Evidence supports therapeutic potential of plant-based terpenoids for skin diseases

A review of clinical studies that used terpenoids to treat a variety of dermatological diseases demonstrated that this diverse class of phytochemicals may benefit patients with actinic keratosis, cutaneous candidiasis, hyperpigmentation, photoaging, and wounds. Evidence supporting the use of terpenoids in these disorders and linking the significant anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties of terpenoids to the pathogenic mechanisms underlying many cutaneous diseases is presented in a Review article published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

In 'Novel use of terpenoids for treatment of dermatological diseases: a systematic review of clinical trials (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2014.0273)' authors William Tuong and Raja Sivamani, M.D. M.S. CAT, University of California, Davis, and Lauren Walker, University of California Riverside, provide a detailed discussion of promising terpenoids in the area of dermatology and point to the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of ingenol mebutate for the treatment of actinic keratosis as an example of the growing clinical relevance of this class of plant-based compounds