Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Skin Diseases and for Cosmetic Purposes in Norway

Overview

Journal Plants (Basel)

Date 2024 Oct 16

PMID 39409691

Authors

AmalaChukwu M Ijeabuonwu

Jurga Bernatoniene

Zivile Pranskuniene

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Skin diseases in Norway represents an important area of study due to their incidence and prevalence, yet ethnobotanical research in this context remains scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Norwegian traditional medicine regarding the treatment of skin diseases and cosmetic purposes through a comparative analysis with EMA monographs. Participants were surveyed using semi-structured interviews. The two samples comprised 22 individuals from Bodø and 26 individuals from other Norwegian communities, all of whom use medicinal plants for the treatment of skin diseases and cosmetic purposes. The indications for skin diseases identified in the study were compared with the European Union herbal monographs published by the European Medicines Agency. Fieldwork was conducted between June 2022 and September 2023, during which 42 plant species from 22 families were recorded. More than half of these plant species (65.38%) were used without European Medicines Agency-approved medical indications. From a public safety perspective, ensuring the safety of self-treatment for skin diseases is a critical research focus for future ethnobotanical studies.

References

Dawid-Pac R . Medicinal plants used in treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2013; 30(3):170-7. PMC: 3834722. DOI: 10.5114/pdia.2013.35620. View

Anand U, Tudu C, Nandy S, Sunita K, Tripathi V, Loake G . Ethnodermatological use of medicinal plants in India: From ayurvedic formulations to clinical perspectives - A review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021; 284:114744. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.114744. View

Vandebroek I, Pieroni A, Stepp J, Hanazaki N, Ladio A, Alves R . Reshaping the future of ethnobiology research after the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Plants. 2020; 6(7):723-730. DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0691-6. View

Pieroni A, Vandebroek I, Prakofjewa J, Bussmann R, Paniagua-Zambrana N, Maroyi A . Taming the pandemic? The importance of homemade plant-based foods and beverages as community responses to COVID-19. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2020; 16(1):75. PMC: 7724619. DOI: 10.1186/s13002-020-00426-9. View

Gilca M, Tiplica G, Salavastru C . Traditional and ethnobotanical dermatology practices in Romania and other Eastern European countries. Clin Dermatol. 2018; 36(3):338-352. DOI: 10.1016/j.clindermatol.2018.03.008. View

Shaheen H, Nazir J, Firdous S, Khalid A . Cosmetic ethnobotany practiced by tribal women of Kashmir Himalayas. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2014; 4(4):239-50. PMC: 4110779. View

Ajjoun M, Kharchoufa L, Alami Merrouni I, Elachouri M . Moroccan medicinal plants traditionally used for the treatment of skin diseases: From ethnobotany to clinical trials. J Ethnopharmacol. 2022; 297:115532. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115532. View

Tsioutsiou E, Amountzias V, Vontzalidou A, Dina E, Stevanovic Z, Cheilari A . Medicinal Plants Used Traditionally for Skin Related Problems in the South Balkan and East Mediterranean Region-A Review. Front Pharmacol. 2022; 13:936047. PMC: 9294246. DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.936047. View

Kristoffersen A, Stub T, Melhus M, Broderstad A . Prevalence and associations for use of a traditional medicine provider in the SAMINOR 1 Survey: a population-based study on Health and Living Conditions in Regions with Sami and Norwegian Populations. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017; 17(1):530. PMC: 5728044. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-017-2037-0. View

10.

Jaric S, Kostic O, Mataruga Z, Pavlovic D, Pavlovic M, Mitrovic M . Traditional wound-healing plants used in the Balkan region (Southeast Europe). J Ethnopharmacol. 2017; 211:311-328. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2017.09.018. View

11.

Pieroni A, Quave C, Villanelli M, Mangino P, Sabbatini G, Santini L . Ethnopharmacognostic survey on the natural ingredients used in folk cosmetics, cosmeceuticals and remedies for healing skin diseases in the inland Marches, Central-Eastern Italy. J Ethnopharmacol. 2004; 91(2-3):331-44. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2004.01.015. View

12.

Jost X, Ansel J, Lecellier G, Raharivelomanana P, Butaud J . Ethnobotanical survey of cosmetic plants used in Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia). J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2016; 12(1):55. PMC: 5129640. DOI: 10.1186/s13002-016-0128-5. View

13.

Alm T . Ethnobotany of Heracleum persicum Desf. ex Fisch., an invasive species in Norway, or how plant names, uses, and other traditions evolve. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2013; 9:42. PMC: 3699400. DOI: 10.1186/1746-4269-9-42. View

14.

Pranskuniene Z, Grisiute R, Pranskunas A, Bernatoniene J . Ethnopharmacology for Skin Diseases and Cosmetics during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lithuania. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(7). PMC: 8998206. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074054. View

15.

Malik K, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Ullah R, Mahmood H, Parveen B . An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used to treat skin diseases in northern Pakistan. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019; 19(1):210. PMC: 6693210. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2605-6. View

16.

Sultan S, Telila H, Kumsa L . Ethnobotany of traditional cosmetics among the Oromo women in Madda Walabu District, Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia. J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024; 20(1):39. PMC: 10960478. DOI: 10.1186/s13002-024-00673-0. View

17.

Djuv A, Nilsen O, Steinsbekk A . The co-use of conventional drugs and herbs among patients in Norwegian general practice: a cross-sectional study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013; 13:295. PMC: 4228482. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-13-295. View

18.

Sile I, Romane E, Reinsone S, Maurina B, Tirzite D, Dambrova M . Medicinal plants and their uses recorded in the Archives of Latvian Folklore from the 19th century. J Ethnopharmacol. 2019; 249:112378. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112378. View

19.

Saising J, Maneenoon K, Sakulkeo O, Limsuwan S, Gotz F, Voravuthikunchai S . Ethnomedicinal Plants in Herbal Remedies Used for Treatment of Skin Diseases by Traditional Healers in Songkhla Province, Thailand. Plants (Basel). 2022; 11(7). PMC: 9003147. DOI: 10.3390/plants11070880. View

20.

Kolodziejczyk-Czepas J . Trifolium species-derived substances and extracts--biological activity and prospects for medicinal applications. J Ethnopharmacol. 2012; 143(1):14-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2012.06.048. View