Kunzea oil for psoriasis

[Fred]

This study looked into the use of Kunzia oil formulations in the treatment of psoriasis, Kunzea is a genus of shrub in the myrtle family Myrtaceae native to Australia.

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What is known and objective:
Anecdotally, topical kunzea oil has been used to treat various skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema, with good results. This study compared the clinical efficacy of kunzea oil (20%)-containing formulations in mild to moderate psoriasis.

Methods:
A randomized, comparative, double-blind, 8-week study was undertaken. Thirty patients (age range: 25–74 years and mean ± SD: 52·8 ± 13·6 years) with mild to moderate psoriasis (affecting at least 10% of one or more body regions: arms, head, legs and trunk) randomly received ointment and/or scalp lotion containing 20% kunzea oil (test group) or control medications not containing kunzea oil (control group). Formulations in both treatment arms also contained 5% liquor carbonis detergens (LCD) and 3% salicylic acid. The clinical responses to the test and control formulations were evaluated using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).

Results and discussion:
After 8 weeks of treatment, both test and control groups demonstrated a significant (P < 0·05) improvement in PASI scores. Subjects in the test group had a decrease in mean±SD PASI score from 12·7 ± 7·9 to 6·7 ± 7·2, whereas the control group showed a decrease in PASI score from 8·1 ± 4·6 to 3·5 ± 4·7. Comparative efficacy analysis between the test and control groups did not reveal any significant difference (P > 0·05).

What is new and conclusions:
The inclusion of kunzea oil made no difference to the efficacy of topical formulations containing LCD and salicylic acid for the treatment of psoriasis.

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com

*Funded by: School of Pharmacy and University of Tasmania