Tropical daisy could help treat psoriasis: report

September 24, 2002

Last Updated: 2002-09-24 10:00:38 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Woodman

LONDON (Reuters Health) - Scientists said on Tuesday that a traditional

Indian folk remedy for treating the common skin disorder psoriasis should

not be dismissed as just another old wives' tale.

The team, from King's College, London, investigated purple fleabane

(vernonia anthelmintica), a member of the daisy family, to see whether there

was a scientific basis for its purported medical properties.

They told the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester that their

findings show the daisies' seeds have not just one but two types of activity

relevant to psoriasis treatment.

First, the seeds contained a compound called vernodalol, which inhibited the

growth of the epidermal skin cells that psoriasis patients make in

excessively large numbers.

Second, this compound was also clearly active on two of the body's major

inflammatory pathways, the cyclo-oxygenerase and 5-lipoxygenerase pathways,

which is also useful in psoriasis treatment.

Lead researcher Dr. Amala Raman said in a statement that psoriasis drugs

normally only have one mode of action. " What is exciting is that vernonia

has both activities. Our findings certainly show that the traditional use is

not just an old wives' tale. "

The research was funded by the British drugs-from-plants firm Phytopharm,

whose shares recently fell to a 4-year low on doubts for its lead obesity

product P57, derived from a Kalahari cactus.

Raman said the next step on the psoriasis research had yet to be decided but

it might be possible to develop a new drug or herbal product.

Psoriasis most often strikes people between ages 10 and 40 and affects

millions worldwide. Treatments include emollients, corticosteroids and

ultraviolet light therapy.

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