Introduction. Benchalokawichian (BCW), a Thai traditional herbal formulation, has long been used as antipyretic and to treat skin disorders. It comprises roots from five herbs: Ficus racemosa, Capparis micracantha, Clerodendrum petasites, Harrisonia perforata, and Tiliacora triandra. This polyherbal remedy has recently been included in the Thailand National List of Essential Medicines (Herbal Products list). Methodology. A Bioassay-guided fractionation technique was used to evaluate antiallergy activities of crude extracts, and those obtained by the multistep column chromatography isolation of pure compounds. Inhibitory effect on the release of β-hexosaminidase from RBL-2H3 cells was used to determine antiallergic activity. Results. Two pure compounds from BCW formulation showed higher antiallergic activity than crude or semipure extracts. Pectolinarigenin showed the highest antiallergic activity, followed by O-methylalloptaeroxylin, with IC50 values of 6.3 μg/mL and 14.16 μg/mL, respectively. Moreover, the highest activities of pure compounds were significantly higher than chlorpheniramine (16.2 μg/mL). Conclusions. This study provides some support for the use of BCW in reducing itching and treatment of other skin allergic disorders. The two isolated constituents exhibited high antiallergic activity and it is necessary to determine their mechanism of action. Further phytochemical and safety studies of pure compounds are required before development of these as antiallergy commercial remedies.

Two novel triterpene esters were isolated from the leaves of Ceriops decandra in addition to 16 known triterpenes: lupenone 3, lupeol 4, betulinaldehyde 5, 3β-Z-coumaroyllupeol 6, 3β-E-coumaroyllupeol 7, 3-epi-betulinic acid 8, betulin 9, betulinic acid 10, 3β-E-feruloylbetulin 11, 30-nor-lup-3β-ol-20-one 12, 3β-E-caffeoyllupeol 13, lup-20(29)-en-3β,30-diol 14, 3β-hydroxylupan-29-oic acid 15, 3β,20-dihydroxylupane 16, and a mixture of oleanolic and ursolic acid 17 and 18. The new compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods to be 3β-E-feruloyllupeol 1 and 3β-Z-feruloyllupeol 2. Compounds 3 and 5–16 were reported for the first time as metabolites of C. decandra.

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Skin ensures that a constant internal environment can be maintained in an ever-changing external environment. When a wound occurs on the skin, the inflammatory and proliferative phases are initiated in response to injury. Thai traditional medicine (TTM), using medicinal plants and ancient knowledge, has been used to treat wounds. Eight Thai medicinal plants, most commonly used to treat wounds, were evaluated for their in vitro biological activities such as antioxidation by NBT assay, anti-inflammation by production inhibition of NO, promoting fibroblast cell proliferation, and wound closure activities. Plant materials were extracted with 95% ethanol or distilled water and then concentrated and dried. Statistical analysis of data was done using one-way ANOVA at p value of 0.05. The ethanolic extracts of Garcinia mangostana L., Glycyrrhiza glabra L., and Nigella sativa L. could inhibit the production of superoxide anion with the IC50 values of 13.97 ± 0.38, 28.62 ± 1.91, and 71.54 ± 3.22 μg/ml and nitric oxide with the IC50 values of 23.97 ± 0.91, 46.35 ± 0.43, and 78.48 ± 4.46 μg/ml, respectively. These extracts could promote cell proliferation and accelerate wound recovery at the rate of 2.02 ± 0.03, 2.12 ± 0.03, and 2.65 ± 0.05% per hour, respectively. Three established markers from these three plants were selected according to the selection criteria. Alpha-mangostin, glycyrrhizin, and thymoquinone were found to be the active markers for wound closure activities. The ethanolic extracts of G. mangostana, G. glabra, and N. sativa could scavenge superoxide anion and inhibit the production of nitric oxide; therefore these extracts could assist in surpassing the inflammatory phase and protected the cells surrounding the wound area. Most importantly, these extracts also increased the proliferation and accelerated wound closure, indicating that these plant extracts could be promoting wound healing processes and support the use of TTM.

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