and different approaches are different approaches are employed for their employed for their treatment.treatment.
healing effect of both aqueous and lipid extracts of garlic on warts and corns.
no treatment for warts in the previous 2 months prior to the initiation of the study,
failure to respond to conventional treatments in the past,
and willingness to participate in the study.
Patients Twenty-eight patients with
2–96 warts, nine patients with 1–2 corns
Control group five patients with 7–35 warts
both genders
aged between 5 and 62 years
Peeled garlic was homogenized in equal weight of water in an electric blender
The lipid soluble fraction was extracted with an equal volume of chloroform: methanol (2 : 1) solution in a shaker for 20 min
After centrifugation at low speed, the two phases were allowed to separate with the cellular residues in the aqueous phase at the bottom of the tube
The chloroform : methanol phase and the aqueous phase were concentrated and collected separately
The cellular residues were discarded
In the first part of the trial, the aqueous garlic extract was applied twice daily on warts in five patients with 3–5 warts
In the second part of the trial,
23 patients with 2–96 warts (all on the hands except for two cases who had plantar warts), and nine patients with 1–2 corns on the feet, were treated by applying the lipid extract twice daily
control group two and three patients with
warts and corns, respectively,
were treated with chloroform : methanol (2 : 1) v/v solution alone for a period of 20 days
to rule out any possible effect of the lipid solvent.
Out of the 42 patients under investigation, five cases received the aqueous garlic extract for 30–40 days
disappearance of small warts and partial improvement of larger warts
Treatment with the aqueous extract of garlic needed a period of more than 2 months to achieve a partial recovery in the patients
Twenty-three patients with 2–96 warts, and nine patients with 1–2 corns, were treated by applying the lipid extract
complete recovery was observed in all cases with warts after 1–2 weeks of treatment
Seven out of nine patients with corn(s) showed complete recovery while two cases showed marked improvement close to full recovery with no further improvement on continuation of treatment
The period for the treatment of corn(s) in
this group was between
10 and 20 days
In control group flaking of the surface of the warts but with no signs of recovery
With the lipid extract, full recovery was achieved in all the patients with warts in 1–2 weeks, and it took 2–3 weeks for full recovery of approximately 80% of the corns
for the aqueous extract, the duration of treatment, which only caused a partial recovery, was 1 month for warts and approximately 2 months for corns
appearance of blister(s), redness, burning, and hyperpigmentation of the skin around the application area, which usually disappeared completely in 1–2 weeks.
Zinc oxide ointment was applied to the surrounding normal skin in all cases to prevent possible side-effects.
Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese sages were aware of the pharmacological effects of garlic and used it for the treatment of various diseases.
Avicenna, the great Persian sage
and philosopher, had also mentioned the curative effect
of fresh garlic on various skin diseases in his Al-Ghannon (Canon) textbook
Hypertension Diabetes Atherosclerosis Anticarcinogenic Antiviral agent in the treatment of many
skin diseases
garlic has definite curing effects on warts and corns
whereas both aqueous and lipid extracts of garlic were effective for the treatment of corns and warts, the healing effect of the lipid extract appeared in a shorter time period and resulted in complete cure as compared with the aqueous extract
there is a better rate of improvement in younger patients (<
30 years of age)
The fat-dissolving nature of the solvent
probably caused this flaking on the
surface of warts and corns.
S-allyl-cysteine
curative properties of garlic,such as prevention of tumor growth
in individuals who had numerous warts, when only 1–2 large warts were treated:
the other small warts located in the same area disappeared
without applying any garlic extract to them
enhancement of immunological responses elicited by garlic may be responsible.
antiviral activity of garlic reduced cellular proliferation
of virally infected cells garlic also exerts its effect
through its anti-DNA activity such as idoxuridine : an anti-DNA agents
main component responsible for antiviral property : allicin
HOW?
chemical reaction with thiol groups of various enzymes, e.g. alcohol dehydrogenase,
thioreductase and RNA polymerase.
electrocautery,
Cryotherapy
application of keratolytics
These approaches are not fully successful, and in some cases warts reappear.
treatment with garlic extract resulted in no recurrence of warts during the follow-up observation period (3–4 months).
surgery, which is practiced in most
clinics, can be painful and costly
Treatment with garlic extract appears to be a more convenient modality
fibrinolytic effect of garlic
the surrounding fibrin tissue of the corn capsule was lyzed and the capsule was separated from the main tissue
chemical interaction of allicin with thiol groups, such as those present in alcoholdehydrogenase and thioredoxin-reductase, participate in the metabolism of cysteine in proteins :
as a cause for destruction of tissues, probably through disrupting the epidermal junction
It is uncertain whether one or several mechanisms are involved in and responsible for the curative properties of garlic extract in the treatment of warts and corns, necessitating further investigations to help clarify the exact mechanism(s) of action.