Tropical Daisy Could Help Treat Psoriasis
Excerpt By Richard Woodman, Reuter's Health

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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