Efficacy of herbal interventions in oral lichen planus: A systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic autoimmune condition requiring prompt treatment to alleviate the signs and symptoms. There is weak evidence emphasizing the efficacy of any one therapy. Steroids, of all the therapies, have proved to be effective and hence considered as the standard care for OLP. However, the complications associated with it further worsen the patient's condition. Alternative safe approaches such as herbal interventions (HIs) have been tried in OLP. Their efficacies could only be evaluated from properly designed research protocols such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The present systematic review aims to assess the efficacy of HIs compared to steroids in RCTs involving OLP. Materials and Methods: An extensive search for HIs in OLP was conducted in PubMed, MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus, and gray literature. Eight studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Results: In all the studies, clinical severity was significantly reduced in within-group comparisons, whereas between-group comparisons showed nonsignificant results, except for total glucosides of paeony capsules. Conclusion: Efficacy of herbal therapy in OLP should be weighed against the high bias in the studies.

Pharmaceutical Development, Standardization and Clinical Evaluation of Efficacy of a Polyherbal Hair-Pack and Hair Gel in Dandruff Control

“…The dosage and frequency will be suggested at the outset and following clinical assessment, the researcher expects to establish the efficacy, acceptability and outcome of the proposed poly herbal Hair pack and Gel formulation (of dosage and frequency of application). Studies on efficacy of different Ayurvedic preparations were reported [28][29][30]. Few of the related studies were reviewed [31][32][33].…”

Efficacy of Aloe vera in Treatment of Experimentally Induced Oral Lichenoid Reaction

“…Lichenoid reactions were induced by injecting the rats by captopril daily with a dose equivalent to 450 mg human dose, we use (Paget and Barnes formula, 1964) for calculation of animal dose which was be =human dose x .018 /200g of the rat (8) .…”

“…Due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-neoplastic properties, Aloe vera may be considered an acceptable alternative treatment option in this condition with minimal or no side effects (5,6,7,8) . Aloe vera was found to be efficient in treating different inflammatory diseases includ-ing OLR.…”

Cepharanthine and Oral Lichen Planus Efficacy (COLE) study: protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled study assessing the efficacy and safety of cepharanthine with topical corticosteroids in oral lichen planus

“…This frequency and duration aim to achieve effective symptom relief while minimising the risk of adverse effects, such as mucosal thinning and secondary candidiasis 13 14. However, it is worth noting that some patients may exhibit inadequate response or develop resistance to topical corticosteroids 15…”